American Beer Drinking Club-Best Seats N the House

Nikki Sixx
DJ Ashba
James Michael

Years ago, actually many years ago back in Baltimore, my old roommate Larry and I would go to this record store called Record and Tape Collectors. We would do this maybe once a week looking for that certain album or that undiscovered band that no one knew about...our next great find! Larry was a bass player in a band and a part time DJ at one of the local clubs called Hammerjacks (the original Hammerjacks).

I remember standing in the import section of the store and picking up this album by this band called "Girl". I had never heard of them but the singer was good looking so it caught my attention. About that time Larry walked up to me and shows me this album with a cover picture of some lace up leather pants... hmmm... this could be interesting! Then he turns it over points at this guy and says "that's the coolest bass player I've ever seen!" We bought both albums that day.

The singer for my band "Girl" was of course Philip Lewis (LA Guns) and the guitarist was Phil Collen (Def Leppard) so I didn't do too badly picking out this band, but Larry's album was the first for this band called "Motley Crue" and his bass player was of course none other than Nikki Sixx. We went home, put the album on the stereo, stared at each other in disbelief, got dressed, took it to Hammerjacks and Larry played it all night! Needless to say things were never the same again!

Motley has always had a special place in my heart but that's not to say they didn't usually piss me off and for the most part disappoint me. I always wanted this band to be great, not just because of the "sex, drugs and rock and roll" and everything they got away with...I wanted them to be great for their talent. Don't get me wrong it was the 80's, it was rock and roll and The Crue was just the best, but can you imagine what this band might have done if they had been sober even half the time?

Well finally, thanks to Nikki Sixx, I have my answer with "The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack" by Sixx:AM. It is worth every one of those 25 years I had to wait. Nikki Sixx, DJ Ashba and James Michael have put together the most anticipated CD of the year and the result is a masterpiece! I love the music, the songwriting, the guitar playing of DJ Ashba, the vocal of James Michael and Nikki's voice telling his own story. I love that I put it in my car stereo and didn't stop driving until it was over, and most of all I love the fact that Nikki had the balls to make this CD in the first place.

My favorite songs on the CD? Well, if I have to choose I have to say "Life is Beautiful" and "Girl with the Golden Eyes" but that's a hard decision to make! I don't think I have skipped a track yet!

Nikki has also written a book called "The Heroin Diaries: A Year In the Life of a Shattered Rock Star" which you can pick up at any of your local bookstore this month. Look, we all have our demons in our past we have to deal with sooner or later but right now its all good for Nikki Sixx and Sixx:AM. I am so happy for this band and all the effort they have put into making this new beginning come true. I am also so happy that I was right all these years...there was always great talent hidden away under the mask of "Motley Crue".

Grab the book and read it...pick up the CD and listen to it. We don't all get second chances in life so take a lesson from Nikki Sixx...when you get one...run with it!
C

Click on the ITunes button next to the song to pick it up today!
"Life is Beautiful"

"Girl with the Golden Eyes"



Check out the band at sixxammusic