Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea first revealed plans for a memoir in 2014, and now it’s been confirmed that the book, entitled Acid for the Children, will be published on Sept. 25 via Grand Central. The 400-page hardcover title will retail at around $28.

“Iconic bassist and co-founder of the immortal Red Hot Chili Peppers finally tells his fascinating life story, complete with all the dizzying highs and the gutter lows you'd expect from an L.A. street rat turned world-famous rock star,” the publishers reported.

A press release issued four years ago said the book would explore his “move from a ‘normal’ upbringing in the suburbs of New York to Los Angeles to live a bohemian life with a jazz musician step-father; his young, rebellious life on the streets of L.A. where he befriends Anthony Kiedis and founds the Red Hot Chili Peppers with Kiedis and two other high school friends; details about his sometimes complex friendship and collaboration with Kiedis; his myriad experiences with hard drugs; and, of course, the tumultuous creative journey of the legendary Red Hot Chili Peppers through its various incarnations over the last 30 years, according to Flea.”

Last year, the bassist recalled how the discovery of music as a troubled youth had probably saved his life. “When I was a kid, I was heading for trouble," he said. "I was running around in the street, I was robbing, I was breaking into houses, I was doing drugs. I was cutting class and smoking weed. The one thing that kept me together and kept me straight was music. The only reason I even went to school was because I liked playing in the band.”

The Chili Peppers played three South American festivals last month, following nearly two years of solid touring. Flea was reported to have said in 2017 that they weren’t considering the idea of retirement. Drummer Chad Smith admitted around the same time that they were beginning to struggle with the physical effort of their live shows, saying, “We were riding in a van after a gig and Flea was like, ‘How much longer do you think we should... How do you think we should end this?’ he said. I was, like, ‘I don’t know!’ I want to make records, I still love making records, but the touring part … I don’t know if we can continue. We all have families and different things, your priorities shift a little bit.”

 

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