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Acid For The Children: A Memoir

Acid For The Children: A Memoir

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  • Create Date：2021-11-23 04:53:19
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Flea
  • ISBN：1472230833
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Summary

The iconic bassist and co-founder of the Red Hot Chili Peppers tells his fascinating origin story， complete with all the dizzying highs and the gutter lows you'd want from an LA street rat turned world famous rock star。

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， Walt--trading in rules， stability， and barbecues for bohemian values， wildness， and Sunday afternoon jazz parties where booze， weed， and music flowed in equal measure。 Michael was frightened by the lack of order in his new reality and his volatile new stepfather， but found his salvation in the world of passionate musicians the Walt exposed him to。 There began his life-long journey to channel all the frustration， loneliness， love， and joy he felt into incredible rhythm。

When Michael's family moved to Los Angeles in 1972， his home situation was rockier than ever。 He sought out a sense of belonging elsewhere， spending most of his days partying， playing basketball， and committing petty crimes。 At Fairfax High School， he met another social outcast， Anthony Kiedis， who quickly became his soul brother， the yin to his yang， his partner in mischief。 Michael joined some bands， fell in love with performing， and honed his skills。 But it wasn't until the night when Anthony， excited after catching a Grandmaster Flash concert， suggested they start their own band that he is handed the magic key to the cosmic kingdom。

Acid for the Children is as raw， entertaining and wildly unpredictable as its author。 It's both a tenderly evocative coming of age story and a raucous love letter to the power of music and creativity。

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Reviews

Rachael ，

** 3-3。5 stars**If you are looking for a tell all rock and roll memoire， then keep looking because this is not it。 I honestly don't know why I picked up this book， I am not a particularly big RHCP fan （I enjoy their music but that is about the extent of it） and knew nothing about Flea before going into this。 This book is certainly well written， and that is probably a reflection of Flea's passion for reading。This is a book that explores Flea's childhood in Australia， New York and LA。 It is told i ** 3-3。5 stars**If you are looking for a tell all rock and roll memoire， then keep looking because this is not it。 I honestly don't know why I picked up this book， I am not a particularly big RHCP fan （I enjoy their music but that is about the extent of it） and knew nothing about Flea before going into this。 This book is certainly well written， and that is probably a reflection of Flea's passion for reading。This is a book that explores Flea's childhood in Australia， New York and LA。 It is told in mostly sequential order going through various funny anecdotes。 The second half of this novel deals with meeting the friends that he would later form the RHCP with。 I enjoyed reading this， but wouldn't pick it up again。 I hope that there will be a followup which explores his days in the RHCP。 。。。more

Katrina ，

Good read。 Just a bit slow。 Kind of waiting for more chilli peppers stuff but ends right at it。

Julia O'Reilly ，

My review of this book is mixed， I read it all and didn't find it laborious in any way， I enjoyed picking it up at the end of the day for its short chapters。 Flea has a superbly interesting life。 But equally， it isn't going to score highly for me。 I found the language and the way of writing difficult to understand at times， he uses a lot of colloquialisms and talks about things I've never heard with little or no description。 One side of me thinks， great， you can hear his voice and who he is， an My review of this book is mixed， I read it all and didn't find it laborious in any way， I enjoyed picking it up at the end of the day for its short chapters。 Flea has a superbly interesting life。 But equally， it isn't going to score highly for me。 I found the language and the way of writing difficult to understand at times， he uses a lot of colloquialisms and talks about things I've never heard with little or no description。 One side of me thinks， great， you can hear his voice and who he is， an authentic expression of his life。 Then the other side of me thinks， it loses meaning with his beep bopping and swearing （swearing is great， it's communication， but there is a point where I think other words paint more descriptive pictures - it is a book）。 I also struggled somewhat with the name dropping， perhaps it's something others would enjoy， but after a while of 'such n such who I used to know from such and such place is now a very successful x' it got a bit repetitive。 I get it， you know lots of famous people， it seemed stuffed into other stories。 He talks in a very over the top way， great to see in the book his passions and connections。 But it lacks depth， it feels a bit like someone who overuses exclamation marks to the point it loses depth。 The style of writing in the past then using Italics to decipher a voice from the point of writing was an interesting style， I liked it in some way。 Then at other times， it could be confusing as I think he'll come back to the thing he mentions in Italics and then doesn't。 In my musings， I feel this book would have benefited from a ghostwriter to refine it and communicate what is clearly a very interesting story in a clearer way。 If anyone gets to the end of my thoughts， I'd love to know your opinion。 。。。more

