Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx says he expected to crash and burn at a young age.
And he reveals the reason he threw himself into music and the accompanying hedonistic lifestyle was because he didn’t have a stable family life and never thought he’d make it through the other side.
He tells The Guardian: “I never had a template of what a family was. I never really thought I would ever make it to that place in my life. I thought I’d be one of these crash and burn kids. So I threw myself headlong into music and that lifestyle – I never really figured I’d get out of the other side.
“A few years later, when I got sober and was able to become a father and have a family, that was when some of the greatest lessons came.”
He says the track Search And Destroy by Iggy And The Stooges struck a chord when he was younger. He continues: “By the time I got into the heavier guitar stuff I was going through that adolescent anger thing.
“It’s a common story but mine was also fuelled by a father and a mother that were gone and not really knowing where I fit into society. That song really connected with me.”
Motley Crue will wrap up their touring commitments for good next year – but Sixx echoes frontman Vince Neil’s comments that the band still have a future.
He adds: “December 31 2015 will be the last one – 100%. We signed a contract that the band cannot go on as a touring entity.
“Of course, we’ll continue to license our music to movies and do cool things with merchandise. We’re proud of what we built. We’re not just going to walk away from it. But as a touring band, we feel that our time has come and gone. We want to leave it intact.”
His side-project Sixx AM recently launched their third album Modern Vintage. They’ll hit the road on their first headlining tour of the US next year with Apocalyptica as support.
