Red Hot Chili Peppers Give It Away: The Stories Behind Every Song

Red Hot Chili Peppers front man Anthony Kiedis grew up in Hollywood, hustling a living with his actor father. He eventually discovered music and fell in with Hillel Slovak, Jack Irons, and Michael "Flea" Balzary to form the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Fired up by 1970s funk, rock, ska, and soul, the band fought, split, kissed, made up, and then fought again. This collision of singular personalities and musical genius resulted in a run of albums and reputation as a formidable live act. By the end of the 1980s, though, the band was one man down, with lead guitarist Hillel Slovak dying from a drug overdose. The struggle gave rise to 1989's groundbreaking Mother's Milk album. Pre-dating Nirvana, the Red Hot Chili Peppers was the first underground band to take what critics dubbed "alternative rock" into the mainstream charts. In 1991, Blood Sugar Sex Magik compounded the Chili Peppers' success, turning its members into bona fide rock stars and plunging them headlong into a riot of drugs, sex, near-death experiences, and spiritual awakening. This book looks at the group through dozens of photographs, and examines the music and stories of one of the most original bands on the planet.