Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis (born November 1, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the vocalist/lyricist of the band, Red Hot Chili Peppers. He and bassist Flea are the only members of the group to have appeared on all of the band's studio albums. Kiedis is also an occasional actor, having appeared in F.I.S.T, Point Break, and The Chase. In 2004 he published an autobiography, entitled Scar Tissue. Kiedis spent his youth in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his mother before moving, shortly before his twelfth birthday, to Hollywood to live with his father. While attending Fairfax High School, Kiedis developed close friendships with fellow students Flea and Hillel Slovak, who at the time were members of a band called Anthym. After high school, Kiedis began taking classes at UCLA, but dropped out during the beginning of his sophomore year.
He later received an offer to be the opening act for a local band, and enlisted Flea, Slovak, and drummer Jack Irons to assist. After a show under the name "Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem", the band progressed and the line-up eventually became the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He has recorded ten studio albums with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis' lyrical style has evolved throughout his career; early recordings discussed topics such as sex and life in Los Angeles, while more recent songs focus on more reflective themes including love, addiction, and loss. Additionally, his vocal style has shifted from rapping to a more melodic technique. He has struggled with drug addiction for the majority of his life and has abstained from substance use since 2000. Kiedis has been ranked in the Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocalists by Hit Parader (#53).
Family
Kiedis' father, Blackie Dammett is a well accomplished actor who has appeared in over 50 movies and television shows. Dammett's autobiography, "Lords of the Sunset Strip" was released March 31, 2013. Kiedis has a son named Everly Bear born October 2, 2007 from a relationship with Heather Christie.Everly was named after Kiedis' favorite music group, The Everly Brothers.
Drug addictions
Kiedis has battled drug addiction, including heroin and cocaine, throughout his life. Since his father was an addict, Kiedis was constantly around his drug-using and -dealing father, as well as his father's friends, who engaged in the same activities. Some of Kiedis' early drug use came from substances he got from his father, including marijuana, which he first smoked when he was 11 years old. He used drugs for years, even into the formation of the band, where other members were also using. He tried to get clean after Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Hillel Slovak died of a heroin overdose (specifically using the method of speedballing) on June 25, 1988, saying he would never shoot up again. He entered rehab and ended up staying clean for five years but relapsed in 1994 and kept using on and off over the next six years.
The last major relapse was instigated by a doctor prescribing him Ultram despite Kiedis specifically asking for drugs that are not in the opiate family. To a recovering heroin addict, the synthetic opiate only gave rise to strong cravings. This last relapse, as many previous ones, was to a degree also a byproduct of a tumultuous relationship with a woman. He has reportedly avoided another relapse since December 24, 2000. "It’s easy to be a junkie, but it's not easy to be one of the best guitarists or songwriters of all time," Kiedis said, referring to John Frusciante, in the March 2007 issue of Blender. After over twenty years of speculation, in May 2012 Vulture Magazine stated that the location where Kiedis would purchase and use drugs, and that inspired, "Under the Bridge", is located in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, CA, based on clues taken from Kiedis' memoir. Kiedis had refused to divulge the location.
Musical style
While creating lyrics and melodies for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kiedis has drawn from various sources for inspiration. His first musical memory was hearing Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" at age eleven: "It moved me so much that I insisted my mother buy me the 45." In high school, he was highly influenced by the rap-style vocals of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's "The Message" and the "in-your-face sexual lyrics" of Prince's "Dirty Mind". Kiedis writes most of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' lyrics. Starting with 1989's Mother's Milk album, John Frusciante and Flea have written nearly all of the music (excluding melodies) for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, while Kiedis adds lyrics and melodies he hears during instrumental jams by his band mates. Kiedis said in 2006, "Somehow I find songs... in the bigness of what they're doing." His lyrical style has varied over the years. During the band's early years, Kiedis wrote many lyrics detailing his enjoyment of sex, drugs, and life in Los Angeles. As his musical tastes expanded and his outlook on life changed, he began writing songs about a wider spectrum of subjects. His lyrics include many of the same themes as the writings of Charles Bukowski, Kiedis' main literary influence.
His early vocal style with the band primarily consisted of rapping. On Mother's Milk (1989), Kiedis wrote more melody-driven songs, rather than the basic rhythm and beat style of funk. The first song where Kiedis employed his new melodic style was "Knock Me Down". The melody was actually shaped and performed by guitarist John Frusciante. Upon joining the band, Frusciante sang lead vocals on the song along with Kiedis. Blood Sugar Sex Magik in 1991 still saw Kiedis rapping, but he also started singing in songs such as "Under the Bridge", "Breaking the Girl", and "I Could Have Lied". Over the years, Kiedis grew to favor singing over rapping. Kiedis has had many vocal coaches, but none of them had helped him sing "well." In fact, it was not until 1999's Californication that he felt he could take full control of his voice while singing. Despite the band's varied lineup, Kiedis remained and tried to keep the group together whenever it was about to fall apart. However, Kiedis himself was fired for around a month somewhere in 1986 because of his drug addiction; he was brought back into the band and stayed clean for, as he recalls, 53 days, after which he began abusing cocaine and heroin again.
