Acid For The Children - The autobiography of Flea, the Red Hot Chili Peppers legend cover art

Acid For The Children - The autobiography of Flea, the Red Hot Chili Peppers legend

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Acid For The Children - The autobiography of Flea, the Red Hot Chili Peppers legend

By: Flea
Narrated by: Flea
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About this listen

 The strange tale of a boy named Flea starts in Rye, NY. It was all very normal. But soon his parents divorced and his mother Patricia remarried a jazz musician. Flea's stepfather frequently invited musicians to his house for jam sessions which sparked Flea's interest in music. The family moved to Los Angeles, where Flea became fascinated with the trumpet, idolizing musicians like Miles, Dizzy, and Louis.

But the family soon fell apart, "I was raised in a very violent, alcoholic household," Flea later said. "I grew up being terrified of my parents, particularly my father figures. It caused [me] a lot of trouble later in life." He began smoking weed at 13, and became a daily user of harder drugs. He was on the streets by 14 and soon after, met another social outcast and drug user named Anthony Kiedis. They form a band that would become the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

ACID FOR THE CHILDREN is pure, uncut Flea, with nothing left unsaid.

(P)2018 Hachette Audio©2017 Michael Balzary Art Entertainment & Celebrities Music Celebrity

Critic Reviews

[Flea creates] a rhythm for his prose as curt and distinct as his bass playing. (Jim Farber)
Acid for the Children is not an as-told-to, nor is it written "with" someone. These are Flea's words-excitable, jazzy, regretful, disarming, popping and writhing away in his biological bass zone. Insecurities to the fore: He worries that he may be producing "a thorny jumble of trash." But he's actually a lovely writer, with a particular gift for the free-floating and reverberant. He writes in Beat Generation bursts and epiphanies, lifting toward the kind of virtuosic vulnerability and self-exposure associated with the great jazz players....Flea-elegant nutcase, funk-at-high-pressure bassist, wildly cultured and culturedly wild man-has written a fine memoir. You'll put down Acid for the Children with your human sympathies expanded; you'll feel less alone.
Acid For the Children's closest analog is, somewhat surprisingly, Patti Smith's Just Kids...The prose frequently mimics [Flea's] playing: occasionally beautiful, occasionally outrageous, in conversation with a small group of predecessors but unwilling to follow anyone else's rules. This is what gives Acid for the Children its considerable charm...
[An] electric, surprisingly moving memoir...Flea is an enlightened narrator, and this passionate, smart memoir will resonate with readers whether they're fans of the band or not.
A wild ride through the coming-of-age wilderness of the famed rock bassist...Relentlessly honest, untamed, and often revelatory.
He's the iconic bassist and co-founder of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. The one you couldn't take your eyes off, despite Anthony Kiedis' enormous stage presence. Flea finally reveals his fascinating story, complete with everything you'd expect - the "highs" and the gutter lows from an "LA street rat turned world-famous rock star". A must for all music fans everywhere.
Its hard not to warm to his openhearted embrace of jazz, funk and his eventual bromance with bandmates.
A frenzied, beat-ish telling of his pre-RCHP existence
All stars
Most relevant
I cried, I laughed out loud and longed for more.
Both his words and voice are beautiful. I’m so glad I listened as you can hear the raw honesty in his story. It was wonderful to feel the words of someone who also sees, feels, hears and is touched by the wonder in the world regardless of the doom and gloom, always finding pure joy. Thank you!

Beautifully tingly

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Well written and always interesting! Flea does a great job at reading.. definitely a 10/10.

Yes, yes, yes!

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Loved every bit of it.
It made me cry, laugh, think.. and most of all hope.
Thank you Flea from all the underdogs and broken souls for sharing your story. 🖤

The best audio book I have listened to in years!

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This book is an insight into the like of of Michael aka Flea from the red hot chilli peppers, it is undoubtedly one of the best works I’ve had the pleasure to listen too. If you are a chilli peppers fan you’ll love it, if you’re not you’ll still love it. Because it’s not about the chilli peppers as such it’s about a boy who grew up under difficult circumstances and something I feel each and everyone can relate too in one form or another. Five stars all the way.
Thank you Flea.
Much love from Australia
Sal 🇦🇺

Exquisite

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Wow thanks flea 🇦🇺
Reading this book without hearing fleas verbal passion and pain would not do justice in reading this alone
As an Australian man, boy, manchild whatever you want to label me , these honest memoirs of this mans journey really inspired & hit home about what life is and can be .
Flea breathes nothing but refreshing honesty into this audio book and I listened to it within a 24 hr period
Thank you mate

Wow thanks flea 🇦🇺

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