by Flea
First published 2020
Flea begins life in ordinary Rye, New York, but normalcy shatters when his parents divorce and his mother marries a jazz musician. His stepfather brings musicians home for jam sessions, igniting Flea's musical passion. The family relocates to Los Angeles, where Flea falls in love with the trumpet and worships Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Louis Armstrong. Violence and alcoholism tear his household apart. Flea fears his father figures and carries this terror forward. At thirteen, he starts smoking marijuana. Harder drugs follow daily. By fourteen, he lives on the streets. There he encounters Anthony Kiedis, another outcast and drug user. Together they create a band that evolves into the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This autobiography strips away pretense and reveals Flea completely raw.
Genres: addiction, coming-of-age, autobiography, music
Vibes: emotional, intimate, raw
Tropes: found-family, rags-to-riches
Setting: Rye, New York, Los Angeles
Period: 20th-century
400 pages · Paperback · Headline
Content warnings: addiction, alcohol-abuse, drug-use, violence