Gutter Punk

“Under the bridge downtown/ Is where I drew some blood/ Under the bridge/ I could not get enough."  You’ve probably heard these autobiographical lyrics from The Red Hot Chili Peppers.  They’re Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, toured with Nirvana, and have been around since for-ev-er.  And so has their lead singer, Anthony Kiedis, who has been making music since his teens when he met Flea, his bassist, bandmate, and best friend.  He recently turned 50; he’s still making music and he’s probably healthier than ever.

Kiedis: Then and Now

Kiedis spent his early life in LA, with divorced parents (he idolized his mostly absent father).  But during driver’s ed he met fellow social outcast Flea.  Flea encouraged him to make music,  and to be adventurous; he hurt his back jumping from a roof into a swimming pool, a frequent habit of theirs.  He also encouraged the experimentation with drugs that would begin a life-long drug addiction that is braided deeply into his lyrics.   “Under the Bridge” was written by Kiedis to reflect how his opiate addiction had affected his life, written from pure loneliness.  Kiedis said he was “shooting speedballs under a bridge” and how emotionally drained he felt looking back to that.  This song is a large Rosetta Stone of the 90’s Alt-Rock movement.  Kiedis’ style has changed over the years, he’s run the scale from funk scat-singing to punk rapping, all over music by his amazing band mates like Frusciante, Hillel Slovak, Chad Smith, and of course Flea.  But the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ style of melodious self-described “gutter punk” of the 90’s, as well as Kiedis’ personal unique voice, make them omnipresent.

Kiedis was deeply affected by the death of his band mate Hillel Slovak by overdose, and for six years was clean from drugs.   His major relapse was when a doctor prescribed him a synthetic opiate, which caused serious cravings.  His book Scar Tissue describes his life and drug-use in detail, which is a really moving read.  Red Hot Chili Peppers released their tenth album I’m With You in 2012.   Currently, Kiedis has been clean since December of 2000, and has taken on yoga and workouts to improve his back problems.  He has a son, Everly Bear, and is working on his relationship with his father Blackie.  Personally, I think this gutter punk’s story is so moving, and there’s so much more to his life and lyrics as well as the band than other artists.

Under the Bridge Live at Slane Castle

Thanks to (02/07/12):
http://redhotchilipeppers.wikia.com/wiki/File:Anthony_Kiedis_12.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Kiedis
http://www.youtube.com