Marcus Vetrano ，

Funny enough， after reading maybe 2/3 I finally realised that this book is solely based on FLEAS childhood and not the red hot chilli peppers era at all。 My bad。 This whole time I was reading I was expecting to hear about tours， recordings and band drama but instead I got Fleas childhood memories and trauma。 Whoops。 Overall still an engaging book。 Lots of good details into the absolute manic 1970’s， being a musician in Hollywood at that time would have been quite the ride and it certainly was fo Funny enough， after reading maybe 2/3 I finally realised that this book is solely based on FLEAS childhood and not the red hot chilli peppers era at all。 My bad。 This whole time I was reading I was expecting to hear about tours， recordings and band drama but instead I got Fleas childhood memories and trauma。 Whoops。 Overall still an engaging book。 Lots of good details into the absolute manic 1970’s， being a musician in Hollywood at that time would have been quite the ride and it certainly was for flea growing up。 Was it worth the read though？ I mean if you’re into the lore and fandom of RHCP that okay yea it is， because you will really get to know Flea and all his dark memories and trauma which makes for a interesting read。 But do I really give a shit about RCHP enough to wanna know about the time when Flea first jacked off？ Or when him and his buds jumped off buildings for fun？ Not that much of a fan， me personally。 Nothing against the guy or the book， it was still a fun read but overall wasn’t something that I just HAD to know。I was hoping for some RCHP era stuff， all the fame money and band drama type of entertainment which always peaks my interest。 Didn’t get that here but ah well。 。。。more

Sophie V。 ，

vignettes of a wild life

Saxon Carr ，

All time fucking classic baby。

Dripphparmcy max Ryan ，

Place your order here discrete shipping。。。Lsd tabs//liquid Oxycontin//oxycodone Katamine special k Adderall//Nembutal//Dmt Amphetamine//Mephedrone Vyvanse//Crystal Meth Cocaine//Xanas。we have order products available place your order directly on our website below fast and safer delivery to your address:https://drippharmacyshop。com Place your order here discrete shipping。。。Lsd tabs//liquid Oxycontin//oxycodone Katamine special k Adderall//Nembutal//Dmt Amphetamine//Mephedrone Vyvanse//Crystal Meth Cocaine//Xanas。we have order products available place your order directly on our website below fast and safer delivery to your address:https://drippharmacyshop。com 。。。more

Melanie ，

One line for River Phoenix。 Maybe he was respecting the family or just didn’t want to write about it。 Not sure what i was expecting but i liked this one nonetheless。 No mention of John Frusciante at all 👀👀

Anna Kolye ，

Эта книга тронула меня до глубины души。 Фли замечательный рассказчик， книга полностью прошла через меня и определенно оставила свой след。

Tyron Woerdings ，

Interesting af， I mean this dude literally lived like 6 different lives in one and he's still at it。 But I don't really like how he romanticizes everything he touches。 Interesting af， I mean this dude literally lived like 6 different lives in one and he's still at it。 But I don't really like how he romanticizes everything he touches。 。。。more

