Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the V Festival 2003
Background information
Birth name	Anthony Kiedis
Also known as	Cole Dammett AK Antoine (or Antwan) the Swan Tony Flow
Born	November 1, 1962 (1962-11-01) (age 45) Grand Rapids, Michigan
Genre(s)	Alternative rock, Funk rock
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Years active	1981–present
Label(s)	Warner Music
Associated acts	Red Hot Chili Peppers
Website	redhotchilipeppers.com

Anthony Kiedis (pronounced [kiːdɪs], "kee-dis") (born November 1, 1962) is an American musician and the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of Funk rock (also typed as funk-rock) is a music genre that fuses Funk and rock elements A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Warner Music Group (WMG is the third-largest of the "big four" major record labels, the others being Sony BMG, EMI, and Universal Red Hot Chili Peppers are Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Red Hot Chili Peppers are He is of Lithuanian heritage, Raised in Michigan, Kiedis went on to study at UCLA, but dropped out after losing interest, partially due to his abuse of hard drugs. The University of California Los Angeles (generally known as UCLA) is a public research university located in Westwood Los Angeles, California, United After dropping out, Kiedis had an offer to open for a friend's band, so he got together with friends Flea, Hillel Slovak, and Jack Irons and eventually formed the Red Hot Chili Peppers, for whom he writes almost all of the lyrics. Michael Peter Balzary (born October 16 1962 more commonly known by the Stage name Flea, is an Australian-born American Bassist, Trumpet player Hillel Slovak (הלל סלובק 13 April, 1962 &ndash June 25, 1988 Jack Steven Irons (born July 18 1962 in Los Angeles, California) is an American Drummer. Red Hot Chili Peppers are

Kiedis has also pursued other projects besides music. Using the stage name Cole Dammett (adapted from his father's stage name, Blackie Dammett), he landed a number of small roles in television and film as a teenager in the late 1970s. A stage name, also called a screen name, is a Pseudonym used by Performers and Entertainers such as Blackie Dammett (born John Kiedis) is an American Actor. Family Both of his parents were Lithuanian immigrants In 2004, Kiedis published a memoir titled Scar Tissue, which peaked at #17 on the New York Times Bestseller List. Scar Tissue is the autobiography of Red Hot Chili Peppers vocalist Anthony Kiedis. ^[1]

Biography

Early life

Anthony Kiedis was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 1, 1962 to John Kiedis and Margaret "Peggy" Idema. Lowell is a city in Kent County of the US state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 4013 Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Blackie Dammett (born John Kiedis) is an American Actor. Family Both of his parents were Lithuanian immigrants His parents divorced in 1965 when he was three. He has two sisters, Julie & Jenny and a half-brother James. Kiedis lived with his mother in Grand Rapids until he was eleven years old, when he moved to Los Angeles with his father. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West

Kiedis spent much of his youth listening to Sly & the Family Stone, Ohio Players, Led Zeppelin, What Is This? (which future band mates Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons were members of) and Stevie Wonder - artists who would influence the Red Hot Chili Peppers' sound. Sly & the Family Stone is an American funk, soul and rock band from San Francisco California. The Ohio Players are a funk /soul band best known for their 1970's hits " Fire " and " Love Rollercoaster. Led Zeppelin were What Is This? (known prior to 1980 as Anthym) was a Rock band that originated in Fairfax High School in California and would play numerous shows along Hillel Slovak (הלל סלובק 13 April, 1962 &ndash June 25, 1988 Jack Steven Irons (born July 18 1962 in Los Angeles, California) is an American Drummer. Stevie Wonder (born Stevland Hardaway Judkins on May 13 1950 name later changed to Stevland Hardaway Morris) is an Red Hot Chili Peppers are Around the age of 15, while a student at Fairfax High School, he met future bandmates Michael Balzary (Flea), Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons. Fairfax High School is a Los Angeles Unified School District high school located in Los Angeles California, USA, near the border of West Hollywood Michael Peter Balzary (born October 16 1962 more commonly known by the Stage name Flea, is an Australian-born American Bassist, Trumpet player Hillel Slovak (הלל סלובק 13 April, 1962 &ndash June 25, 1988 Jack Steven Irons (born July 18 1962 in Los Angeles, California) is an American Drummer. In Scar Tissue Kiedis discusses his assumed role of a "protector" in school, defending other kids who were outcast or bullied. Scar Tissue is the autobiography of Red Hot Chili Peppers vocalist Anthony Kiedis. When he found Flea playfully putting one of his friends in a headlock, Kiedis told Flea to back off. Michael Peter Balzary (born October 16 1962 more commonly known by the Stage name Flea, is an Australian-born American Bassist, Trumpet player However, when the incident was cleared up, Kiedis and Flea became friends and have stayed so ever since. Also, Kiedis attended UCLA for two semesters before dropping out to form the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The University of California Los Angeles (generally known as UCLA) is a public research university located in Westwood Los Angeles, California, United ^[1]

