Scar Tissue

By: Anthony Kiedis, Larry Sloman

Narrated by: Rider Strong

Length: 14 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's Summary

As lead singer and songwriter for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Anthony Kiedis has lived life on the razor's edge. Much has been written about him, but until now we've only had his songs as clues to his experience from the inside. In Scar Tissue, Kiedis proves himself to be as compelling a memoirist as he is a lyricist, giving us a searingly honest account of the life from which his music has evolved.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are that rare breed of rock band: critically lauded and popularly embraced by millions of fans, their albums consistently sell into the stratosphere - their CD Californication sold over 13 million copies alone.

Now, in Scar Tissue, Anthony Kiedis defies the rock star clichés. In his telling, we can see everything he has done has been part of a passionate journey. Kiedis is a man "in love with everything" - the darkness, the death, the disease. Even his descent into drug addiction was a part of that journey; another element that he has transformed into art. Scar Tissue is a fascinating account of a fast-lane life, addiction, and a moving story of eventual recovery and redemption.

©2004 Anthony Kiedis (P)2010 Phoenix Audio

Critic Reviews

"Kiedis’s narrative of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ dues-paying years is vivid and inspiring." ( Newsweek)

Up Close and Personal with Anthony Kiedis

Not only is this book completely entertaining through out the entire pligrimage of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kiedis makes you feel as if you were actually right there living the whole experience with him. I have always enjoyed RHCP but now through hearing about his memories and relationships with the band members, I can honestly say that I have a new found appreciation for the band. One thing I also really enjoyed thanks to youtube- is that as you are listening, you can watch parts of concerts or interviews Kiedis refers to in the novel which provides an excellent reality to his work and its really amusing to know what his thoughts are as he's singing or strung out.. Also, the way Anthony describes his struggle with addiction is riviting.. you truly learn what an addict dreams and feels everyday. I would highly reccomend this book to anyone who wants to listen to entertaining book that opens your mind to a story about a struggling drug addict facing the realities of success, fame and funky music :)

Rider Strong SUCKS

Rider Strong is, by no means, qualified to talk about Anthony Kiedis’ gnarly, fast-paced life. Over the course of the audio book, I wasn’t sure if I was listening to a little league baseball game or the biography of one of the most influential rockers of our generation. Otherwise, great story.

Great book. Horrible narration.

The story is real good but the reader SUCKS!!! I hope to God I never hear him reading another book. I can’t tell you how many times I almost threw in the towel because the sound of his voice literally angered me. This is not a career this guy should continue in one more day.

Disturbing story of a junkie rockstar pedophile.

I always heard negative rumors about this dude. I thought since he is a recovering addict that I might relate to the guy, but definitely not. This book has no redeeming qualities with the exception of the narrarator. I now dislike him even more so than before. He was dating teenagers when he was in his twenties and he continues to date teenagers in his fifties. What a scumbag.

Not A Favorite

Rock biographies are my favorite genre so, eventually, I had to read Scar Tissue. Full disclosure: I've been putting it off for 2 years because I haven't really liked the RHCP since Blood Sugar Sex Magik. (Though I adore Flea.) So, I finally downloaded Scar Tissue. First, let me say, I think the narrator is - while not terrible - certainly not worthy and didn't make me feel like I was listening to the words of Anthony Kiedis. It was like listening to a 17 year old high school junior reading Anthony Kiedis. (Go ahead, listen to the sample.) Because of this, I could never really get completely immersed in the book. His young, squeaky, and innocent voice didn't vibe with the often dark and always debaucherous tales. But if you can past that, which I couldn't quite do all the time, then the story being shared is essentially this: Anthony's dad was the kind of parent who made his kid be his hang out and drug buddy so AK developed unhealthy drug and girl habits very early in life and has pretty much been to be unable to control these urges for most of his life. "OK", you might say. "That's the story of rock-n-roll!" Yeah, true. But usually reading a rock bio makes me like the band and the person even more because I form a connection and deeper appreciation of the artist and the music. Well, perhaps I do feel a bit of that but I was disappointed nonetheless. Kiedis came off as decent guy who's very easily distracted, a little outrageous, and a lot immature. Oh, wait. Maybe that narrator did a good job after all!

Candid insight into hard-core life of rock icon

If you could sum up Scar Tissue in three words, what would they be?

Facinating, pathetic, mind-numbing

What was one of the most memorable moments of Scar Tissue?

Very insightful explanation and person experiences relating to lyrics of "Scar Tissue"

What about Rider Strong’s performance did you like?

Overall very good narration and shifting of voices made it seem like you were listening to actual characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Times when Anthony Keidis realized the joy of his own sobriety

Any additional comments?

Was a great fan of the RHCP before book and now, with explanations of odd song lyrics and history I've become even more enamored by them.

The Sexcapades of Anthony Kedis

What did you love best about Scar Tissue?

I enjoyed hearing the musical biography of Anthony Kedis and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I wanted to hear more stories about the music, the band, the road to stardom, behind-the-scenes stories, etc. I would have cut out a lot of the sex stories, which seemed grandiose anyway. This seemed more like a sexual memoir more than anything. I caught myself rolling my eyes a lot. There were a couple other stories in there where I thought, "Really?! C'mon!" There are some egotistical parts that seem seriously embellished and unbelievable. I don't want to say which ones because I don't want to ruin the book for anyone.