Zebulynn Hanson ，

holy s#！$

Caroline Heiberg ，

A lot of celebs， musicians and actors think their childhoods were interesting enough for autobiographies。 Everyone sat in the cafeteria。 Everyone grew up and learned their role in society。 Everyone listens to music。 Nothing particularly interesting or unique here。 This could’ve been written by a guy two doors down。The only thing I found remarkable and unique was the unabashed honesty with which he wrote about what a terrible person he is。 In today’s world of Brave Captions it was slightly horrif A lot of celebs， musicians and actors think their childhoods were interesting enough for autobiographies。 Everyone sat in the cafeteria。 Everyone grew up and learned their role in society。 Everyone listens to music。 Nothing particularly interesting or unique here。 This could’ve been written by a guy two doors down。The only thing I found remarkable and unique was the unabashed honesty with which he wrote about what a terrible person he is。 In today’s world of Brave Captions it was slightly horrifying and kinda refreshing for him to be like， no I’m actually horrible。 And not in a brave way where you’ll commend me after this anecdote and somehow come out the hero。 But an actual selfish narcissist who acts impulsively and carelessly。 The end。 。。。more

Mike Langford ，

A beautiful ode to friends， family， fights， fears， and feral childhood exploration。Where Anthony Keidis' autobiography was heavy on ego and reimagined history， Flea's effort was introspective and honest。 One of the best memoirs I've ever read。 A beautiful ode to friends， family， fights， fears， and feral childhood exploration。Where Anthony Keidis' autobiography was heavy on ego and reimagined history， Flea's effort was introspective and honest。 One of the best memoirs I've ever read。 。。。more

Chris Ibert ，

I listened to this as an audiobook which I think was the way to go。 I don't think I would have had the patience for it otherwise， but it was fine to keep me company while I was doing other things。 Flea is an entertaining narrator， but this is really half a story since it ends with the actual forming of RHCP as we know it， with Flea and bandmates asking Anthony Kiedis to be the singer。 I hope there will be a follow-up because I'd like to think better of Flea than I did at the end of this book， wh I listened to this as an audiobook which I think was the way to go。 I don't think I would have had the patience for it otherwise， but it was fine to keep me company while I was doing other things。 Flea is an entertaining narrator， but this is really half a story since it ends with the actual forming of RHCP as we know it， with Flea and bandmates asking Anthony Kiedis to be the singer。 I hope there will be a follow-up because I'd like to think better of Flea than I did at the end of this book， which really left me feeling like he and Anthony both are just human manifestations of the id based on their behavior together （and separately， as I also read Kiedis's memoir）。 Learning about Flea's childhood in Australia and NY was enjoyable for me， but once he moves to LA， and his mother basically stops being a parent， it just becomes a series of juvenile exploits for the next 5-10 years or so， until the end of the book。 They were entertaining to me at first， but as they go on， it's just more of the same selfish， sophomoric antics that had me rolling my eyes more often than chuckling at the folly of youth， albeit with cameos from a lot of other famous artists。Occasionally Flea leaps ahead to a later event that he wants to use as a reflection on the person or story he is describing （i。e。 he follows up the story of finding out that Hillel Slovak is trying heroin to the day he learned Hillel had overdosed and died）， but these are rare。 So that is the bridge I feel is missing。 In these latter anecdotes and in his commentary， as well as any interviews he has given over the past 25 years， Flea presents himself as an enlightened， spiritual man， but the actions he describes in this book do not convey that picture at all。 Example - I would think that Flea would have had some sort of reckoning with his frequent public nudity， and the way that the culture might view that now in a post- "Me Too"/recognition of toxic masculinity society。 But he just gives it the barest （no pun intended） of mentions in one chapter by saying he just likes to be nude， that's all。 Well， maybe a little more analysis of this casual attitude is something to consider， Flea。 So I hope there is a follow-up。 I love the Chili Peppers' music， so I guess it's on me to separate what I think about its founding members from my enjoyment of their records。 。。。more

Niki ，

I have to say I really had no idea who Flea， Michael Peter Balzary， was when I started this book。 This is the story of him growing up and how it turned it into the musician he is today。 I do have to say after I finished the book I did go listen to some Red Hot Chili Peppers and was surprised that I did know all of their music。 I also have to say even after listening to the book I do not like him but did find his life interesting。

