Most people would look at an autobiography and assume that it’s going to be boring. This is not the case with Scar Tissue, the story of the life of Anthony Kiedis, the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. From start to finish the book is filled with interesting events that pull the reader into his life and keep the pages turning.

For a good portion of the book in the beginning half it’s all about Anthony and his experiences growing up, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers become a bigger part of the book with each page turned. The majority took place in California and Michigan. At the young age of eleven Anthony left his mother in Michigan to move in with his father, John Kiedis, in California. He would return numerous times to visit throughout his life.

After moving in with his father Anthony indulged himself into the world of drugs. For the first time he smoked weed at his kitchen table with his father. Then he jumped into heroin, cocaine, speedballs, and anything else that can be thought of. Anthony lived a crazy and unbelievable life, spending his time jumping off buildings into pools during the day and clubbing at night with his father.

Fairfax High School would be a mere stepping stone in Anthony’s life. Best friends and future band mates Michael Balzary, Hillel Slovak, and Jack Irons were discovered here. And this was the upbringing of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who would go through multiple twists and turns in the music industry. There would be many changes and friends gained and lost. Best friend Hillel Slovak’s death takes a toll on not only the band, but the reader as well. The book pulls the reader in and really makes them see different points of Anthony’s life.

It’s a significant thing if the reader is learning the lesson right along with the character. Anthony experienced too many relapses to count, and disappointment rises to the surface of the reader’s feelings after the third time. This is when we know there has been a great story told, and an interesting life lived. The reader begins to want the best for Anthony, and also forms opinions on what should be done in certain situations whether it involves relationships, friendships, band decisions, or personal problems.

Scar Tissue is told simply and gets to the point, but is a great accomplishment at the same time. Anthony focuses on events in his life and puts his feelings into the book how they would’ve been at that time. It does a great job of tying events together to form the story of his life, and explain how he got to where he is. Anthony’s accomplishments become your accomplishments, just as his sorrows do, and his happiness. The reader gets the feeling that they’ve been there for Anthony, because the story starts at age eleven and we watch him grow up.
Scar Tissue is a story of a man and a rare life lived that catches the reader’s attention and holds on to it until the very end. It’s a story meant to be heard, and not to be missed.