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Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
(Bass Recorded Versions). Features note-for-note transcriptions in standard notation and tab for all of Flea's funky bass lines on the Peppers' critically acclaimed album. Includes 15 songs: Around the World * Californication * Easily * Emit Remmus * Get on Top * I Like Dirt * Otherside * Parallel Universe * Porcelain * Purple Stain * Right on Time * Road Trippin' * Savior * Scar Tissue * This Velvet Glove.
- GenresMusic
80 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1999
1 person is currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Kiedis
66 books433 followersAnthony Kiedis is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis and his fellow band members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
Kiedis spent his youth in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his mother, and then moved shortly before his twelfth birthday to live with his father in Hollywood. While attending Fairfax High School, Kiedis befriended students Flea and Hillel Slovak, who were members of the band Anthym. After high school, Kiedis took classes at UCLA, but dropped out in his sophomore year.
When Kiedis received an offer to be the opening act for a local band, he enlisted Flea, Slovak, and drummer Jack Irons. After a show under the name Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem, the band progressed and the lineup eventually became the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He has recorded thirteen studio albums with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Kiedis's lyrical style has evolved throughout his career; early recordings discussed topics such as sex and life in Los Angeles, while more recent songs focus on more reflective themes including love, addiction, and loss. He struggled with addiction until 2000, and maintains that he has been clean since then.
Kiedis spent his youth in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his mother, and then moved shortly before his twelfth birthday to live with his father in Hollywood. While attending Fairfax High School, Kiedis befriended students Flea and Hillel Slovak, who were members of the band Anthym. After high school, Kiedis took classes at UCLA, but dropped out in his sophomore year.
When Kiedis received an offer to be the opening act for a local band, he enlisted Flea, Slovak, and drummer Jack Irons. After a show under the name Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem, the band progressed and the lineup eventually became the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He has recorded thirteen studio albums with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Kiedis's lyrical style has evolved throughout his career; early recordings discussed topics such as sex and life in Los Angeles, while more recent songs focus on more reflective themes including love, addiction, and loss. He struggled with addiction until 2000, and maintains that he has been clean since then.
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July 19, 2014
This is a review about Scar Tissue. I already read that once and reviewed it here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... , but great books are made to be reread. So, here we go again.
Destruction leads to a very rough road, but it also breads creation
The quote on the cover of this book is entirely wrong and completely ironic
This is a book about far more than just drug use, but let’s start with the obvious: drug use (later we’ll get to sex and God, so stay tuned). Writing about drug use is a tricky endeavor. The two poles are glamorization (yeah it’s awesome, so great, think of your average Wiz Kalifa song for example) or moralization (don’t you ever do it, horrible, terrible, no good can come from it, just say no, Breaking Bad for example). Somewhere between those two extremes are writing that expresses both the splendor but also the agony of drug use. Also keep in mind that drug use is not the same as drug abuse. There are very few coherent, stable witnesses who have lived through the hell of extreme drug abuse and live to tell the tale.
Enter Anthony Kiedas. After reading Scar Tissue a second time I really stand in awe of his soul. Allow me to explain. I think that the quote on the front of the book “…a life lived entirely on impulse, for pleasure, and for kicks” could not be further from the truth. This book has a far deeper spiritual element. Yes, he’s running around, reveling in sex and drugs and rock and roll while constantly searching for God. Kiedas at times acted as a witness to the beauty and splendor of the universe while trapped in the cycle of drug abuse (look at the lyrics in Under the Bridge “she sees my good deeds and / she kisses me softly / lonely as I am / together we cry”). He’s a poet, he recognizes the mystical in a way that few people can, and I’m kind of sorry that the person who reviewed the book for the Times didn’t recognize that. Obviously (or at least just judging from the sentence) this person would fit into the category of people that do not, will not, sense the mystical presence of God in their lives and therefore missed that element to this story.
At the same time, that’s ok and entirely understandable. There is something about the presence of Kiedas that allows, almost invites, misunderstanding. The shirt off, bouncing around unabashedly persona which he presents invites misunderstanding and will lead to strong opinions. People will either hate a person like Anthony or be attracted to his bed and or lyrics like a moth to a flame and neither may quite know why, but that’s OK. If you are only able to get the sex and drug narrative element, fine, go for it. You will still have fun at the Chili Peppers show. But, if you get that other element, if you too feel that rhythm in life and can recognize it in others, go for it, follow that streak in the sky without apologizing or without trying to explain to those who do not get it. My love affair with everywhere was innocent why do you care?