Anderson ，

The best biography I read in years。 Go for the emotional reading of flea himself， it makes the book way more appealing。 A truly emocional ride。 Amazing。 Thank you Flea。

Mike ，

Great book。 Looking forward to the next one。

Liv laf luv ，

So wholesome and precisely what I needed rn :-）

Edward ，

"Seemed like a good idea at the time。" Those are the words that will stick out the most for me when having listened to Flea's memoir。 I am still more of an actually BOOK person， but I try to add audio books to my repertoire， and I must say that this book is best listened to rather than read。 And what made it even more meaningful is that Flea is the narrator。 For the record， I am not a diehard Red Hot Chili Peppers fan， but I do enjoy some of their music， and given the Flea that one sees on stage "Seemed like a good idea at the time。" Those are the words that will stick out the most for me when having listened to Flea's memoir。 I am still more of an actually BOOK person， but I try to add audio books to my repertoire， and I must say that this book is best listened to rather than read。 And what made it even more meaningful is that Flea is the narrator。 For the record， I am not a diehard Red Hot Chili Peppers fan， but I do enjoy some of their music， and given the Flea that one sees on stage performing， and comparing to the person he is after this book is mind blowing！ To hear him tell his story growing up and all that he endured （and still enduring on occasion）， to become who he is now is a genuine surprise。 The Flea on stage is not the Flea when he is away from the limelight。 How he was able to keep going in life with the help of his love for music can be a tale of inspiration for many people。 And you do not need to be a Red Hot Chili Peppers fan， or even like their music to listen to this book （or read） because it only touches on the band in bits and pieces。 The people this man has been able to cross paths w/ throughout his life （some good / some bad）， to the guardian angels that must have been working overtime to keep him from death （whom he even thanks in the book）， to his willingness and time to help pass his passion for music on to children today， Flea's story is an amazing one that I believe many would enjoy hearing。 I will say it again， this book is best listened too！ To hear his voice crack when he talks about the ones he loves， and those he has hurt in the past， and lost along the way; to hearing the little kid in him pop out when discussing certain moments。 PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS BOOK TO TRULY ENJOY IT if anyone is ever interested。 If I ever cross paths w/ Flea in real life， all I could say to him is， "Thank you Michael。 Thank you for letting us in to your world。 Thank you for not giving up。 God bless you for being who you are。" -e 。。。more

Rigoberto ，

I loved this book， is written from the heart。 Flea always has been a very open person but in this book he shows us something more deep， his insecurities， his mistakes and hopes。 He isn't afraid of writing this stuff as he lived it。At the end Is a book about childhood and the importance of parenthood and guidance。 I loved this book， is written from the heart。 Flea always has been a very open person but in this book he shows us something more deep， his insecurities， his mistakes and hopes。 He isn't afraid of writing this stuff as he lived it。At the end Is a book about childhood and the importance of parenthood and guidance。 。。。more

Elithecreator ，

As a musician， I really enjoyed a succesful musicians take on the experience and sentimental values of music。 I think the first two thirds of this book are amazing。 His has a facinating childhood and upbrining and his story made me consider my upbrining。 It just made me think。 However， he runs out of the things to talk about by the last third and it is just countless stories of concerts he watched an drug binges。 It became very boring and fell flat in the end。 However， if there were a second boo As a musician， I really enjoyed a succesful musicians take on the experience and sentimental values of music。 I think the first two thirds of this book are amazing。 His has a facinating childhood and upbrining and his story made me consider my upbrining。 It just made me think。 However， he runs out of the things to talk about by the last third and it is just countless stories of concerts he watched an drug binges。 It became very boring and fell flat in the end。 However， if there were a second book documenting his time in the Red Hot Chillie Pepers， I'd gladly read it。 。。。more

