Chapters vary in length, bringing compelling accounts of small childhood moments to life. Flea inserts italicized paragraphs throughout the text, which sometimes work as an extension of his thoughts, or as an author’s note. 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? In Acid for the Children, Flea takes readers on a deeply personal and revealing tour of his formative years, spanning from Australia to the New York City suburbs to, finally, Los Angeles. Through hilarious anecdotes, poetical meditations, and occasional flights of fantasy, Flea deftly chronicles the experiences that forged him as an artist, a musician, and a young man. His dreamy, jazz-inflected prose makes the Los Angeles of the 1970s and 80s come to gritty, glorious life, including the potential for fun, danger, mayhem, or inspiration that lurked around every corner. It is here that young Flea, looking to escape a turbulent home, found family in a community of musicians, artists, and junkies who also lived on the fringe. He spent most of his time partying and committing petty crimes. But it was in music where he found a higher meaning, a place to channel his frustration, loneliness, and love. This left him open to the life-changing moment when he and his best friends, soul brothers, and partners-in-mischief came up with the idea to start their own band, which became the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

CONS: ultimately I’m a prude and could not take the F-words. There weren’t a lot in the beginning of the book but by the time you’re at his drugged out antics in high school the f-bombs kept coming. It affects me. And I cringed a lot at the way he explains his developing sexuality - ultimately I just didn’t want to read about it. It made me really sad to put it down because I was loving it but I know the end of the story.... he becomes the famous bass player for the Red Hot Chili Peppers - a band I loved in my youth so I felt like I could say goodbye to the book. Flijev stil pisanja je iskren i poetičan, ulice Los Angelesa postaju nam poznate, muzika dopire iz njegove sobe, malih zadimljenih klubova, iz automobila. FLEA: I think I improve as a father over time. I think at my worst, I've had the bad elements of both of those guys. And at my best, I'm thoughtful, kind, present, understanding, energetic and a bottomless pit of love who sees the sun rise and set every time his kids walks into the room.

Flea details the life that led up to that moment — where “four became one” — in a stoic manner. The memoir follows a basic chronological structure, split into three parts: childhood, adolescence and young adulthood. But aside from this structure, Flea exercises a lot of creative freedom throughout the book. Flea is a surprisingly good writer...RHCP fans or not, readers will find a unique coming-of-age memoir that's also an ode to books, music, and performing."-- Booklist His parents separate and he describes the relationship with his step dad Walter. Walter is at once a wildly unpredictable alcoholic and a source of inspiration for Flea through this dedication to his Jazz music.

FLEA: When I saw that, I didn't even know what to do. It was a miracle taking place in front of me. I just - you know, I fell and rolled on the floor and laughed. And you know, I could've taken flight and had wings, and it wouldn't have been any more surprising or stunning to me than seeing and hearing and feeling these guys playing that music. Interesting, we both had major life-changing experiences in the late '60s. He refers to his suburban days as "normal life," as I did in my book "Craving Normal."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. Dentro de las lecturas previstas para este 2021 no entraba en mis planes leer la autobiografía del bajista de los Red Hot Chili Peppers. De la discografía del grupo no conozco más allá de las típicas canciones, y el nombre del bajista me era ajeno hasta que el libro cayó en mis manos hace unas semanas. Fui a recogerlo a una librería para un amigo, y como estábamos tardando en vernos le pregunté si le importaba que le echara un vistazo. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are known for many things - a wild, thrashing stage presence; performing just about naked; and aggressive, funky bass lines by a man named Flea. Atravieso periodos en los que despierto de golpe todas las noches, arrebatado de mi sueño por una pesadilla llena de pánico. El infinito vacío de dolor al que me asomo me llena de terror. Me digo que todo va a estar bien, pero estoy al borde de un pozo sin fondo, a qué puedo caer y desaparecer para siempre. Siento unas manos frías que salen del vacío y me aprietan el cráneo. El estómago se me tensa; el sudor comienza a fluir. En mis momentos de debilidad, la intensidad del miedo me ha cegado y ha ensordecido al coro de bondad y amor. He sido un idiota y me he hecho daño.

Michael Peter Balzary was born in Melbourne, Australia, on October 16, 1962. His more famous stage name, Flea, and his wild ride as the renowned bass player for the Red Hot Chili Peppers was in a far and distant future. Little Michael from Oz moved with his very conservative, very normal family to Westchester, New York, where life as he knew it was soon turned upside down. His parents split up and he and his sister moved into the home of his mother's free-wheeling, jazz musician boyfriend - trading in rules, stability, and barbecues for bohemian values, wildness, and Sunday afternoon jazz parties where booze, weed, and music flowed in equal measure. There began Michael's life-long journey to channel all the frustration, loneliness, love, and joy he felt into incredible rhythm. Reading this book is akin to having a conversation with the man himself: candid and stripped down, like hearing Flea speak his own story aloud, just as a memoir should be. There is a lyrical lilt to Flea’s prose. His voice is clear and authentic, without a tinge of pretension. His enthusiasm for life, the way that he has always been unapologetically himself, is evident through his writing. Despite being a self-defined “outsider,” his purity of heart shines through, as he is clearly an individual full of kindness and empathy who seeks interconnectedness with those around him and with the universe on a larger scale. Perhaps most importantly, this memoir is utterly thought-provoking. It challenges assumptions. It reflects on the past, shining a light on how decisions have a ripple effect throughout our days. And it meditates on the beauty inherent in both life and those who walk through it with us. 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. At the end of Acid for the Children, Flea leaves us with several lists of books, movies, and music that are significant to him, including “Concerts that Changed My Life.” Here’s mine...

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. 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 Acid for the Childrenis the debut of a stunning new literary voice, whose prose is as witty, entertaining, and wildly unpredictable as the author himself. It's a tenderly evocative coming-of-age story and a raucous love letter to the power of music and creativity from one of the most renowned musicians of our time. 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.