Acid for the Children: A Memoir

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I was surprised that the book really stops at the first RHCP song. It’s really about everything that happens up to his life until that point. But to my surprise, Acid for the Children concludes just after the Chili Peppers’ first performance. They hadn’t even chosen their name yet. And yet, it feels complete. And about his thoughts on the era we were kids and teens during (hippie movement to punk/pre AIDS to post AIDS), I have similar thoughts.

A onda, jednog dana, 1976. godine, u hodniku srednje škole upoznaje svog budućeg najboljeg prijatelja, svoju suštu suprotnost, svog spasioca, člana porodice kojeg mu je svemir dodijelio - Anthony Kiedisa. When Flea was a client in my audio business, he used to call our house, long before I knew (or connected) any of the above. Damn, the things I would love to ask him now. Long after I’m dead, someone will erect a statue of Flea in West Hollywood. He’ll be slapping that bass in mid-flight, wild-eyed, legs spread, his pants half-way down his ass, and with such a look of joy on his face that it will become a place of pilgrimage for young and old alike. 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..."-- AV Club 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."Flea's chapters are short and to the point. It's a format I enjoy. Don't tell me ever freaking boring thing. What mattered? What's compelling? But the more I read about his youthful dynamic with Anthony Kiedis, the more I recall my own Flea/Anthony experience I wrote about in my book, a story called, "Peppers for Breakfast." There’s no denying that Flea had an extremely wild childhood, and that’s putting it lightly. Following his parent’s divorce, his father returned to Australia, and Flea and his sister found themselves alone with their mother and her new, unpredictable boyfriend Walter. Their stepfather struggled with mental health issues and was often the cause for fear and anxiety in the two children, though his passion for music gave Flea an early insight into the wonders of playing instruments. Later in his childhood, Flea returned to Australia to live with his father, an upright and tough man who struggled to accept Flea’s wild ways. Upon returning to live in the States with his mother and Walter, who often hosted grand jam sessions at their house, Flea fell in love with jazz and became a talented trumpet player, idolising the likes of Miles Davies and Louis Armstrong. Despite the passion for music in his household, there were also frequent bouts of aggression and physical violence, usually fuelled by alcohol. Feeling increasingly alone and anxious, Flea, at the age of just 13, turned to cannabis to help cope with his issues. CORNISH: The book is called "Acid For The Children." In it, Flea writes about the day he first saw his new stepdad playing bebop jazz in the living room one Sunday afternoon. Admittedly, I was about two-thirds of the way through this when I realized it definitely wasn't going to cover anything RHCP-related. This is volume 1 of, presumably, at least 2, although I haven't heard anything about a follow-up.

Flea secira svoj tinejdžerski ego, dozvoljava sebi da se nazove idiotom zbog loših postupaka, što prema sebi, što prema drugima i predano radi na tome da shvati - postojanje, samog sebe i sebe u drugima.

Someone please do tell him three ominous dots after a sentence is enough. It is. Three. No more. No, it's fine, I promise. Three dots. Acid for the Children'' priča je o jednom djetinjstvu, o muzici i njenoj moći da utiče na ljude (kao što je u raznim žanrovima uticala na samog autora), dotakne ih zvukom koji proizvedu nečiji prsti, ali, prije svega priča o ljubavi. Por cierto, a raíz de leer este libro me ha dado por escuchar con más tranquilidad y atención el grupo, y me está sorprendiendo mucho. Ya sé que estas cosas van justo al revés, pero ¡qué le vamos a hacer! A] sensitive, well-written coming-of-age memoir. Readers will find much to relate to in Flea's life story and will hope that this isn't the only entry in his writing career."-- Library Journal

Dejo por aquí un fragmento que está ya por el final del libro y que me ha dejado rotita por dentro: Sólo la fe puede salvarme. Herido y deshecho, camino de vuelta hacia la luz, dispuesto a enfrentarme a la cruel mirada del mundo y a arriesgarme a amar. FLEA: ...You know, you get together for Thanksgiving, and they say one thing that might seem innocuous to someone who's not, you know, familiar with your relationship. But to you, it crushes your heart and sends you into a raw, vulnerable frenzy. We have that kind of relationship. With "virtuosic vulnerability" ( The Atlantic), the iconic bassist and Red Hot Chili peppers co-founder pens a love letter to a youth spent wild in Los Angeles in his raw and riveting coming-of-age memoir. He writes in Beat Generation bursts and epiphanies… You’ll put down Acid for the Children with your human sympathies expanded; you’ll feel less alone.” NO MAJOR SPOILERS

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CORNISH: Well, Flea, thank you for sharing your story, this part of your life, so frankly and talking about the book with us. We really appreciate it. RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS: (Singing) What I got, you got to give it to your mama. What I got, you got to give it to your papa. FLEA: Yes. I'm nervous for him to read it. And you know, he wrote a book, and I've never read his book. And he wrote his book 15 years ago or something, and I've never read it. And I see this guy constantly.

Also according to this book and how its written: Flea never met a gay man without explaining it with ‘I met this gay man’. He apparently also never saw/met a person of color who wasnt described as such before even their name was said, or at latest in the next sentence if he was trying to be mysterious (their brown cinnamon eyes/face).

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Ok so Flea is a great author? Did not see that one coming. Prejudice on my part, and sometimes it's so much fun to be confronted with your own prejudice. He has a great way with words – some bits are read-out-loud-pretty – and tells his story candidly, without shying away from his own selfishness and wrongness, mistakes everyone makes when young. Delivery with Standard Australia Post usually happens within 2-10 business days from time of dispatch. Please be aware that the delivery time frame may vary according to the area of delivery and due to various reasons, the delivery may take longer than the original estimated timeframe. FLEA: My dad was a pretty button-down, straight, square guy - wore a suit and a briefcase, went to work every day. And all of a sudden, my mom takes off with this jazz musician who was a junkie who lived in his parents' basement.