Mayara Ziroldo ，

A minha expectativa era ler sobre Flea e obviamente sobre sua vida no RHCP。 Fui surpreendida por um luz jogada sobre sua infância， adolescência e juventude e todas as experiências que viveu e transformaram ele primeiro como pessoa， depois com o artista。 O livro explica é justifica quem ele é。 Termina no primeiro show do RHCP。

Thom ，

It's half 12 so I don't really have anything to say about this that will form into a sentence so I'll just say wow this dudes interesting what a shock。 It's half 12 so I don't really have anything to say about this that will form into a sentence so I'll just say wow this dudes interesting what a shock。 。。。more

Robert ，

I’m not a chili peppers fan， but I heard this book was well written and was intrigued mostly by the context – 80’s in LA has always been a fascinating scene。 I enjoyed this memoir， but RHCP fans need to know that it deals with Flea’s childhood only， and essentially the book ends with the formation of the band。 It is written in a very idiomatic， honest and personal way， and largely explores his struggles with family， drugs， friends， and his adolescent insecurities as he finds his way LA。 Very lit I’m not a chili peppers fan， but I heard this book was well written and was intrigued mostly by the context – 80’s in LA has always been a fascinating scene。 I enjoyed this memoir， but RHCP fans need to know that it deals with Flea’s childhood only， and essentially the book ends with the formation of the band。 It is written in a very idiomatic， honest and personal way， and largely explores his struggles with family， drugs， friends， and his adolescent insecurities as he finds his way LA。 Very little cohesion to the choppy little chapter bits that the book is composed of， and though the book was a quick read， most people will likely find it too long and disconnected to find real satisfaction in。 The good part of the book is just Flea’s honesty， and it was a fascinating insight into the LA freak music scene of the late 80’s。 He drops a lot of names， mentioning when he crossed paths with the likes of Perry Farrell， Jean-Michel Basquiat， and various funk and jazz and punk musicians。 However， I can’t believe that this book gets the laudation I’ve heard – as a whole it is lacking in a depth that might tie it together， and his ‘I’m a mess and life is hard but here is how I struggled through this lesson’ became a bit of a trope and a cliché by the time you read 20 chapters with the same gist， and I never saw many more dimensions than that。 On the whole， it was something to perhaps largely skim， and maybe only die-hard RHCP fans would want to read what is purely an inception story。 But for me – it is just a fascinating look at a wildly different life， one that I feel I only faintly knew for myself as a troubled kid。 I tried listening to some of the early music he made as I read this – still can’t stand the chili peppers， really。 Lol。 But I appreciate the life。 。。。more

Heathrlee ，

3000% better than Scar Tissue。

Jack Youd ，

Wow， what a story。 It’s so refreshing to read a different kind of memoir。 It’s no surprise Flea filled a book just on his childhood， what a journey he has been on and what a splendid journey he takes the reader on。 Fantastic read。

