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Red Hot Chili Peppers gets the Rock and Roll treatment

Is a gap year worth it?

And Anthony Kiedis does not disappoint.

Anthony’s autobiography begins right at the beginning: his birth in 1962. He chronicles his experiences as a child that lead to his excessive party lifestyle as an adult, many of which are with his father, Blackie, a drug dealer. He discusses all of his relationships and diligently reports on the formation of the original Red Hot Chili Peppers.

At some points the book becomes slightly redundant: drug abuse, rehab, clean, repeat. But that was his life and although this repetitiveness takes away from the severity of the issue of drug abuse, the stories that go along with this vicious cycle are amazing and can only be those of a rock-star.

And they stay with you. Even though I read this about 5 years ago, certain anecdotes have never left me and I still find myself thinking of them.

If you are a Red Hot Chili Peppers fan, then you must read “Scar Tissue.” The band’s formation and progress alone will reel you in. However, any music or biography fan will enjoy the rich detail and frank honesty. I finished this book and did not doubt any of Kiedis’ statements for a second, as often happens with biographies (Remember James Frey?!). It’s a bit of a long read (almost 500 pages), but goes by quickly, as you will not be able to put it down.

The three weeks before I graduated from undergrad I was miserable. I was sad, and already dreading the day all my friends would leave our previously un-penetrated bubble of binge drinking, late nights, traveling, naps and academia.

I’m in grad school now but I realized the crummy days are coming back again. My fifth year friends are rounding the victory lap and getting ready to leave school. I’m excited for them to scatter across the country, but sad to see them go. I decided my sentiment was best expressed in two playlists; one for those dark, depressing days and one for the hopeful, bright ones.

We’ll start with the sad one. Sometimes the best way to get over a hurdle is to have a good cry. This should make you do just that.

1. Freshman – Verve Pipe

Achingly sad when I was a freshman in high school, still pretty tear-inducing now that I know what they’re talking about.

2. Forever Young – Alphaville

This song is most known for the 8 billion TV prom scenes its used in. Don’t hold that against it. If you want to hold those haircuts against them, be my guest.

3. Tear – Red Hot Chili Peppers

Best lyric? “Say it now because you never know.” It sounds so much easier when Anthony Kiedis is advising you.

4. The Good Times Are Killing Me – Modest Mouse

Ever smiled with tears in your eyes? This is the song for you.

5. Cannonball – Damien Rice

Pretty much everything on Damien Rice’s album, “O,” is pretty sad. This one takes the cake.

6. To Sir With Love – Lulu

The theme from the 1967 movie of the same name. An oldie but a definite goodie!

7. Everybody’s Changing – Keane

Proof that it’s hard to leave, but harder to be left.

8. Wheel – John Mayer

Mayer’s a great lyricist and he shows off in this track off of Heavier Things. “And if you never stop when you wave goodbye/You just might find if you give it time/You will wave hello again.”

9. Say Yes – Elliott Smith

No sad song playlist is complete without a song Elliott Smith.

10. Reservations – Wilco

Need a song to tell that person how you feel about them before they head out of town? Listen to this a few times, cry, then get out there and try it.

What songs did I miss? Anyone make a graduation list of their own before the big day? Check back in when I post the cheerful, upbeat, companion to this list.

I’ll be honest; there’s nothing I enjoy more than just lounging in my room with my playlist eternally on shuffle, nodding along to Red Hot Chili Peppers while doing whatever else happens to only have half my attention.

But at home, I can’t exactly play “Suck My Kiss” with my mom right downstairs, and my roommate doesn’t exactly always wanna hear “The Mean Kitty Song”. Thankfully, someone out there sympathized with the plight of music lovers who wanted to keep music to themselves and gave the public headphones starting way back in the 1930′s.

