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The odd thing about celebrities is that each fan has their own view of what said celebrity should be like. This often leads to confusion and disappointment that can turn into anger and a fallen idol. The odd thing about autobiographies (especially when its written by a celebrity) is that that person is bearing their soul on paper, letting people read about their tortures, accomplishments, fears and failures. Anthony Kedis, lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, lays it all on the line, a sexaholic celebrity junkie struggling to get and/or keep himself sober in a true tale of addiction, sobriety, relapse, fame and failures; a chillingly honest look at his own life; the ups and the downs.
This basically covers Kedis' whole life, from birth to the time that he completed writing it, and he has been on one hell of a ride. He lived in Michigan with his mom before moving to California with his drug dealing and womanizing father; a trait Kedis would (sort of) follow (he wasn't really a dealer, but he did use a lot). His father held nothing back from his son, taking him with him to clubs (in which he hung out with The Who and other famous bands), telling him everything he needed to know about sex (except that he could do it himself if he couldn't get female companionship), and even let an old girlfriend take his virginity. They eventually had a falling out when his dad went on the straight and narrow to try and become an actor (Kedis also did some acting), which prompted him to move out at a very young age.
Kedis does go into heavy detail about the start of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: four guys who planned on playing one song at one show that eclipsed into something so much more. He talks about past members who they had to fire, the death of guitarist and best friend Hillel Slovak, the rift with John Frusciante that caused him to quit during the touring for Blood Sugar Sex Magic, their Dave Navvaro years, and the return of Frusciante that ultimately led to their rebirth as a band with the release of Californication. There are a ton of great anticdotes about touring and the friendship that he gained as a result of the band, as well as the hardship (Flea being at wits end at one point and almost quitting the band).
No matter how successful Kedis was, he had constant battles with drugs (herion, crack, coke). This addiction almost killed him, once cost him his spot in the band, and ruined many relationships, but he couldn't stop. It was a roller coaster ride reading about his attempts to get sober, which he was able to do for five and a half years before having to get some dental work done (in one of the most heartbreaking parts of the book). It was a never ending battle, one which he finally seemed able to beat (which leads to the last few pages of the book in which he talks about recovery and his circle of friends who help each other out). I feel that the only thing that kept him apart from being a bum on the street was the success of the band, which gave him the ability to stay for days at a time in hotels and then go to Hawaii or Mexico or some nice tropical place to try and clean himself up.
Women were also a big part of this book. Kedis has stories that would have most people staring wide eyed at the shit he did, but he wrote them in such a heartfelt and sincere way. He goes into depth about his long term relationships (as well as a few short term), some of which were ruined because of his drug use, but he has good things to say about each woman he dated, putting them in an honest but high voice, and is able to see all of his own faults.
There's something oddly voyeuristic about reading such intimate details about a person's life. It makes you feel that they are, in a distant worldly sense, a part of your life, as you now learned all this information (feelings, fears, struggles, accomplishments, etc.) about this person. It doesn't matter that I will probably never meet Kedis face to face, reading this book almost makes me feel like I know him, and that is an odd feeling. This book is a very fantastic and telling tale from one of the most important rock and roll singers in the past 25 years.