RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS Kiedis' book explores addiction

The frontman has been clean for more than five years.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Anthony Kiedis sits at a table in a swank New York hotel, his breakfast consistently interrupted by adoring women coming over to caress his arms and kiss his cheek.
It's impossible to know if he just met them, because he treats each one as if he's known them forever, putting down his forkful of scrambled eggs with veggies to look directly into their eyes.
At 42, the Red Hot Chili Peppers lead singer is toned and hip, forearms blanketed with tattoos, wearing a yellow T-shirt with a naked woman on it. He's also incredibly calm and articulate. It's hard to believe he's the same crazed frontman who performed countless concerts wearing only a sock, had bones broken during a show, and nursed a nasty drug addiction for most of his life.
Kiedis spent three months putting his wild ways down on paper, and recently released a 500-page autobiography, "Scar Tissue." The book is an honest look at how heroin and cocaine nearly ruined his career and his life, and ended the lives of some of his best friends and bandmates. It also details the rise of the Chili Peppers, whose 1991 album "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" made the band a household name. Their 1999 album "Californication" sold more than 13 million copies worldwide, and 2002's "By The Way" peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard charts.
More focused on music
Kiedis has been clean for more than five years now, and is convinced he'll stay that way, though he says he's still obsessed with drugs. One relapse was caused after a trip to the dentist and some painkillers to take out a tooth. But this time he says he's changed the way he goes about life. He has become more focused on music than ever and expects great things from the band, which is recording a new album.
Q. How do you draw the line between recreational drug and alcohol use and addiction?
A. I can't. That's my problem. I have a different reaction to drug use for some reason. I never had a choice, really, and I suffered enormous heartbreak and repercussions for it.
Q. What made you stop?
A. I was so physically and mentally sick of feeling horrible all the time.
Q. So what are you doing different now that you think you can stay clean for good?
A. The main thing I'm doing now is trying not to be such a self-centered pig. I try to follow suggestions without following the past. You have to look at it differently. Instead of the drive, the crazy need to get high, I try to think, 'What can I do to be of service to the world?'
Q. So what do you focus on now that you're not focusing on drugs?
A. When you're using, your days are very spelled out for you. It's a kind of 'Groundhog Day' way of life. You know what you're going after. Now I have freedom to create my days as I want to.
Q. So, what do you do?
A. I have some kitchen rituals, like I make this big green concoction with all this good stuff, and I drink a strong pot of black tea and hang out with my dog by the pool.
Q. How has the band's sound changed?
A. I think it's been a natural progression as we've changed and learned more about being musicians. Because I was so ignorant and amateur when I started, I had to learn on the job. My learning curve started late, but I've finally gotten somewhere. You'll see a lot more harmony and intricate arrangements to our songs now.
Q. You guys planning any more concerts wearing only socks?
A. Hey, if the moment demanded a sock. If people said 'You're too old for that' or something where we need to do it, we'll do it just to shake things up.
Q. Why did you decide to write a book? Was it difficult?
A. I've lived through a lot of adversity and struggle, and my friends got sick of my stories. I was so kind of tuned into the culture of the 1970s and 1980s and I wanted to share it. I thought I had something to say.