Formation of the Red Hot Chili Peppers

Main article: Red Hot Chili Peppers

Kiedis went on to study at UCLA, but dropped out after losing interest, partially due to his abuse of hard drugs. Red Hot Chili Peppers are The University of California Los Angeles (generally known as UCLA) is a public research university located in Westwood Los Angeles, California, United This cycle of addiction and recovery in the mid to late '80s was a basis for much of his early lyrics. After dropping out of UCLA, Kiedis had an offer to open for a friend's band, so he got together with friends Flea, Slovak, and Jack Irons. Initially, the group was named Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem, but when the band was asked to play again by the same club the group changed its name to Red Hot Chili Peppers. Slovak and Irons left the group to pursue their band What Is This? as they considered Red Hot Chili Peppers a side project. What Is This? (known prior to 1980 as Anthym) was a Rock band that originated in Fairfax High School in California and would play numerous shows along The band's original line-up consisted of Flea and Kiedis along with Cliff Martinez and Jack Sherman. Cliff Martinez (born February 5, 1954) is an American film score composer and former drummer for Captain Beefheart, The Dickies, The Weirdos Jack Sherman may refer to Jack Sherman (guitarist Jack Sherman (statistician After The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hillel Slovak was reunited with Kiedis and Flea. The Red Hot Chili Peppers is California Funk rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers ' self-titled debut album released in 1984 and produced by Gang For their next album, Jack Irons rejoined the band but later left after Hillel's drug overdose in 1988. Since then, the band has experienced at least twelve different line-ups, releasing nine studio albums in the span of twenty-four years. ^[1]

Personal troubles

Kiedis often battled with drug addiction, including lengthy addictions to heroin and cocaine. Drug addiction is widely considered a pathological state. The disorder of addiction involves the progression of acute Drug use to the development of drug-seeking Heroin ( INN: diacetylmorphine, BAN: diamorphine) is a semi-synthetic opioid synthesized from Morphine, a derivative Cocaine ( benzoylmethyl ecgonine) is a Crystalline Tropane Alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the Coca plant He tried to get clean after the Speedball overdose death of Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Hillel Slovak on June 25, 1988, saying he would never shoot up again. Speedballing (alternatively known as snowballing) is a term commonly referring to the Intravenous use of heroin or morphine and Cocaine together in The term drug overdose (or simply overdose or OD) describes the Ingestion or application of a Drug or other substance in quantities Hillel Slovak (הלל סלובק 13 April, 1962 &ndash June 25, 1988 He entered rehab and ended up staying clean for five years but relapsed in 1994 when he had a wisdom tooth removed. The dentist back in Los Angeles felt novacain, a non-narcotic, would do to pull the tooth. However, the tooth ended up having to be cut out, so Kiedis was put under using liquid Valium. This sent Anthony into a relapse. He went in and out of rehab over the next few years, but has reportedly avoided another relapse since December 24, 2000. Drug rehabilitation (often drug rehab or just rehab) is an umbrella term for the processes of medical and/or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency "It’s easy to be a junkie," Kiedis said in the March, 2007, issue of Blender. Blender is an American music Magazine that bills itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more" "It’s not easy to be one of the greatest guitar players of all time, or one of the greatest writers. "^[2]