Upcoming television series
Kiedis is developing a series for HBO based on his unconventional upbringing in Los Angeles. The show is expected to be loosely based on much of Kiedis' autobiography. He has partnered with Catapult 360 partners Marc Abrams and Michael Benson to create the series, titled Spider and Son. Abrams and Benson are scouting for a writer to pen the script, which will center on Kiedis's relationship with his father, Blackie Dammett, who sold many drugs and mingled with rock stars on the Sunset Strip, all while aspiring to get into show business. The show was scheduled to premiere in late 2010 at the very earliest.
He later received an offer to be the opening act for a local band, and enlisted Flea, Slovak, and drummer Jack Irons to assist. After a show under the name "Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem", the band progressed and the line-up eventually became the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He has recorded ten studio albums with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis' lyrical style has evolved throughout his career; early recordings discussed topics such as sex and life in Los Angeles, while more recent songs focus on more reflective themes including love, addiction, and loss. Additionally, his vocal style has shifted from rapping to a more melodic technique. He has struggled with drug addiction for the majority of his life and has abstained from substance use since 2000. Kiedis has been ranked in the Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocalists by Hit Parader (#53).
Family
Kiedis' father, Blackie Dammett is a well accomplished actor who has appeared in over 50 movies and television shows. Dammett's autobiography, "Lords of the Sunset Strip" was released March 31, 2013. Kiedis has a son named Everly Bear born October 2, 2007 from a relationship with Heather Christie.Everly was named after Kiedis' favorite music group, The Everly Brothers.
Drug addictions
Kiedis has battled drug addiction, including heroin and cocaine, throughout his life. Since his father was an addict, Kiedis was constantly around his drug-using and -dealing father, as well as his father's friends, who engaged in the same activities. Some of Kiedis' early drug use came from substances he got from his father, including marijuana, which he first smoked when he was 11 years old. He used drugs for years, even into the formation of the band, where other members were also using. He tried to get clean after Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Hillel Slovak died of a heroin overdose (specifically using the method of speedballing) on June 25, 1988, saying he would never shoot up again. He entered rehab and ended up staying clean for five years but relapsed in 1994 and kept using on and off over the next six years.
The last major relapse was instigated by a doctor prescribing him Ultram despite Kiedis specifically asking for drugs that are not in the opiate family. To a recovering heroin addict, the synthetic opiate only gave rise to strong cravings. This last relapse, as many previous ones, was to a degree also a byproduct of a tumultuous relationship with a woman. He has reportedly avoided another relapse since December 24, 2000. "It’s easy to be a junkie, but it's not easy to be one of the best guitarists or songwriters of all time," Kiedis said, referring to John Frusciante, in the March 2007 issue of Blender. After over twenty years of speculation, in May 2012 Vulture Magazine stated that the location where Kiedis would purchase and use drugs, and that inspired, "Under the Bridge", is located in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, CA, based on clues taken from Kiedis' memoir. Kiedis had refused to divulge the location.
Musical style
While creating lyrics and melodies for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kiedis has drawn from various sources for inspiration. His first musical memory was hearing Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" at age eleven: "It moved me so much that I insisted my mother buy me the 45." In high school, he was highly influenced by the rap-style vocals of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's "The Message" and the "in-your-face sexual lyrics" of Prince's "Dirty Mind". Kiedis writes most of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' lyrics. Starting with 1989's Mother's Milk album, John Frusciante and Flea have written nearly all of the music (excluding melodies) for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, while Kiedis adds lyrics and melodies he hears during instrumental jams by his band mates. Kiedis said in 2006, "Somehow I find songs... in the bigness of what they're doing." His lyrical style has varied over the years. During the band's early years, Kiedis wrote many lyrics detailing his enjoyment of sex, drugs, and life in Los Angeles. As his musical tastes expanded and his outlook on life changed, he began writing songs about a wider spectrum of subjects. His lyrics include many of the same themes as the writings of Charles Bukowski, Kiedis' main literary influence.
His early vocal style with the band primarily consisted of rapping. On Mother's Milk (1989), Kiedis wrote more melody-driven songs, rather than the basic rhythm and beat style of funk. The first song where Kiedis employed his new melodic style was "Knock Me Down". The melody was actually shaped and performed by guitarist John Frusciante. Upon joining the band, Frusciante sang lead vocals on the song along with Kiedis. Blood Sugar Sex Magik in 1991 still saw Kiedis rapping, but he also started singing in songs such as "Under the Bridge", "Breaking the Girl", and "I Could Have Lied". Over the years, Kiedis grew to favor singing over rapping. Kiedis has had many vocal coaches, but none of them had helped him sing "well." In fact, it was not until 1999's Californication that he felt he could take full control of his voice while singing. Despite the band's varied lineup, Kiedis remained and tried to keep the group together whenever it was about to fall apart. However, Kiedis himself was fired for around a month somewhere in 1986 because of his drug addiction; he was brought back into the band and stayed clean for, as he recalls, 53 days, after which he began abusing cocaine and heroin again.
Upcoming television series
Kiedis is developing a series for HBO based on his unconventional upbringing in Los Angeles. The show is expected to be loosely based on much of Kiedis' autobiography. He has partnered with Catapult 360 partners Marc Abrams and Michael Benson to create the series, titled Spider and Son. Abrams and Benson are scouting for a writer to pen the script, which will center on Kiedis's relationship with his father, Blackie Dammett, who sold many drugs and mingled with rock stars on the Sunset Strip, all while aspiring to get into show business. The show was scheduled to premiere in late 2010 at the very earliest.