Of course, there are hundreds of thousands of options when it comes to headphones. You want something good, but you may not necessarily want to pay a lot – and even if you do, you don’t want to give away a hundred bucks for headphones that aren’t worth it. I’ve gone through my fair share, and I’m gonna recommend four models, all of which I’ve owned or at least used. I promise one of them are just the pair for you, and all of them are infinitely better than the crap you got with your iPod.

Sennheiser eH 150: The clunky over-the-head headphones that you used in computer lab have come a long way. I own a pair of these guys right now, and they’re my most comfortable pair. I also got them for a steal of about $10, since they were refurbished. (Quickie tip: Don’t be afraid of refurbished headphones, or refurbished anything for that matter. They broke, sure, but the company has been extra-careful to make sure they won’t broke again. It’s like the difference between getting a purebred dog and a mutt; sure, purebreds are gorgeous, but have a ton of genetic kinks; mutts are a little scruffy but are way healthier.)

They aren’t as crisp as a few of the others, but I could wear them for hours without my ears aching or my head thumping. The bass is amazing, and the wire is long enough that you can plug it into your tower or just tuck it into your pocket. They can also handle a good beating, which is important for me. These babies retail at around $20, and I score ‘em 8/10.

Sennheiser HD-595: I know this is the second Sennheiser, but they just make amazing over-the-head headphones, and these babies are FLAWLESS. A friend of mine owns a pair, and I’m just amazed at the quality. They are crisp and melodic during instrumentals, then deep and booming during rock ballads. They’re also outrageously comfortable and, unlike the eH 150′s, don’t make your ears sweaty when you’re running up and down stairs or chillin’ on the porch on a hot summer’s day.

They too can handle a little roughness, but be careful with them just in case. The reason why my friend owns a pair and I do not is that they are a bit to expensive for my budget, retailing around $200. But are they worth it? Hell yes. They score an easy 10/10.

JBuds: Man, I MISS my JBuds. Writing this kind of makes me want to buy a new pair. In-ears don’t have the clunkiness that over-the-heads do, and while I think over-the-heads are usually better sounding, buds are definitely catching up. They’re pretty damn crisp, and the bass isn’t half bad for this style. It comes with three different bud sizes for people with differently shaped ear canals, and are shockingly comfortable.

They can slip a bit if you’re being overly active, but I didn’t have that problem too much. I used these a lot while I went walking or was in the gym and pretty much loved them to death. They served me well for a good two and a half or three years until I accidentally yanked the wire right out of the buds. They also took one hell of a beating, and you just can’t lose with a retail price of about $20. I score them a 8/10.

Etymotic ER-4P: Okay, I know these guys are weird looking, but bare with me; they’re pretty freaking amazing. They come in a case with all kinds of little technical things along with them (that I know I will probably never use, since I’m just not that much of an audiophile). They also have three different sized eartips, and you can push them in as far as you’d like.

My mother has a pair that she pretty much never used for fear that she’ll break them – which is funny, because they don’t seem very breakable to me. The sound is impeccable and makes pretty much any genre sound amazing.

The only issue I have with these guys is that they aren’t very good for being active; if you’re walking around or something, the sound of the wires brushing against pretty much anything travels right through to your earbuds. It’s not loud: just irritating after a while. These guys retail at a fairly pricey at $170, but if you’re a real audiophile, trust me, they’re worth it. 9/10.

“But Olua,” you say, “I don’t like any of the headphones you’ve mentioned.” That’s okay. I’m not hurt at all. There are plenty of ways to do good headphone research. Sites like Squidoo are awesome places to find reviews and recommendations for just about everything, headphones included.

Headphonereviews.org is a site that has just that, and they have a really great chart that rates stuff like bass, sound quality, and portability. Amazon.com’s review system is also pretty damn good, and you can really judge a product from the things people have said about it – and remember, the more reviews, the better.

For someone who’s as big as a music dork as I am, headphones are pretty important things to have. Hopefully I’ve helped out a fellow music-loving girl.

Now, off to listen to some Pink Floyd.