Role in the Red Hot Chili Peppers

Kiedis supplies virtually all of the Chili Peppers' lyrics. Starting with 1989's Mother's Milk album, John Frusciante and Flea have written all of the music for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, with Kiedis supplying lyrics and melodies, which are often derived from the guitar or bass melodies. Mother's Milk is the fourth studio album by Red Hot Chili Peppers. John Anthony Frusciante (pronounced) (born March 5 1970 is an American Guitarist, singer songwriter and record producer Kiedis devises the lyrics and melodies 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 involving sex, drugs, and life in Los Angeles. An organism's sex is defined by the gametes it produces males produce male gametes (spermatozoa or Sperm) while females produce female gametes (ova or Egg cells; individual A drug, broadly speaking is any chemical substance that when absorbed into the body Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West As his musical tastes expanded and his outlook on life changed, he started to write songs about spirituality, struggles in life, and loss of friends, incorporating a larger sense of social realism and thoughtfulness into his lyrics. Spirituality, in a narrow sense concerns itself with matters of the Spirit, a concept closely tied to religious belief and Faith, a transcendent reality Social Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an Artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts Working class ^[1]

His early vocal style with the band primarily consists of rapping, which he could do quickly while keeping a consistent rhythm. Rapping (also known as emceeing, MCing, spitting, or just rhyming) is the Rhythmic spoken delivery of Rhymes wordplay and Rhythm (from Greek ῥυθμός - rhythmos, "any measured flow or movement symmetry" is the variation of the length and accentuation of Starting as early as Mother's Milk in 1989, Kiedis would write more melodic songs, rather than the basic rhythm and beat style of funk and hip-hop. Mother's Milk is the fourth studio album by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Funk is an American musical style that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended Soul music, Soul Hip hop is a cultural movement which developed in New York City in the 1970s primarily among African Americans and Latinos. The first song wherein Kiedis employed his new melodic style was "Knock Me Down". " Knock Me Down " is a single from the Red Hot Chili Peppers album Mother's Milk. The melody was actually shaped and reformed 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 more melodic ballads in songs like "Under the Bridge", "Breaking the Girl", and "I Could Have Lied". Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the fifth studio album by American Alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on September 24 1991 " Under the Bridge " is a song by the American Alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on March 13 1992 as the second single from the group's " Breaking the Girl " is a song by the Alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers released in 1992 from their 1991 album Blood Sugar Sex Magik Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the fifth studio album by American Alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on September 24 1991 Over the years, Kiedis grew to favor singing rather than rapping. Kiedis 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. Californication is the seventh studio album by American Alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on June 8 1999 on Warner Bros ^[1]

He has been a key man in the Red Hot Chili Peppers, although the band's biggest commercial success came when John Frusciante joined the band in the Mother's Milk era. 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, due to his drug addiction; he was brought back into the band and stayed sober for another two months or so, after which he began abusing cocaine and heroin again.

Lyrical themes and topics

Kiedis' lyrical themes have dealt with a variety of topics, which range from love and the meaning of friendship,^[3][4] teenage angst and good-time aggression,^[5] sexual fantasies and the link between sex and music, political and social commentary (Native American issues in particular),^[6] drugs,^[7][8] loneliness,^[9] globalization and the negative-side of fame and Hollywood,^[10] poverty, alcohol, and dealing with loss. Angst is a German word for Fear or Anxiety. ( Anguish is its almost entirely synonymous Latinate equivalent ^[11]

Other projects

Using the stage name Cole Dammett (adapted from his father's stage name, Blackie Dammett), Kiedis landed a number of small roles in television and film as a teenager in the late 1970s. A stage name, also called a screen name, is a Pseudonym used by Performers and Entertainers such as Blackie Dammett (born John Kiedis) is an American Actor. Family Both of his parents were Lithuanian immigrants His early credits include F.I.S.T. and the 1978 after school special It's a Mile from Here to Glory. FIST is a 1978 movie directed by Norman Jewison and starring Sylvester Stallone. The American Broadcasting Company coined the term After School Special with a series of made for television movies usually dealing with controversial or socially relevant Resuming his acting work in the 1990s, Kiedis appeared in the 1991 Keanu Reeves/Patrick Swayze vehicle Point Break playing Tone, a surfer. Keanu Charles Reeves (kiːˈɑːnuː born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian Actor. Patrick Wayne Swayze (born August 18, 1952) is a three- time Golden Globe nominated American Dancer, Actor, and Point Break is a 1991 Action film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze and Gary Busey The Chase, a 1994 movie starring Charlie Sheen as an estranged man trying to escape the cops with a young woman he kidnapped, had Flea and Kiedis playing metalheads who chase Sheen's character in a 4x4 truck and end up crashing. The Chase is a 1994 comedy-adventure movie starring Charlie Sheen and Kristy Swanson. Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3 1965 better known as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor

A 15-year-old Anthony Kiedis can be seen in a 1977 movie; Jokes My Folks Never Told Me.

In 2004, Kiedis published a memoir titled Scar Tissue, which peaked at #17 on the New York Times Bestseller List. Scar Tissue is the autobiography of Red Hot Chili Peppers vocalist Anthony Kiedis. It is a detailed insight to Kiedis's life from a rebellious child to a rock star. ^[1]

Kiedis is organizing the New American Music Union, a two-day summer music festival set for August 2008 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. New American Music Union was a two-day summer music festival scheduled on August 8 and 9 2008 at the SouthSide Works in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern He has assembled a lineup of musicians including Bob Dylan, The Raconteurs, Gnarls Barkley, The Roots, and a second stage featuring college bands. Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major The Raconteurs (also known as The Saboteurs in Australia are a Rock band formed in 2005 featuring four members known for other musical projects Jack Gnarls Barkley is an American musical collaboration between Multi-instrumentalist and producer Danger Mouse (Brian Burton from New The Roots are an American hip-hop band from Philadelphia Pennsylvania. (The lineup does not include Kiedis or the Red Hot Chili Peppers. ) [1]

Personal life

Kiedis's girlfriend, model Heather Christie gave birth to the couple's first child, Everly Bear, on October 2, 2007. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. His son is named after the duo The Everly Brothers. The Everly Brothers ( Don Everly, born Isaac Donald Everly February 1 1937 Brownie Muhlenberg County, Kentucky ^[12] Kiedis previously dated Ione Skye, Sofia Coppola, Melanie Chisholm, Jessica Stam, Sinéad O'Connor, Heidi Klum, Nina Hagen, Yohanna Logan, Jaime Rishar, Jennifer Bruce, Carmen Hawk, and Hope Sandoval. Ione Skye Leitch (pronounced eye-oh-nee; is a British-born American Actress. Sofia Carmina Coppola (born May 14, 1971) is an American Film director, actress, producer and Academy Award Melanie Jayne Chisholm (born 12 January 1974 in Whiston, Merseyside) also known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an Jessica Stam (born April 23, 1986) also known simply as Stam, is a Canadian model. Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor (ʃɪˈneɪd oʊˈkɒnɚ (born 8 December 1966 is a Grammy Award winning Irish singer and songwriter Heidi Klum (ˈklʊm born June 1 1973 is a German model, actress TV presenter, Fashion designer, Television producer and occasional singer Nina Hagen (born Catharina Hagen on March 11, 1955) is a singer from Berlin, Germany. Yohanna Logan (born 15 January 1975) is an American fashion designer Hope Sandoval (born June 24 1966 is an American Singer-songwriter who was lead singer for Mazzy Star and later Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions ^[13]

Kiedis is a vegetarian. Vegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes Meat (including game and slaughter by-products Fish (including Shellfish and other sea ^[14]

Selected Discography

Main article: Red Hot Chili Peppers discography

Red Hot Chili Peppers

• The Red Hot Chili Peppers (1984)
• Freaky Styley (1985)
• The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987)
• The Abbey Road E.P. (1988)
• Mother's Milk (1989)
• Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)
• What Hits!? (1992)
• Out in L.A. (1994)
• One Hot Minute (1995)
• Californication (1999)
• By The Way (2002)
• Greatest Hits (2003)
• Live in Hyde Park (2004)
• Stadium Arcadium (2006)

References

External links

• Official Red Hot Chili Peppers website