This look at the hard-rocking, funky Red Hot Chili Peppers examines their continued vitality after more than 20 years as a band. Interviews with ex–band members and musicians who have played and toured with them tell a classic rock and roll story of music, drugs, and death and provide insights into the longevity and ongoing relevance of the Chili Peppers. The band is set in the context of the Los Angeles punk rock scene of the 1980s and 1990s from which they emerged, and how they managed to withstand and ride many other trends in American music, including grunge, hip-hop, and nu metal, is investigated. Many previously unpublished photographs of the band from the private collections of friends and associates are included, as is a complete discography.