The Dirt: a biographical novel written (majorly) by the members of one of the world’s most notorious rock bands: Mötley Crüe.
Perhaps you’ve never heard of them, but I’m sure you’ve heard a song or two without realizing it. Maybe “Smokin’ In The Boys’ Room”, “Girls, Girls, Girls” , “Looks That Kill” or “Dr. Feelgood.” These songs have put people in a rock n’ roll attitude for decades now, and there was a time when the bandmates themselves eat, slept, and breathed rock.
How would you describe a rocker? A greasy dude with long hair, a guitar, and a bad attitude? You’re missing a few key aspects: mental illness, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, sex addictions, violence, and flat out immortality. For some that’s all apart of the image, but for Mötley Crüe, it’s a lifestyle.
It’s difficult to know where to begin as I sit here, thinking of the surplus amount of life-sentence-worthy information. I’m not saying they were bad people, I’m just saying they were bad people. Does that make sense? I’ll shed some light.
Nikki Sixx was tossed around like a rag doll for most of his life; one minute spent chasing the love of a selfish mother, the next spent with grandparents, all the while weaving a nearly unbreakable web of anger, abuse, and self destruction. Nikki didn’t know how to love for a long time, he’d never been taught how to. The only thing he knew was drugs and sex and music; the only consistencies that he’d ever known. As a result, he treated people horribly- betraying his friends and lovers and family. He was so messed up on heroin, he didn’t go to his own grandmothers funeral- the only woman who had shown him what a mother could be. He was violent, relentless, and a real jerk. He had to die, twice, before he turned his life around. Though, not much better can be said for the rest of them.
Vince Neil is the lead singer. He broke so many hearts that one of them didn’t try to murder him. Honestly, Vince is really secretive about his background. He doesn’t say much about how he grew up or where he came from, he just picks up where the band starts. I don’t imagine he had a very healthy home life. He was really bitter as a young adult, and numb to any feeling of true affection for a woman. I wonder what happened to him when he was a child- what turned off those switches in his head. I guess that’s something he doesn’t want the world to know. What I do know about Vince is that he is so very dramatic (though they all are). He once got mad while backstage because someone had given him the wrong kind of mayonnaise; he angrily flung it against the wall, where it ricocheted back at him and sliced the top part of three of his fingers. He had to be air lifted to a specialist so that he could get his hand sewn back together before the show. Drama. Freaking. Queen. I will hand to him that he went through a lot of hard times; he was drunk driving one night, wrecked, and killed his friend. It was an accident, but he was arrested for manslaughter and spent about thirty days in jail. A regular person would have had to stay much longer, but money rules the world so I don’t expect any less. His band mates outcasted him, which isn’t fair because it could have easily been any of them. Nikki especially, considering how bad his heroin addiction was at that point.
Tommy Lee is my favorite person in the whole world. He is the drummer and kind of an idiot. Or at least he was. No offense, but a lot of boys are idiots before they become men, so I don’t hold it against him. I figure he probably had the most stable family. His parents loved each other, they were somewhat financially stable, they encouraged him, showed him love. His fatal flaw, though, is his hopeless romance streak. He always has to be in love with someone, so I’m not sure if he can ever really tell when he’s actually feeling it or if he’s just making himself. I relate to him a lot because of his steady family and nice upbringing, but his choice to hang around people who others of his degree may not have. Tommy made horrible decisions, especially with Nikki involved. Tommy fed off of his energy, and became a chaotic burst of fire. I understand that because no matter where your born or who your born to or how you were raised, if you are born with a streak of recklessness, it’s going to come out, one way or another. Tommy was on and off with drug addiction; he’d get better, fall off, get better, fall off- he ruined his marriage, went to jail, and fell to the absolute bottom emotionally. He came back up, with the help of those who loved him.
Finally, Mick Mars. Mick Mars deserves a lot more credit than he gets- he’s in constant pain because of a disease he has called ankylosing spondylitis. A definitive bone disease that effects all the ligaments and joints that allow the spine to move. Over the years, it hardens like cement, slowly pulling its victim to the ground. Mick stayed out of the trouble for the most part; he never got deep into drugs like the other members did. He was a quiet guy, kind of a push over, but he’s honestly the strongest guy in that band. No one talks about him much, and I think that’s unfair, because he’s literally one of the best guitarist to ever exist. Mick really did have a drinking problem- one caused by unfathomable physical pain and built up emotional turmoil. He made himself stop, and without all the help from therapist like the other members had. Do I think that’s healthy for his mental stability? No, of course not, but he’s a good bit older that the other guys, and grew up in a time where he was taught: “when it’s time to be a boy, be a boy. When it’s time to be a man, be a man.”
These guys really went through the depths heck and came back to tell the story. All of them have children, and most are married or have been married. I hope their happier than they were. They are going on tour again this year, same members, same stories. I don’t think there’s much that’s cooler than that.
