Scar Tissue (autobiography)
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LC Class | ML420.K44 A3 2004 |
Scar Tissue is the autobiography of
Background
The book follows Kiedis's life from his birth in 1962 to early 2004. It follows Kiedis into the depth of his experiences with
According to the book, Kiedis's first drug experience was with his father Blackie Dammett, a former
He attempted to get clean afterwards but relapsed in 1994 after being given medications while having a wisdom tooth extracted. Later, he reveals that he was not actually clean, as he claimed at the time, during the late-nineties Californication era of the band's existence. He states his new clean date is December 24, 2000.[2] The book reports very specific dates, such as when Kiedis was conceived.
Scar Tissue also recounts many of Kiedis's sexual experiences. He acknowledges, for example, that he was briefly sexually involved with a 14-year-old, before and after learning of her age in the 1980s, which inspired him to write the song "Catholic School Girls Rule".[3]
In a June 2016 interview, Kiedis stated he had regrets about writing Scar Tissue, saying "I did regret the book for a while as there was some pain caused then, I started seeing the long term positive reverberating. People were reading it in hospitals, in prisons and schools and it was having a positive effect. I realized that the whole point of writing that book wasn't for me, but to show that somebody can go all the way down and come all the way back and have a productive, successful happy interesting life. And so whatever shame, pain or difficulty or discomfort I went through, then it was worth it because I get so many people coming up to me saying their kids had read it and got their act together because of it."[4]
Reception
John Harris of The Guardian believed that the autobiography showed Kiedis to have "hubris, selfishness, the large-scale absence of any sense of humour" as well as "irreparable damage" from his childhood of drug use and sexual experiences. He was also not convinced by Kiedis's attempts at gravitas.[5]
In 2020, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone Australia listed Scar Tissue as the 15th greatest rock memoir. He reflected that it had the best final sentence on the list, as Kiedis reflects that he stays sober for his dog.[6]
Television series and film
In 2008, it was reported that Kiedis was developing a television series for HBO titled Spider and Son which would be loosely based on Scar Tissue. The show was originally scheduled to premiere in late 2010 but was not picked up as a series, despite a pilot script penned by John Sayles.[7]
In 2011, the rights to the show were picked up by
Dammett confirmed in 2013 that the production of the series has been "mothballed" however he hoped they could re-visit the project in once the Chili Peppers finished their I'm with You World Tour that same year. As of 2024, the series has yet to resume production.
It was announced on January 17, 2024, that Universal Pictures will release a theatrical movie based on Scar Tissue. Kiedis along with Guy Oseary and Brian Grazer will produce the film.[9]
References
- ^ Kiedis, Anthony. Scar Tissue. 1st ed. New York: New York, 2004. 50-52. Print.
- ^ Kiedis, Anthony. Scar Tissue. 1st ed. New York: New York, 2004. 448. Print.
- ^ Young, Alex (November 15, 2017). "The Uncomfortable Disregard for Legendary Rockers' Sexual Misconduct". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ Anthony Kiedis: 'I Regretted Memoir But It Had A Positive Effect'
- ^ Harris, John (November 28, 2004). "Excess and the city". The Guardian. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ Sheffield, Rob (April 17, 2020). "The 50 Greatest Rock Memoirs of All Time". Rolling Stone Australia. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ Schneider, Michael (November 11, 2008). "Kiedis' rock story heading to HBO - Entertainment News, TV News, Media". Variety. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
- ^ Anthony Kiedis' Scar Tissue Moves From HBO To FX
- ^ "Anthony Kiedis Biopic In Works At Universal; Brian Grazer Producing Based On Red Hot Chili Peppers Frontman's Memoir 'Scar Tissue'". deadline.com. Retrieved January 20, 2024.