Keen ，

3。5 Stars！“Hope to arise from the muddy depths of this process， clear and cleansed， laser beams shooting from my eyeballs， holding the sunken treasure aloft， resplendent in silver and gold， an ebullient grin plastered on my face， and sea monsters docile at my feet。”The first six pages of this were awful。 This opens up with a pointless， rambling poem by Patti Smith and then we get terms like “process” and “journey” and then I felt a sense of dread and panic， come over me， thinking Oh no！ Not anot 3。5 Stars！“Hope to arise from the muddy depths of this process， clear and cleansed， laser beams shooting from my eyeballs， holding the sunken treasure aloft， resplendent in silver and gold， an ebullient grin plastered on my face， and sea monsters docile at my feet。”The first six pages of this were awful。 This opens up with a pointless， rambling poem by Patti Smith and then we get terms like “process” and “journey” and then I felt a sense of dread and panic， come over me， thinking Oh no！ Not another one of these…The words from another old rocker Johnny Rotten， rang hard in my ears…“Never trust a hippy！” As I thought back to the crap written by so many other rock stars， all that mumbo jumbo dressed up in shabby spiritual clothes。 It didn’t look good， but thankfully it quickly got its act together。Between the years of 1987-1995 the Chili Peppers were doing some really good stuff， particularly between 89-91 when they were probably at their creative peak。 I have so many memories of the Chilis， from the first half of the 90s， whether it being on stage in the light bulb outfits， those eye catching promo videos or even dressed in drag as they introduced Nirvana playing Live and Loud。 They were certainly a group of guys who stuck out in the mind…and of course let’s not forget the dabbling in Hollywood too， “My Own Private Idaho”， “Point Break” etc。It’s funny when you are in your teens and early twenties and you are heavily influenced and impressed by the music you listen to， and then ten， twenty or more years later you read biographies about those same people who made that music and it’s funny how differently you can view them after you’ve got a few more years behind you。 And to think that Flea and AK both turn 60 next year too！But of course that doesn’t mean this book remains totally cliché or BS free for the duration， lines like “The universe gives us the ones we need。 And the ones we deserve。” Soon score high on the Rage-ometer， but hey nobody’s perfect right？。。。Flea certainly had an eventful and peripatetic childhood， living in Melbourne， New York and Los Angeles and that was just within the first decade of his life。This was a very easy read and of course there were some interesting insights and words of wisdom etc， but the biggest problem with this of course is that it is close to 400 pages of the bass player’s life before the Chili Peppers。 This seems to be an increasingly cynical and opportunistic ploy with rock bios nowadays， not content with releasing one volume， publishers and artists are all too eager to squeeze out every bit they can， recent examples being the likes of Jimmy Barnes and Moby， both having milked their stories dry。 Now this wasn’t a bad read， but it’s no classic either， and frankly it’s annoying when two years on from when this first came out， we still haven’t got the follow up， which obviously has the good stuff that everyone wants to know about， but overall this was a decent enough read， but I was definitely annoyed by the lack of Chili Peppers material， though I will say Flea's account is a far more likeable one than his best mate AK and his biography。 。。。more

Christine Yen ，

Flea seems to have set out to write a work of ~literature~ （for which he was insufficiently equipped）， wrapping himself in overwrought prose （he's a lifelong/avid reader， not a writer） to describe a fairly idyllic childhood。The book got much more interesting once he discovered music and drugs—I could listen to him rave about his early trumpet days / school band shenanigans for 3x the time allotted。Fine for a dog-walk audiobook， not something I'd recommend to even the biggest RHCP fan。 Flea seems to have set out to write a work of ~literature~ （for which he was insufficiently equipped）， wrapping himself in overwrought prose （he's a lifelong/avid reader， not a writer） to describe a fairly idyllic childhood。The book got much more interesting once he discovered music and drugs—I could listen to him rave about his early trumpet days / school band shenanigans for 3x the time allotted。Fine for a dog-walk audiobook， not something I'd recommend to even the biggest RHCP fan。 。。。more

Carolyn Blocka ，

I absolutely loved this book！ It deeply resonated with me and I loved the insight into Flea's feelings about how he struggled with a sense of self and loving。 Flea is a gifted storyteller and I found his words deeply touching。If you are looking for tales about Flea's time in the Red Hot Chili Peppers then this is not the book for you。 This book follows Flea through his years as a children to pre-teen to teen to early twenties until Red Hot Chili Peppers first hit the scene。 I absolutely loved this book！ It deeply resonated with me and I loved the insight into Flea's feelings about how he struggled with a sense of self and loving。 Flea is a gifted storyteller and I found his words deeply touching。If you are looking for tales about Flea's time in the Red Hot Chili Peppers then this is not the book for you。 This book follows Flea through his years as a children to pre-teen to teen to early twenties until Red Hot Chili Peppers first hit the scene。 。。。more

Sashenka Bender ，

So good！ Must listen to on audio- flea narrates and it’s wonderful。 Will also purchase a physical copy- there are areas that I’d like to revisit。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Acid For The Children: A Memoir

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Acid For The Children: A Memoir&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Acid For The Children: A Memoir&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0