You will certainly get that this is a person who has evolved. From band circles in which they would slap each other in the face to group meditation, he has changed. From jumping off of 15 story buildings into pools to donating money to charities, he’s certainly changed. From injecting himself with heroin and cocaine to injecting himself with ozone and going AA meetings, he has changed. For the better. And in this better, cleaner state of mind and being, he is able to explain his story. A must read for Chili Pepper fans. I could go on and on and on about the evolution in Chili Pepper lyrics (as those of you who have been on long car rides with me can attest to) but I’ll have that for another time. Read this book, rock the fuck out, life is good.
Quotes
When you’re faced with your own death, you go into that slow motion mode where you get the courtesy of the universe expanding time for you. 8 (true)
It was like my dad was on some kind of psychedelic Disneyland ride off in the world, and I was stuck in Snowy Ass, Nowheresville, U.S.A. I knew that there was this magic out there in the world, and that my father was somehow the key to it. But I also, especially in retrospect, enjoyed growing up in a calmer clime. 16 (notice that inking of the forbidden fruit side of life, you see this in all kinds of deep mystical writing – check out Hermann Hesse)
What was kind of annoying about the whole experience was the late-night traffic. It was then that I saw the real desperation this drug [cocaine] could induce. 32
When you’re in seventh grade and this really wonderful woman whom you look up to take the time to express an idea like that [you’re a good writer, keep it up] to you – that was a bell that wouldn’t stop ringing for the rest of my life. 38
Adolescence is such a fun time in your life, because you think you know it all, and you haven’t gotten to the point where you realize that you know almost nothing. 70
It [making love to someone he loved] was better than I ever could have dreamed, it was that thing I had been looking for, that love mixed with the rapture of sex. 74
I discovered the derivation of the world “fuck.” It came from the early naval logs that the captain would keep. If a crew member was punished for having sexual intercourse, it was noted in the log as “FUCK” (for unlawful carnal knowledge). That was too good a factoid not to share with the class. 80
[Initial heroin usage] I didn’t see it as a road to death and insanity. I just saw it as a beautiful, beautiful feeling…madmen paying more attention to their own world than the outside world…The horribly ironic cosmic trick of drug addiction is that drugs are a lot of fun when you first start using them, but by the time the consequences manifest themselves, you’re no longer in a position to say, “whoa, gotta stop that.” You’ve lost that ability, and you’ve created this pattern of conditioning and reinforcement. It never something for nothing when drugs are involved. 96
People who are into drugs can sniff them out in the desert if they have to…I had this duality of trying to kill myself with drugs, then eating really good food and exercising and going swimming and trying to be a part of life. I was always going back and forth on some level. 154
I can’t imagine the emotional terrorism that I inflicted on these people. I was lost in that addiction. And it got a lot worse before it got any better. 164
[First time in rehab] When you’re kicking…parts of your body you didn’t know experience pain, experience it…[first AA meeting] I was trying to read the twelve steps but couldn’t focus my eyes. I was trying to listen to these people, but I couldn’t focus my ears. I had mocked anything that had to do with sobriety or recovery my whole life…I started looking for the scam. Was it a money thing? A God thing? A religion thing? What the fuck was going on here? But as I sat in that meeting, I felt something in the room that made sense to me. It was nothing but a bunch of guys like me, helping one another get off drugs, and find a new way of life. I was keen on discovering the loophole, but there wasn’t one. 197
* Once you’ve seen a solution to the disease that’s tearing you apart, relapsing is never fun….that chase is always exciting. There are cops and bad guys and freaks and hookers. You’ve diving in a big insidious video game, but again, you’ve being tricked into thinking that you’re doing something cool, since the price is always bigger than the payoff. You immediately give up your love and light and your beauty, and you become a dark black hole in the universe, sucking up bad energy and not walking around putting a smile on someone’s face or helping someone out or teaching someone something that’s going to help his or her life. You’re not creating the ripple of love; you’re creating a vacuum of shit. I want to describe both sides of how I felt, but it’s important to know that in the end all the romantic glorification of dope fiendery amounts to nothing but a hole of shit. It has to appear enticing, because that’s what God or the universe, creative intelligence or whatever you want to call it, put that energy here. It’s a learning tool, and you can either kill yourself with it or you can turn yourself into a free person with it. I don’t think drug addiction is inherently useless, but it’s a rough row to hoe. 207
