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Acid for the Children
- Narrated by: Flea
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Entertainment & Celebrities
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A hard way to make an easy living
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Summary
The strange tale of a boy named Flea starts in Rye, NY. It was all very normal. But soon his parents divorced and his mother Patricia remarried a jazz musician. Flea's stepfather frequently invited musicians to his house for jam sessions which sparked Flea's interest in music. The family moved to Los Angeles, where Flea became fascinated with the trumpet, idolising musicians like Miles, Dizzy, and Louis.
But the family soon fell apart. 'I was raised in a very violent, alcoholic household,' Flea later said. 'I grew up being terrified of my parents, particularly my father figures. It caused [me] a lot of trouble later in life.' He began smoking weed at 13 and became a daily user of harder drugs. He was on the streets by 14 and soon after, met another social outcast and drug user named Anthony Kiedis. They formed a band that would become the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Acid for the Children is pure, uncut Flea, with nothing left unsaid.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
What listeners say about Acid for the Children
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- stephen
- 31-05-20
amazing + beautiful
such a beautifully told story of flea's childhood up to the point of forming the red hot chili peppers. flea reading is a masterstroke too; hearing his voice crack when recounting moving moments.
3 people found this helpful
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- John Sharpe
- 03-03-20
Surprisingly Good. Flea tells his story well.
I was looking for the fast-food equivalent of an audio book, I did not expect the deep introspection and musical retrospection that the book invoked. Flea was not a likable young person but he narrates his story himself as a clean sober fifty seven year old who has reflected deeply on his behaviour and is grateful to have come out the other side.
2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 22-01-21
Strange world
Struggled all the way through. Not enough info on each subject. The voice had no soul.
Just didn't enjoy it.
just an opinion. Other people may rave about it.
One screwed up puppy. Quite sad really
1 person found this helpful
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- Joe Lawlor
- 06-06-20
What a beautiful real-life story
I’ve been a fan of Flea and the Chili’s since I first knew what music was. Thanks to my brother we would listen to all their albums before school, head banging in our towels. Flea’s writing and delivery is just perfect, and I simply loved it. This is the first memoir I have ever Audibled so I have no comparison, but that doesn’t matter - a virgin’s experience - it has opened my mind to listening to the memoirs of other people who grace(d) this earth.
1 person found this helpful
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- Rebecca
- 14-03-20
An honest and interesting book.
Enjoyed listening to the author read this book, he laughs at his own funny storys which made me laugh with him. Recommend *****
1 person found this helpful
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- Spaced2016
- 12-01-20
Could listen to the dude all day.
Loved it; such nice chill stories to listen to before you fall asleep at night.
1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 29-11-19
fantastic book
Fantastic book. I listened to this book from sunset to sunrise to sunset. spiritual and honest. thank you Flea for sharing a part of yourself with us.
1 person found this helpful
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- Fred Johns
- 02-03-21
Beautiful memoir by a beautiful man
just finished listening to this book for a second time and couldn't recommended it more. Be more like Flea.
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- SlaphappyAl
- 27-02-21
That was great!
I'm no RHCP fan but really enjoyed this, waiting for book 2 someday maybe even book 3
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- David Oliver
- 09-02-21
An Excellent Listen.
Very very funny at times, an interesting insight into one of rock music’s modern icons.
Even better for being read by the man himself who sometimes presents his story quite informally, adding anecdotes and giggling at his childhood shenanigans .
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- tobias grape
- 07-11-19
just wonderful
made me laugh and cry. Just pure beuty! This Book resonates with me on a deep level and Flea's voice is both powerful and sensitive.
Blew My mind!
2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 28-11-19
Just lovely!
Ideal as an audiobook. It’s a gentle telling by the most gentle of wild man rockstars! Lovely!
1 person found this helpful
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- Jeremy Davis
- 12-10-20
Surprising, entertaining, insightful page turner
This is a rip roaring story of adventures and wildness with surprises and unexpected depth.
Whilst I like the Chilli Peppers music I didn’t really know anything about Flea prior to listening to this book and only got on to it through the recommendation of a friend and the title. Turns out that Flea is originally from my hometown of Melbourne and the tale begins with his early childhood.
