The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star by Nikki Sixx Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star
Book Review: Great insight into a twisted but brilliant mind
Summary: 5 Stars
Being A huge Nikki Sixx fan from the early 80's it was a great insight into his madness which is what made him so brilliant. This is a must read for any die hare Motley fan. This book is crungy, dirty it brings you into the depths of his hell. It left me wanting more from the man himself.Book Review: WOW!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a huge fan of Motley Crue. Once I started reading The Heroin Diaries I couldn't put it down. Nikki's book is one of the best books I've read in a long time. The things he did, the lengths he went to in order to get high, his highs and lows, how and where he shot up and how he could fool everyone into believing his addictions weren't that bad. It is truly an insight to what his life was like at the top and bottom. The book is awesome. A must read for every Motley Crue/Nikki Sixx fan.Book Review: A Year in the Life of a Beautiful Monster
Summary: 4 Stars
I just finished this book and it is a haunting read. I knew going in it would be interesting to read about a year in the life of an addicted rock star, and it definitely came through in that way. I would put this book in the "you can't put it down" category. I had some bad dreams while reading this book as well. As an aspiring rock songwriter and musician, I could identify with that side of Nikki Sixx, and I've met my share of rockers like him. A difficult childhood helped him down the path to becoming a true monster out to destroy everything in his path. Money, instead of being the answer to his problems only fueled his fire. His story shows how important it is to love children and to only bring them into the world if you are ready to love them. But the obstacles he had to overcome in childhood made him a more insightful songwriter. Because of this, I did occasionally find myself feeling sympathetic for the spoiled little brat writing these diaries, and gained a new respect for the music he wrote, music of which I've never considered myself a fan.
Incredibly, despite all the horrible things that happened to Nikki, and then the torment he leashed out on others, he has been able to thrive in Motley Crue and other bands. It's really amazing to me that he never caught (by the police) for what he's done and that people continuously turned a blind eye to his antics because he was laying the golden eggs. He says in interviews that he hasn't done heroin in 20 years, but also reveals in the book that he continued to slip when it came to cocaine and other drugs, so it's hard to hold him up as a hero, but saying that, I still really respect him as a human who continues to fight his demons.
I really enjoyed the art direction of the book. It brought you into the nightmare world of Sixx's diaries. I have also ventured far enough to listen to his new music with Sixx AM, and their single is much better than I expected it to be. His new single seems more influenced by his favorite bands like Queen and current artists like Muse.
My favorite parts of the book were the later commentary by the other people around him. I would have liked to have had even more of that, and will probably read The Dirt next to get more context.
Book Review: Dave Navarro Got Here First
Summary: 3 Stars
Casual fans of Motley Crue probably know Nikki only as the mediocre bass player of the durable 80's glam-punk metal band that's more famous for their hijinks outside the studio than in it. But this would be a mistake, because as any fan who reads their liner notes carefully knows, Nikki is actually the band's chief songwriter and visionary. In "The Heroin Diaries", we learn the extent to which the entire Motley organization hangs on his shoulders, something which prevents the band members and support personnel around him from holding him accountable for his controlling and self-destructive behavior. And the source of this behavior? Nikki attributes it all to his fragmented childhood, (which, while problematic, let's admit it - you've read worse) exaggerated by a supreme amount of chemical foolishness.
How interesting you find this has a lot to do with whether or not you've already read Motley's "The Dirt", Richard Cole's "Zeppelin Uncensored", or, best of all, Dave Navarro's "Don't Try This At Home". In fact, by the time you get through your third or so heroin-addled rock biopic, you start nodding off over how similar they are. Read one, read them all - and note that they tell almost the same story of addiction, violence and professional immaturity that rapidly becomes very wearying. You can almost reduce these to a few paragraphs apiece based on what they -don't- have in common, and besides - since the author is still alive, you already know how things are going turn out.
The best parts of "Diaries" are the little bits of behind-the-scenes business information where Nikki occasionally stops to lift the curtain of how the concert and recording industry really works; unfortunately, there's not enough of this information to make the book worth buying just for this.
Although Nikki has appeared on TV promoting the book as "a cautionary tale", one can only wonder at the book's presentation - obscured on nearly every single page with garish, sloppy Ralph Steadman-style art and aggro red-font on black color schemes designed to make Nikki's wasted year look as oh-so-rock cool as possible. One of the few high (and unintentionally comedic) points I took from this book was how professional Whitesnake (and heck, by comparison even Guns & Roses!) was and how Nikki couldn't stand the former because... they Practiced, Showed Up On Time, Put On A Good Show, and/or Were Professional! As a glam rat, Nikki had no time for such things and almost certainly felt that leaving an elegantly wasted corpse would be good enough to reign over his peers.
Book Review: Get the soundtrack too!
Summary: 5 Stars
I confess that I knew of Motley Crue, but didn't know who Nikki Sixx was, before last week. I was lucky enough to receive his book and CD at a function where he was talking about his recovery from addiction. The book is great, and it is 10 times better when you also listen to the soundtrack. Amazing lyrics and music.
If you've ever wanted to undersand someone who's been depressed or addicted to anything, this book unflinchingly expresses what some of those thoughts and feelings are like. And, if you have ever been depressed or addicted yourself, you will be reminded that you are not alone. Ultimately, this is a hopeful story of survival and healing.
For those who wonder how an adult can still be dealing with childhood pain, all I can say is that unresolved stuff can stay with you for a lifetime, whether you're conscious of it or not. Hats off to anyone who has the courage to face their hurts and anxieties, and who helps others do the same.
The soundtrack is absolutely cathartic. The more you listen to the words and music, the more you feel for what Nikki and others have gone through. If you are taken aback by casual sex and profanity, this book is not for you. But if you want to glimpse the human feelings underneath, I recommend the book and especially the soundtrack.