As exciting and temporarily fulfilling as this constant influx of interesting and beautiful girls can be, at the end of the day, that shit is lonely and you’re left with nothing. 271
Always, you wake up to an unpleasant memory and an unpleasant body and your spirit is reduced to a pile of dirty ashes residing somewhere inside your ass. You’ve gotta face the music, which is a beautiful island outside, but you can’t even bear to look out the window. 392 (aHA, see, when you are on drugs it’s a beautiful day, but you cannot see it)
One of the techniques they teach to get rid of a resentment towards somebody is to pray for him or her to get everything that you want for yourself in life – to be loved, to be happy, to be alive with the light and the love of the universe. It’s paradox, but it works. 397
A certain amount of volatility and drama can be healthy and keep things fun and interesting if you’re willing at any moment during a fight to say, “This means nothing. I love you, let’s forget about it.” We didn’t have that ability. 447
Sobriety wasn’t about giving up the party, it was just creating a new, saner party. 458
I had come back for a purpose – it wasn’t because I outwitted drug addiction. It was because something, somewhere, wanted me alive so I could be a part of creating something beautiful and helping somebody else…When I was a teenager and shooting speedballs, I wasn’t thinking, “I want to know God,” but deep down, maybe I did. 459
Destruction leads to a very rough road, but it also breads creation
The quote on the cover of this book is entirely wrong and completely ironic
This is a book about far more than just drug use, but let’s start with the obvious: drug use (later we’ll get to sex and God, so stay tuned). Writing about drug use is a tricky endeavor. The two poles are glamorization (yeah it’s awesome, so great, think of your average Wiz Kalifa song for example) or moralization (don’t you ever do it, horrible, terrible, no good can come from it, just say no, Breaking Bad for example). Somewhere between those two extremes are writing that expresses both the splendor but also the agony of drug use. Also keep in mind that drug use is not the same as drug abuse. There are very few coherent, stable witnesses who have lived through the hell of extreme drug abuse and live to tell the tale.
Enter Anthony Kiedas. After reading Scar Tissue a second time I really stand in awe of his soul. Allow me to explain. I think that the quote on the front of the book “…a life lived entirely on impulse, for pleasure, and for kicks” could not be further from the truth. This book has a far deeper spiritual element. Yes, he’s running around, reveling in sex and drugs and rock and roll while constantly searching for God. Kiedas at times acted as a witness to the beauty and splendor of the universe while trapped in the cycle of drug abuse (look at the lyrics in Under the Bridge “she sees my good deeds and / she kisses me softly / lonely as I am / together we cry”). He’s a poet, he recognizes the mystical in a way that few people can, and I’m kind of sorry that the person who reviewed the book for the Times didn’t recognize that. Obviously (or at least just judging from the sentence) this person would fit into the category of people that do not, will not, sense the mystical presence of God in their lives and therefore missed that element to this story.
At the same time, that’s ok and entirely understandable. There is something about the presence of Kiedas that allows, almost invites, misunderstanding. The shirt off, bouncing around unabashedly persona which he presents invites misunderstanding and will lead to strong opinions. People will either hate a person like Anthony or be attracted to his bed and or lyrics like a moth to a flame and neither may quite know why, but that’s OK. If you are only able to get the sex and drug narrative element, fine, go for it. You will still have fun at the Chili Peppers show. But, if you get that other element, if you too feel that rhythm in life and can recognize it in others, go for it, follow that streak in the sky without apologizing or without trying to explain to those who do not get it. My love affair with everywhere was innocent why do you care?
You will certainly get that this is a person who has evolved. From band circles in which they would slap each other in the face to group meditation, he has changed. From jumping off of 15 story buildings into pools to donating money to charities, he’s certainly changed. From injecting himself with heroin and cocaine to injecting himself with ozone and going AA meetings, he has changed. For the better. And in this better, cleaner state of mind and being, he is able to explain his story. A must read for Chili Pepper fans. I could go on and on and on about the evolution in Chili Pepper lyrics (as those of you who have been on long car rides with me can attest to) but I’ll have that for another time. Read this book, rock the fuck out, life is good.