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.
The book is full of amazing stories and traces his life through different bands including Fear up to the first time RHCP perform.
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.
I liked best the entertaining stories of drug use but also how he then gives them up and goes cold turkey for three decades. It’s full of insights into spirituality and ultimately about a successful struggle with human weaknesses and insecurities.
Very entertaining and easy to read - this was a surprising and brilliant book!
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- Jakob
- 07-04-20
An amazing book about beauty
Wow! One of the best books I have read/listened to. A truly heart opening experince
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- Joselo
- 11-03-20
By the way
Best known as the bassist and one of the song writers of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Flea paints the world as seen through the eyes of his youth. He generously shares his life's background, the confusion that he felt as a child growing up in a dysfunctional family, but also the love for music that he learned from his stepfather, a jazz musician... He's candid and self-critical when he speaks about his insecurities or about certain episodes when he acted ignorant. We learn about his early excursions into sex, drugs and rock n' roll, and about his friendship with other young rascals, including his bandmate Anthony Kiedis. Flea has a way with words and many passages are very beautifully written. There are moments of joy and euphoria, but there's also a lingering sadness in his voice. (He narrates the audiobook himself, which is a treat.) He seems like a sensitive, thoughtful guy who is willing to share some of the twists and turns that he's been through and a few of the things that he's learned along the way. If you're a fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, this audiobook is certainly worth checking out. Do keep in mind that it doesn't cover the more recent stages of his life. If he publishes another memoir one day with later stories, I'll make sure to pick it up and see what else he has to say.
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- Jose
- 10-02-20
Super sweet book. The tale of a sensitive boy.
It is a very sweet book telling the story of Flea's childhood, showing how sensitive he is and how his life was impacted by these events that later formed the man he became, which is where the book ends, just at the end of his adolescence, right at the beginning of the RHCP.
Being read by Flea himself, this is as immersive as it gets. You can hear his voice breaking during some particularly emotional passages, or mentioning special people in his life.
Before giving it a try, I was turned off knowing that the book was not about his time in the RHCP, but his childhood. Now, I'm just happy I got this sweet book by a sweet man.
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- Daniel_23
- 16-12-19
Flea's story
I expected crazy stories and a look behind the scenes of one of my favorite bands. I got everything I wanted and much more. I loved the narration, you get what you came in for, an interesting wording choice and Flea's unmistakable voice timber acting out everything. I understand the man better and I am glad he got so lucky at the beginning and got wiser later in life.
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- Gudrun D Whitehead
- 04-12-19
Loved it!
Beautiful, honest and hard to put down. Great book, loved getting an insight into Flea’s childhood. Well read.
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- Anonymous User
- 27-11-19
Flea is an author
I absolutely loved this book! It moved me to tears, made me laugh and smile and feel all kinds of emotions. I listened to the audio book while reading the real paper version of the book as English is not my first language. Flea himself reads the audio book and he couldn’t have done it better. His voice is pleasant. Sometimes he starts crying and sometimes you can hear a smile in his voice, he adds funny voices, spooky laughter and even additional information that you can’t find in the paper version of the book! His tale about his own childhood is colorful, vibrant, painfully sad and engaging. Flea proves that he is not just some mediocre celebrity trying to write a book, he is a real author. He clearly has a talent for writing. His story is honest, his writing a true reflection of the public person he is: passionate, unique, loving, crazy, intelligent and energetic. But it never gets out of hand. Flea is in total control of his own writing, which is one of the things that impressed me the most. He knows how to add just the right words at the right time and then leave it there for the reader to take in. You can tell he is an entertainer. The book also shows a new side of him, more calm and reflecting: his ability to look at himself and admit his own flaws, his guilt, his shame, his fear and grief. Flea is obviously a ”whole” person. And he never gets boring. He fills you up with colors, emotions and new thoughts. I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys good writing and memoirs. I can’t wait to read more from Flea, the author.
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- Anonymous User
- 16-11-19
A nine hour Flea baseline!!
‘Read’ it in one long haul. Played the first RHCP album afterwards. The magic kicked in.....