Out in L.A.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers: 1983
Long before they became Hall of Fame rockers, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were misfit teenagers on a lark in Los Angeles’s chaotic alternative music scene. Hamish Duncan’s Out in L.A. is a whirlwind chronicle of the band’s first year, tracing their growth from a “joke” band to a formidable outfit sought after by a major record label.
With forensic detail, Duncan recounts the group’s activities during 1982-3, from its first thrown-together gigs in eccentric Hollywood dives to a game-changing performance at the Kit Kat Club during which the band took to the stage wearing only socks over their privates. The book focuses on the band’s two primary members: lead singer Anthony Kieidis and bassist Michael “Flea” Balzary. These street-tough kids formed an unlikely partnership even as other careers beckoned.
Brisk and affectionate, Out in L.A. shares fascinating insights into the group’s interpersonal dynamics and the development of their unique punk-funk sound. Its chronicle includes lows as well as highs: triumphant concerts are counterbalanced by ugly gigs in which the band was heckled off the stage with racial epithets, and the thrill of getting a record deal was dampened by the decision of two members to leave the group. Most of all, Out in L.A. is an immersive look at the vibrant early-1980s LA music scene, when cult bands like The Circle Jerks and Oingo Boingo jockeyed for dominance, converted restaurants and hotels hosted anything-goes performances, and “cowpunk” bands, funk-thrash outfits, and one-man ukulele acts all played on the same bill.
A feat of painstaking research and a lively look back at a unique moment in music history, Out in L.A. captures the spirit of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’s music in all of its rambunctious glory.
Reviewed by
Ho Lin
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