Quotes
When you’re faced with your own death, you go into that slow motion mode where you get the courtesy of the universe expanding time for you. 8 (true)
It was like my dad was on some kind of psychedelic Disneyland ride off in the world, and I was stuck in Snowy Ass, Nowheresville, U.S.A. I knew that there was this magic out there in the world, and that my father was somehow the key to it. But I also, especially in retrospect, enjoyed growing up in a calmer clime. 16 (notice that inking of the forbidden fruit side of life, you see this in all kinds of deep mystical writing – check out Hermann Hesse)
What was kind of annoying about the whole experience was the late-night traffic. It was then that I saw the real desperation this drug [cocaine] could induce. 32
When you’re in seventh grade and this really wonderful woman whom you look up to take the time to express an idea like that [you’re a good writer, keep it up] to you – that was a bell that wouldn’t stop ringing for the rest of my life. 38
Adolescence is such a fun time in your life, because you think you know it all, and you haven’t gotten to the point where you realize that you know almost nothing. 70
It [making love to someone he loved] was better than I ever could have dreamed, it was that thing I had been looking for, that love mixed with the rapture of sex. 74
I discovered the derivation of the world “fuck.” It came from the early naval logs that the captain would keep. If a crew member was punished for having sexual intercourse, it was noted in the log as “FUCK” (for unlawful carnal knowledge). That was too good a factoid not to share with the class. 80
[Initial heroin usage] I didn’t see it as a road to death and insanity. I just saw it as a beautiful, beautiful feeling…madmen paying more attention to their own world than the outside world…The horribly ironic cosmic trick of drug addiction is that drugs are a lot of fun when you first start using them, but by the time the consequences manifest themselves, you’re no longer in a position to say, “whoa, gotta stop that.” You’ve lost that ability, and you’ve created this pattern of conditioning and reinforcement. It never something for nothing when drugs are involved. 96
People who are into drugs can sniff them out in the desert if they have to…I had this duality of trying to kill myself with drugs, then eating really good food and exercising and going swimming and trying to be a part of life. I was always going back and forth on some level. 154
I can’t imagine the emotional terrorism that I inflicted on these people. I was lost in that addiction. And it got a lot worse before it got any better. 164
[First time in rehab] When you’re kicking…parts of your body you didn’t know experience pain, experience it…[first AA meeting] I was trying to read the twelve steps but couldn’t focus my eyes. I was trying to listen to these people, but I couldn’t focus my ears. I had mocked anything that had to do with sobriety or recovery my whole life…I started looking for the scam. Was it a money thing? A God thing? A religion thing? What the fuck was going on here? But as I sat in that meeting, I felt something in the room that made sense to me. It was nothing but a bunch of guys like me, helping one another get off drugs, and find a new way of life. I was keen on discovering the loophole, but there wasn’t one. 197
* Once you’ve seen a solution to the disease that’s tearing you apart, relapsing is never fun….that chase is always exciting. There are cops and bad guys and freaks and hookers. You’ve diving in a big insidious video game, but again, you’ve being tricked into thinking that you’re doing something cool, since the price is always bigger than the payoff. You immediately give up your love and light and your beauty, and you become a dark black hole in the universe, sucking up bad energy and not walking around putting a smile on someone’s face or helping someone out or teaching someone something that’s going to help his or her life. You’re not creating the ripple of love; you’re creating a vacuum of shit. I want to describe both sides of how I felt, but it’s important to know that in the end all the romantic glorification of dope fiendery amounts to nothing but a hole of shit. It has to appear enticing, because that’s what God or the universe, creative intelligence or whatever you want to call it, put that energy here. It’s a learning tool, and you can either kill yourself with it or you can turn yourself into a free person with it. I don’t think drug addiction is inherently useless, but it’s a rough row to hoe. 207
As exciting and temporarily fulfilling as this constant influx of interesting and beautiful girls can be, at the end of the day, that shit is lonely and you’re left with nothing. 271
Always, you wake up to an unpleasant memory and an unpleasant body and your spirit is reduced to a pile of dirty ashes residing somewhere inside your ass. You’ve gotta face the music, which is a beautiful island outside, but you can’t even bear to look out the window. 392 (aHA, see, when you are on drugs it’s a beautiful day, but you cannot see it)
One of the techniques they teach to get rid of a resentment towards somebody is to pray for him or her to get everything that you want for yourself in life – to be loved, to be happy, to be alive with the light and the love of the universe. It’s paradox, but it works. 397
A certain amount of volatility and drama can be healthy and keep things fun and interesting if you’re willing at any moment during a fight to say, “This means nothing. I love you, let’s forget about it.” We didn’t have that ability. 447
Sobriety wasn’t about giving up the party, it was just creating a new, saner party. 458
I had come back for a purpose – it wasn’t because I outwitted drug addiction. It was because something, somewhere, wanted me alive so I could be a part of creating something beautiful and helping somebody else…When I was a teenager and shooting speedballs, I wasn’t thinking, “I want to know God,” but deep down, maybe I did. 459
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