Listen free for 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Scar Tissue cover art

Scar Tissue

Written by: Anthony Kiedis, Larry Sloman
Narrated by: Rider Strong
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $30.25

Buy Now for $30.25

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

As lead singer and songwriter for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Anthony Kiedis has lived life on the razor's edge. Much has been written about him, but until now we've only had his songs as clues to his experience from the inside. In Scar Tissue, Kiedis proves himself to be as compelling a memoirist as he is a lyricist, giving us a searingly honest account of the life from which his music has evolved.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are that rare breed of rock band: critically lauded and popularly embraced by millions of fans, their albums consistently sell into the stratosphere - their CD Californication sold over 13 million copies alone.

Now, in Scar Tissue, Anthony Kiedis defies the rock star clichés. In his telling, we can see everything he has done has been part of a passionate journey. Kiedis is a man "in love with everything" - the darkness, the death, the disease. Even his descent into drug addiction was a part of that journey; another element that he has transformed into art. Scar Tissue is a fascinating account of a fast-lane life, addiction, and a moving story of eventual recovery and redemption.

©2004 Anthony Kiedis (P)2010 Phoenix Audio

What the critics say

"Kiedis’s narrative of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ dues-paying years is vivid and inspiring." ( Newsweek)

More from the same

What listeners say about Scar Tissue

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    261
  • 4 Stars
    71
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    209
  • 4 Stars
    60
  • 3 Stars
    29
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    224
  • 4 Stars
    54
  • 3 Stars
    20
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    5

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Sex Drugs and Rock n' Roll

A couple of months ago I read the much superior "Life", autobiography of Keith Richards. Both incredibly talented guys who lived through some crazy stuff. Both guys should be dead. Richards states things very matter-of-factly while Kiedis' story is similarly amazing, but his ego shows through. He tries to be self-deprecating but I get the impression he is actually pretty proud of the things he went through. We get it, buddy, you were f*cked up.

The dude thinks like an addict. He sorely wants to be known as a good guy, and he probably is generally, but it's pretty clear he was, and still is, pretty selfish. I am surprised his editors never pointed out that every episode can't be "the best sex either of us ever had". Every time?

Rider Strong is a fair reader, but a bit dramatic and sounds like a little punk. Appropriate to the subject matter I guess.

This one rates 7.5 out of 10 stars.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Disgusted

I cant stand the glorification of rancid lifestyles. If you are triggered by talk of addiction or sexual activity including minors, take caution.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great book. made me obsessed with john fruciante.

my favorite war story music book.

only complaint is when the narrator voice acted an angry dialogue, he sounded kinda like napolean dynamite

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved this crazy story

This was chalked full with love and compassion with dark downward spirals. Truly worth a listen if you're a fan of the chilli peppers

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Overall a fascinating story

Overall a fascinating story of one of rocks most interesting front men. From the very top, to the bottom to the top again. Excellent narration from the audiobook reader. He captured the spirit and emotion to a tee.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

what a life!

Fascinating life that made me wonder how could he ever remember it all?
I'm not a crazy Red Hot Chilli Peppers fan but they are definitely in the soundtrack of my life. I used to sing under the bridge to my baby brother in 1992 so hearing about why he wrote was intriguing. I recommend this book to anyone that grew up with the chilli peppers, anyone that struggles with addiction and to anyone that likes colourful autobiographies.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Redemption

A great support group in life is necessary if you wish to achieve, and maintain.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

How long will i slide

This book is tough. It is honest and true to its author, and that means that it is self-indulgent, exaggerated, misogynist, and lacks much in the way of empathy or introspection at least until the end. Much more of the book is about drug addiction and sex than it is about music--although there is some of that in there.

In the end, though, it is an unflinchingly honest account of a wild and unique life, and for that reason, it is a fairly unique book and a worthy read. Toward the end of the book Anthony dwells on his newfound sobriety and seems to come to understand that to be well, we have to have a purpose, we have to make a connection with and help others. Fame, fortune, sex none of this replaced the need to connect with other people and help them for purely unselfish reasons. That alone is the key to sobriety, and that alone is the great message of this book.

“The minute you get out of your self-centered mind-set, you’re instantly freed of your own pain. The trick to staying sober is to constantly be of service to another alcoholic.”

“In the song “Otherside” on Californication, I wrote, “How long, how long will I slide/Separate my side/I don’t, I don’t believe it’s bad.” I don’t believe that drug addiction is inherently bad. It’s a really dark and heavy and destructive experience, but would I trade my experience for that of a normal person? Hell no.... because now that I’ve had them, and now that I’m almost four years sober, I’m in a position to be of service to hundreds of other suffering people."

Excerpt From
Scar Tissue
Anthony Kiedis
This material may be protected by copyright.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great for RHCP fans

Really liked listening to this. Very interesting seeing some of the background of the band and early life. Also a crazy story about the struggles of drug addiction

I was hoping it would go further without realizing when the book was actually made. Didn't want it to end

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Crazy lifestyle, crazy stories

It’s heartwarming at the end to hear Anthony get clear and sober. The ugly truth about addiction is laid bare. Nothing is pretty or glossed over. Kudos to him for changing his life and being of service to others.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!