In Sept. 2007 I got my hands on this book the day it came out in the stores. I had been waiting for it because I have a deep respect for Nikki Sixx (and he was always my favorite in the Crue).

I had no idea how personally this book would eventually affect my life. At that time I would never have believed you if you told me, "Your son will be a heroin addict one day". I simply would have thought, "you're crazy, that will NEVER happen!" I was wrong.

If you have not read this book, I recommend it highly, but have to warn you, its not for the faint of heart or the easily offended. Its raw, its hardcore sex, drugs and rock and roll. But mostly its deeply personal and gives an inside view into the life of an addict. Nikki doesn't hold back, he shares his soul here.

During my own journey as the parent of an addict I have met many other parents, I dedicate this post to them. Its one of those things you can't possibly comprehend unless you experience it yourself, and I hope and pray none of you ever have to. I have learned so much from those other parents and don't know how I would get through this without them. And also to two guys that either know what its like to love an addict (Syd) or to be one (Shane) that have encouraged me and shared hope with me.

This video was made in response to the book to express gratitude to Nikki for writing it and shedding some light to others. I have to wonder - if I would have shared this book with Keven before he picked up the needle for the first time - would it have stopped him? I will never know.

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Now playing: Sixx: A.M. - Tomorrow
via FoxyTunes

(thanks, Amber, for posting this today!)


Permission - Sixx AM


p.s. I just watched this again and cried. To see the arms of your child covered in bruises and track marks, to look into their once innocent eyes and see vacancy, to wonder "where did I go wrong as a parent?". But mostly to lie in bed all night with your stomach in knots wondering if he will come home...or is tonight the OD? Jail? An accident? Is he ever coming home?

Thank you, Nikki, if it weren't for your book I would not have been prepared to understand how it can own you after the first try. Thank you for showing the addicts that they can have their lives back. I love you.

My View on Motley Crue Larry King Interview

I was asked (in a comment) about the Larry King interview with Motely Crue last night. Here are my thoughts:

I was very impressed with all of them, they were classy. The raunchiness has been replaced by a level of maturity but they haven't lost any of their coolness or uniqueness. Still hard core rockers.

Larry tried to get Tommy to talk about his get-back with Pamela Anderson and he very diplomatically said that the focus of the interview was on Motley, not his personal life.

When asked a question about who held the record for having sex with the most women in one night they discreetly refused to answer and gave the impression that that was over 20 years ago and they are not those same guys today so they refuse to discuss it. I liked that.

When asked if he still wanted to beat up Axl Rose, Vince said "would you still want to beat up a kid that pulled your hair in 3rd grade? I haven't even seen him in 20 years."

Mick, as usual didn't have much to say but did add to the conversation a bit :)

They gave each other credit for everything, no one stood out as "the star" fo the group. I don't think Larry realized that Nikki is the brains behind the band (at least that's how I've always seen it) and that without him the band probably would not have been started.

They shared a few cute stories, one about how Vince used to sleep at Tommy's house in high school, one about Nikki's first tattoo, and one about how Nikki and Mick met at a liquor store when Nikki was working there and Mick went in to buy something.

They took Larry to the studio and let him try out the drums and guitar. I thought the poor old guy was gonna have a heart attack. He had his ear plugs in but was still looking a bit overwhelmed by the noise.

All in all it was very entertaining.

Don't Miss Nikki Sixx and the Boys on Larry King Tomorrow Night

Image via WikipediaI'm not a huge Motley Crue fan (although I do think Mick is a good guitar player) but I like Nikki Sixx and look forward to seeing him on Larry King Live tomorrow evening.

Oh yeah, I just remembered....last time I mentioned Nikki here I got in a bit of a debate with my dear friend Malcolm because of some racial comments Nikki made. I think we worked it out and agreed that its okay for him to dislike him for what he said, but its okay for me to like him for the positive things he's doing his organization "Running Wild in the Night".

Nikki Sixx Receives Honors

Covenant House is honoring Nikki for his service and contributions to their youth homeless shelters.

I've never been a big fan of Motley Crue, but I am a HUGE fan of Nikki Sixx. I admire him and loved his book "The Heroin Diaries".
Nikki started his own organization called "Running in the Night" because he identifies with teens who runaway from home or have a difficult home life.

plus he's smokin' hot...

Happy Birthday Nikki

The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack

I think I mentioned recently that I read Nikki Sixx's book, The Heroin Diaries. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to stare into ugly face of addiction. It's not for the easily offended.

I admire Nikki for coming back from "death" and making his life something meaningful. The soundtrack to this book is interesting. I haven't listened to it all yet, but there's some intensely emotional lyrics. As someone who's familiar with addiction, traumatic childhood issues and serious depression - I can appreciate it very much. These songs are like a purging of his emotions, very raw, compelling. I can't stop listening to it, even though its disturbing...He reads portions of the book.

Note to fathers: You matter so much to your kids, don't ever underestimate how important it is for you to be involved in your kids lives.

The proceeds to this CD and his book go to Covenant House - an org. that helps street kids.