Speedballin' In Da Club

Anthony Kiedis' auto-biography, Scar Tissue, is a look into the life of a punk-rocker who gets caught up in the dreadful world of drug abuse. Kiedis gives the reader a vivid look into the life of a troubled child turned rockstar, who all the while is battling with his impulsive character.  While experimenting with new sounds for the band, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as new drugs and women, he finds himself and learns the terrors of compulsive behavior.  The book comes at an important time when many people, as well as musicians, deal with drug addiction.  Whether it is Kurt Cobain or more recently Whitney Houston, Scar Tissue gives insight into the drug habits these talented artists had before their demise.

This book was written to warn today's youth of the slippery slope one can ride down on a toboggan of bad decisions and reckless behavior.  Kiedis began smoking marijuana at the very young age of 12 and a decade later he was addicted to heroin, cocaine and many other high-risk drugs.  He glaringly recounts the incredible highs but also retells the nightmarish lows as he itched for his next fix. Another audience this book can relate to are people fighting to get sober.  Kiedis relapses over 10 times in the course of the book and has some thought provoking ideas on the reasons for addiction and getting sober. I think part of the reason he told his story was a way to help himself on the road to self purification.  Explaining his journey will help him rid the demons of the past.

Anthony is a musician not a writer so it could have had some stylistic improvements. That being said Kiedis is incredible at retelling events in his life.  So intensely that it makes the reader feel as if they are backstage with Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love and Pearl Jam doing lines of cocaine and shooting up China White heroin. Kiedis also used his music to compliment his writing.  When he spoke of a failed relationship or another relapse, typically he brought in a few lines from a song he had written about that situation.  Kiedis is an incredibly talented song writer and when he combined his lyrics with his writing, it was stylistically an awesome fusion. The manner that he uses is a frank, unsparing, meticulous account of a life lived entirely on impulse, for pleasure and for kicks.