Review: 'Scar Tissue' by Anthony Kiedis

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

'Scar Tissue' by Anthony Kiedis, 465 pages - Instagram @c_reads_books

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Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis (with Larry Sloman) is the autobiography of the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and one of the few consistent members since the band’s conception in 1983. Kiedis tells his life story thus far (up until 2004, when it was published), beginning with his childhood in Michigan, and ending shortly after releasing the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ eighth album, By the Way. In only 41 years (as of 2004) of life, Anthony has seen and done more than most. From moving from Grand Rapids, MI to Los Angeles, CA, to being homeless, to finding love in a myriad of ways, to starting a band with his friends just for fun, to becoming a world-famous singer, all the while battling a drug addiction that began when he was just a kid, Anthony has been through a lot. Living his life “entirely on impulse, for pleasure, and for kicks,” as the cover quote says, has led Anthony down many roads- some disastrous, some rewarding, but all exciting.

I really liked this book. I’ve always been a fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and when I picked this book up at Barnes & Noble, I was instantly excited to read it. Reading Anthony’s autobiography made me feel that I was there through it all with him, the ups, the downs, and everything in between. I was truly never bored while reading this book, which isn’t something I can say for every book I read, even some ones I like. Being a fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, I loved getting more backstory on the band’s initial conception, multiple changing members, and most of all the deeper meaning behind some of their best and most popular songs. Reading Anthony’s autobiography has definitely given me a newfound and deeper appreciation for the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ music. Besides being a world-famous singer, Anthony Kiedis is also just a genuinely interesting person who has lived a very interesting, and often intense life. Although I have no idea on a personal level what it’s like to be a drug addict, I feel as though I lived through Anthony’s addiction with him on some level, which was an interesting and new perspective on a topic I don’t think about often. I was overjoyed to find out that Anthony became sober for good on December 24, 2000, and I have faith that he’ll keep it up for all the years to come! Overall, this autobiography is impossible to summarize in so few words, but that’s part of what makes it so great. I would recommend this book to any Red Hot Chili Peppers fan, or just anyone looking for a very interesting, and very honest, autobiography!