Flea Circus, or "Acid for the Children"

It's strangely rare for musicians to actually talk about music in their bios. Maybe that “dancing about architecture” quote scares them off, or maybe they realize that we, the reading public, would rather read about orgies and wrecked hotel rooms and substance abuse instead of finding out that "Lick My Love Pump" was written with a descended D chord and based off a scrap of Sappho's poetry.  And they're right.

So it was surprising to read Flea, long-time Red Hot Chili Peppers' bass player and shirt-eschewer, describing the impact of hearing his first live music - his step-dad's pickup band playing the jazz standard "Cherokee." "...They take off and I am stunned, I'm FLOATING, waves of light are surging through me, I'm rolling around on the floor laughing my head off, the bodacious rhythm throwing me around on the floor, I'm in an ecstatic trance and have never ever dreamed that something could feel this good. ...If Moses had parted the seas right in front of me, or my dog had started speaking the Queen's English, it would not have been this miraculous."

Why didn't I have this growing up?

“Acid for the Children” is full of surprises. I mean, it’s a memoir by Flea, for shit’s sake, the bass player in a band known for walking around with socks on their pee-pees and singing songs with lyrics like “What I got I gotta give it put it in you/ do a little dance and you drink a little water.” So I wasn’t necessarily looking for anything profound, just a quick read through some vicarious tales of sex/drugs/debauchery that I could then clown on by posting the lyrics to “Give It Away.” I didn’t think I was gonna get, like, actual feelings from it.

Flea grew up without much parental involvement, leaving him desperately searching for acceptance which he’d find with junior criminals and troublemakers. From smoking weed at 12 to shoplifting, to actual robberies, little Flea was a mess. He writes clearly about these days, and treads a fine line – while not completely glamorizing his bad behavior, he clearly recalls the excitement and also the guilt he felt about hurting people, and has done his best to atone. Flea manages to see through his own bullshit, and is able to hone in on his flaws and regrets without coming across as self-pitying. Many messed-up adolescents (and adults, come to think of it), can relate to the line “If someone truly expressed love and devotion to me, I assumed they must be defective.”

But it’s not all crime and drugs and regret - Flea also expresses the joys he found in solitude, reading, basketball, nature, and music. He credits strong music programs in keeping him somewhat interested in school, and rages at the cuts that have decimated these programs, so much so that he started a non-profit music school to help others. Flea’s enthusiasms are infectious, and reading him soaking up different music, movies, and books is exhilarating.

The book’s chapters can range from a couple pages to a paragraph, and after a rough start (There's an almost stream of consciousness intro about Ethiopia and primal music and ….I don’t know, scoobedy-doo-bop can you dig it, man, which almost made me give up before I started), it flows super quickly, ending right as the Red Hot Chili Peppers play their first club gig, which Flea views as a triumph, no matter what happened next. And sure, it's easy to say that when looking back after millions of album sales and fame and whatnot, but it reads as sincere.

Then there’s this sort of epilogue (It might really be an epilogue, I’ve already returned the book to the library and can’t check). Flea writes about how he realizes he had it better than most kids, and he was lucky not to fall deeper into addiction or criminality and even if you did go through pain and hurt, you don’t have to give in to it and love will only make you stronger and “You will come out the other side stronger and kinder than ever,”  and holy crap, did a memoir by Flea make me tear up a bit?

Drugs/Sex/Bad Behavior  - 7/10   Lots of drugs (including a section that could almost be used as a guide to shooting up cocaine) and bad behavior, very little sex for the shy, weirdly introverted Flea.

Opens in media res - Kind of? There's that whole weird Ethiopia thing.

Namedropping  -  Almost none, or at least it was integrated well. 

Percentage Ghostwritten  - Let's say 40. There was definitely an editor listed, so probably some structuring. 

Buy, Borrow from the Library, or Pass - I'm a tightwad and will almost always recommend borrowing from the library. However, if you know a kid who is headed towards trouble but isn't quite there yet, someone with a big heart, but maybe making some shitty decisions, buy it and give it to them. Shit, I wish someone had given me a copy around, say, 1986 or so.