I have read a lot of books, but Scar Tissue really stands out. It’s the story of Anthony Kiedis, the lead vocalist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It’s a fascinating and very inspiring journey, through drug use and struggle.
Inspiration is the keyword.
Anthony Kiedis is one of the most famous lead vocalists in the world, and Red Hot Chili Peppers is sort of like The Beatles of this decade when it comes to popularity.
I decided to read the book because Red Hot Chili Peppers has been one of my favorite bands the past 20 years. I wanted to understand the story; how they got started, why they changed their music, their breakthrough, and how they are living their lives.
I was in for a ride, as close to a rollercoster ride as possible when it comes to autobiographies. The Red Hot Chili Peppers was launched by coincidence, Anthony Kiedis was not a singer, he was more of an announcer on the concerts for his friends. He was doing drugs and hanging around on the clubs, when they started jamming together just for fun. He had always had a way with words though, and writing his own materials and having a performance packed with energy really helped. They decided to try it.
They launched the band in 1983, and since then, it’s been a story of a lot of drug use. Their original guitarist, Hillel Slovak, died of an heroin overdose in 1988. Since then, Anthony Kiedis and Michael Peter Balzary (aka Flea) are the only original members still in the band. It’s been a very interesting journey from the start in 1983.
The reason I say it’s inspiring, is due to the fact that they have had a lot of problems, probably a lot more than other rock bands. They never gave up, even when it looked like they had no chance to recover as a band. Anthony Kiedis have been close to dying on several occations, most due to his drug use, but I think that the strong friendship and bonding between Anthony Kiedis and Flea is what really saved the band and made it such a huge success.
Obviously you have to be creative and highly competent in order to have success, but the story of Anthony Kiedis and the Red Hot Chili Peppers also shows that you’d need to hang in there, no matter how hard it may seem. Never give up, and only then, you’ll discover the true meaning of success.