Acid for the Children: A Memoir

Nominated for the 2021 Grammy Awards, Acid for the Children, written and read by Flea, the bassist for the band Red Hot Chili Peppers, is hard-earned wisdom from a sweet soul. Flea might have flamed out as tragically like as many of his Los Angeles rock world contemporaries if not for reading. Throughout, Flea recounts the importance of books in his life in keeping him grounded and balanced.

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The nominations for the 2021 Grammy Awards were announced in November and five audiobooks are in the running in the Spoken Word category, including Acid for the Children, written and read by Flea, the bassist for the band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Here is hard-earned wisdom from a sweet soul. Flea may have flamed out tragically like so many of his Los Angeles rock world contemporaries if not for the redemptive qualities of reading. Flea is widely regarded as the most talented rock bassist alive, and has pioneered a string-thumping technique that was entirely original, providing the punk-reggae backbone for the RHCP signature sound. In this heartfelt, blazingly honest memoir, he describes his incendiary creative relationship with RHCP lead singer Anthony Kiedis. Their high-jinx, death-defying shenanigans read like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, on acid, at a time when punk was giving way to new wave and new hybrid music genres like RHCP’s mix of rock, funk, punk and psychedelia. Throughout, Flea recounts the importance of books in his life in keeping him grounded and balanced. With some 1m Instagram followers, he formed what may be the biggest book club in the world. His life story underscores his humility, kindness and profound love of art. Tears of laughter, tears of sadness, they both flow freely in listening about his early wayward life.

Narrator: Flea

Length: 9 hours and 4 minutes

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