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One of the common themes Anthony Kiedis talks about in his book is his relationship with fame. For Kiedis, fame kind of helped him get off of drugs, as he wanted to continue making music. Yet, Kiedis also talked about how if a famous person doesn’t act absolutely warm and friendly, people will think he is arrogant. So, a famous man is always trying to prove his character to fans. T-Themes

“...my immediate read on Billy was ‘tall, gangly, musical, nerdy intellectual,’ not ‘ball-player.” But we started shooting around, and Billy stepped up and started draining outside shots.” I love this quote because it talks about a legendary Chicago musician, Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan. The tour they were on included RHCP, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, and later Nirvana. F-favorites

“He loved to ride around and listen to music ad infinitum.” Ad infinitum-(adverb) again and again in the same way; forever.

One of the things that I find so inspiring about this book is how people can come back from tragedy and turn it into something beautiful. In this case, Kiedis came back from the tragic death of his dear friend Hillel Slovak by living a drug-free lifestyle and producing great music with his friends. F- favorites

In the past few pages, a lot has happened. The founding guitar player of RHCP passed away, the founding drummer quit, and the musicians who replaced them had to be let go due to not having a connection with the band and heavy alcohol abuse. Yet, RHCP recruited guitarist John Frusciante and drummer Chad Smith. These men, combined with Flea and Anthony Kiedis, are considered to be the classic RHCP lineup. S- summary

After his close friend and band mate Hillel Slovak died, Kiedis went into a deep state of sadness and stayed in a small fishing village in Mexico with his girlfriend, missing his friend’s funeral. Slovak passing away is ultimately what helped Kiedis get clean, but he wrote less than I thought he would about his friend’s passing. Is it because his friend’s untimely death is still so hard to deal with? A- ask

“The whole band was suffering from Hillel and me being on drugs, but I was the much more obvious candidate to put the onus on, because I was literally asleep at rehearsal.” Onus- noun; used to refer to something that is one’s duty or responsibility. V- vocabulary

In this book, Kiedis explores not only how his own life was affected by heroin, but also how his friends have suffered from drug abuse. The band’s founding guitarist, Hillel Slovak, died from a heroin overdose. Anthony Kiedis describes Hillel’s physical decline, which became especially apparent during the band’s wrestling matches. Slovak’s ability to defend himself had been destroyed by his addiction. T-Themes

“I want to take this band and simplify all the music. Turn it into old fifties rock and roll, simple as can be, bass, rote notes, guitar, simple riffs, basic beats.” This is what a music promoter wanted to do to RHCP, and I’m glad he didn’t, because had the band followed through with this, we would not have the great music of RHCP that we have today. F-Favorites

Speaking of a friend named “Johnny Devil” that Kiedis used to shoot Black Tar heroin with, Kiedis said that after after one successful drug purchase, “he disappeared, and I never saw or heard about him again.” One can only assume that he died soon after Kiedis’ last encounter with him. I-Inference

In his book, Anthony Kiedis appeals to the reader’s emotions by describing his struggles in such great detail that you can picture how he looked and felt in certain situations. In this way, his journey to stardom and his struggles along the way became much more relatable. W-Writer’s Strategies

One of the themes in this book is the constant situation of “taking one step forward and two steps back.” Anthony Kiedis in his early twenties was constantly drifting in and out of homelessness, and right when the Red Hot Chili Peppers got their first record deal, two of their band members dropped out to pursue a record deal with another band.

Maelstrom- noun: a situation or state of confused movement or violent turmoil. “Every night I’d stare outside my bedroom window and watch the LAPD helicopters circling and hovering over our block, shining their lights down onto this maelstrom of pot-dealing activity. V-Vocab

In the past 20-ish pages, Kiedis describes how he spent his post high school years in and out of homelessness. I’m amazed at how Kiedis can be in such a dismal situation, yet find so much enjoyment out of it. I guess that’s why he made it big in the music industry. S- Summarize

“When I was a junior, I got my report card, and it was A’s all the way down the line, which I loved.” My question is, how could Anthony Kiedis pop pills and get extremely drunk on the weekends, smoke pot almost daily, yet manage to pull off straight A’s and get into UCLA? A-Ask

“...I felt an instant connection to the remarkable little weirdo. Tony told me his name was Michael Balzary, soon to be known beyond the confines of Fairfax High as Flea.” I love this quote because it shows the moment that Anthony Kiedis met his partner in crime and legendary bass player, Flea. Flea is also a favorite bassist of mine, so it is cool to read about how Flea and Anthony met. F- Favorite

One connection that I have with Anthony Kiedis is that both Anthony and myself were/are strongly influenced by our fathers. While the drug-dealing John Kiedis was certainly not a good father figure, Anthony ultimately idolized him. Similarly, I, and many other kids, grow up being strongly influenced by our fathers, although not through drugs and partying.

At this point, I’m guessing (and hoping) that Anthony Kiedis will eventually realize that his father is a terrible influence and will leave him in order to start a better life. However, Anthony’s father was obviously his biggest influence, which is probably why Kiedis had a major drug problem. (P-Prediction)

https://cdn.barrett-jackson.com/stagi... One of the things that Anthony Kiedis remembers fondly about his childhood is driving around in his father’s Austin Healey, similar to the one shown here. (V-Visualize)

“It took years and years of experience and introspection and insight to get to the point where I could stick a needle into my arm to remove toxins from my system as opposed to introducing them.” I find this quote to be inspiring because it shows Anthony’s transition from addiction to sobriety, which in his case was difficult since he was severely addicted to heroin. F (Favorites).

I am planning to read “Scar Tissue” by Anthony Kiedis, with Larry Sloman. I am interested in reading this book because I enjoy listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and I feel that Anthony’s life story is quite interesting.

Harbinger- a forerunner of something. V-vocab

A common theme in this book is that the Hiroshimans weren't necessarily resentful towards the Americans because they dropped the bomb, they saw it is part of war and knew that it was bound to happen. T-themes

"I shall not dwell on the past. It is as if I had been given a spare life when I survived the A-bomb. But I prefer not to look back. I shall keep moving forward." F-favorite quote

Ostensibly- apparently or purportedly, but perhaps not actually. V-vocab

After the dropping of the atom bomb, the Japanese used the term "hibakusha" to describe the "explosion-affected persons." F-facts

A common theme in this book is that even after a major tragedy, people can still survive, and even flourish. T-themes

Capricious- given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior. V-vocab

When the church secretary runs back to the fire to immolate himself, it shows that he wants to "die with his country," a common theme in this book. T-themes

Succor- assistance and support in times of hardship or distress. V-vocab