Any additional comments?

From the book it sounds like success just fell into Anthony Kedis' lap. He just happened to know these guys who had a band, and because he danced and thrashed around (because he didn't have any musical talent) he became the lead singer. Also, sobriety seemed very casual to him, like that was easy and just fell into his lap too, despite repeated relapses. Although I listened through the whole book, I have less respect for Anthony Kedis now than I did before listening. I don't think that should happen, but it did.

Tear

I related to this book too much. Kiedis' story reminds me of a lot of things I went through with a close friend of mine and this book really touched those feelings.

Brilliant

Would you consider the audio edition of Scar Tissue to be better than the print version?

Yes

What other book might you compare Scar Tissue to and why?

Jimi Hendrix had a similar story

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes it was a deeply moving story the best I have read yet

Soul Baring

Any additional comments?

I was not expecting such raw emotion. Anthony Kiedis portrays himself in public as very standoffish when it comes to his personal life. I was blown away at his ability to put it all out there, bad and good. So many times I just started at my car radio with my mouth open. Did he just say that? Yes, he did. I loved how he explained the songs that he was creating and the times around which they were being created. It brought me closer to the music and to understanding how hard those times in his life, as well as so many others, must have been. He shows himself to be human, not just a rock star. And out of that, even though he explains it's always a battle and no easy end, he proves he is also courageous.

Touching, inspiring, informative.

I've read Scar Tissue on two separate occasions in the past and it was always "my favourite book", "the best book I've ever read" when I told friends about it.

However, even with such high praise for the book, my first listen (of many, I'm sure) to Scar Tissue on Audible was a very fulfilling experience.. the honesty, emotion and passion thrown into each and every sentence by Anthony Keidis is one thing but Rider Strong's narration is exceptional.. from his impersonations of Flea to a kiwi fling of Anthony's, or even the up and down emotions of Anthony Keidis himself.. Rider Strong's performance is top notch!!

The stories told in this book are unbelievable, but told with a brutal honesty that makes them believable, and they're told in a way that makes you feel like you were there.. there before the Chili Peppers, there with the band through all their ups and downs and their at the end in disbelief that the book's over, and now all you have left to do is listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' discography that you have reacquainted yourself with along the way.

By the way, this isn't a bad thing..

For any Red Hot Chili Peppers fans out there this is a must!! for anybody else out there, welcome to the World of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

did a lot of drugs

I think 75% of this book is just him doing drugs, no idea how he can so many drugs and then remember all the times that he did drugs. Its an ok book but bit of a waste of time because it's just 'i did drugs' 'ok, no more drugs' 'actually I'll do a little bit of drugs' 'oh no did lots of drugs' 'ok, no drugs' and it repeats.

also the audio quality isn't good and the voice isn't right for the story and the accents the guy puts on are pretty bad and unneeded

Brilliant but it gets repetitive

Brilliant but it gets repetitive.

Surely there's more to talk about that drugs and sex. I understand his difficulties. Still great to know, especially if you're a big chilli's fan like myself.

Read the first chapter and you've read the book.

I've been a fan of RHCP since mothers milk era and always admired the energy of their music. After reading Flea's brilliant book, Acid for the children, I decided to try Scar Tissue.

It's basically a repeat story all the way through. Anthony gets high, Anthony falls in love, Anthony gets Sober, repeat repeat repeat.

Still worth a read but changed my perception of Kiedis.

a roller coaster, if a bit narcissistic

Big RHCP fan but never warmed to AK much. Finally got round to listening to the book. really enjoyed it but felt it was a bit too repetitive on some areas. i get drugs are a big part of his life but felt a bit narcissistic in places. also found the narration a bit nauseating. like a kids tv series when doing women's voices or other characters. dont let that distract you though, from this total roller coaster of an autobiography. here's to a healthy AK and more music from RHCP

Not for me... Couldn't finish it

I loved the Chilli Peppers growing up and still enjoy their music to this day so thought I would find this book really interesting. I'm not even half way through but I had to stop... The way he talks about women is gross. Couldn't keep going with it. Such a shame.

Struggled to keep my attention.

I really liked this to start with, however the same themes kept repeating themselves and I got bored. I also found the tone of the narrator irritating at times.
I really persevered, its unusual I do not finish an audio title.

Disappointing

Struggled to finish it. I did enjoy parts but unfortunately not all of it. The narrator is good.

Not much to it...

There really isn’t much to this book. Basically, grew up, screwed some girls, took some drugs, fell in love while high, took more drugs, wrote some songs, went to rehab, fell off the wagon (repeat). I was expecting so much more, and being a fan I was really disappointed.

A book about drug addiction and occasionally music

Anthony Kiedis has lived an incredibly eventful life, which in itself makes interesting listening. However the book focuses mainly on his battles with drug addiction and his sex life, which does make for difficult listening at times. It can come across as crass and lacking the wit and insight seen in the autobiographies of other great addicted musicians like Keith Richards 'Life'. The parts of the book where Keidis is clean, more lucid and gives background to the music and process behind RHCP are the best bits unfortunately they are all too rare.
Also this was written before the release of by the way and stadium arcadium so is before a great body of work that younger fans will be more familiar with. Keidis has been playing music and living the fast life for a lot longer than many of us would have known.