Nikki Sixx

You have to age gracefully. And that's what I love about Keith Richards. That's what I love about the Rolling Stones. They are aging gracefully. They are falling apart at the seams right before our eyes, and they are doing it gracefully. And that's the most beautiful thing that we can do.

When Ozzy calls and asks you to go on tour, you say, 'When do I start?'

I do believe that when I'm writing music, I get addicted to the music of the concept of what the outcome of the song is, or the passion behind the lyrics.

Like all artists, I go through creative spurts.

I think that music is a lifestyle that you sort of intravenously plug into and unplug from when you do and don't need it. Some people live it 10 hours a day, some on weekends. It's no more important or non-important than that.

I think anything that's creative really takes my mind off whatever it is that I'm going through in my life. If you're going through heartbreak, and you can write a song, it's a wonderful win-win, because it takes your mind off the heartbreak, and you get to vent.

If you leave me in a room long enough, I'll redecorate the room.

I love women. My life revolves around them.

If you actually dissect the lyrics in 'Motley Crue', you'll notice that there's a lot going on beneath the surface.

I remember opening up my first vinyl and seeing the incredible artwork it had. There's nothing like it. You also get that true gritty sound on vinyl that really makes a rock record sound great, which CDs can never achieve.

There's a pattern when tours start - a pattern of infighting, of making up, of breaking up, of addiction. There's a pattern of going to jail. There's a pattern of passion for music.

In the end, the whole Internet thing kills me, because you can use it as a positive thing or you can read into all the negativity. And I think you've gotta put out positive energy, put out cool viral stuff, and then just stay out of people's opinions.

In '85, I went through rehab and I wasn't ready. If you're not ready, you're not ready. You don't want to hear the truth, and you're gonna keep doing what you keep doing.

The other day I went to a movie with some friends, and they were like, 'Let's look it up on the Internet and see what people are saying,' and I was like, 'Man, that's messed up.'

I don't know if I believe in life after death so much as I believe that there is something out there.

When I go into rehearsal rooms and meet with bands, they're genuinely excited to be with me because of what I've done as an artist, not because of anything else. There's that whole celebrity rock star thing, and artists are into artists who have been able to achieve success their way.

We each have our own tour bus. We've never done that before.

If you're getting different prescriptions from different doctors, there has to be some sort of check and balance in there somewhere.

There's nothing unique about me as a parent. I am a parent. My kids are kids. We do the best we can do.

You don't base records on success; you base it on creativity.

The funny thing is that when you have any form of presentation to your band, meaning you have the foresight to see outside of your creativity, you have a bigger vision.

I know I'd feel emotional if one of my favorite bands was going out.

Los Angeles has been my home since the days even before Motley Crue, so I am beyond excited that 'The Side Show' has found a home on 98.7 FM. This is the station I listen to - my friends listen to it, my family listens to it. It's the station I wanted to be on, and I'm psyched to get started.

What inspires me? I am so inspired every day. I am inspired by thinkers. I am inspired by rebellion. I am inspired by children. I have been inspired by love.

Beauty, to me, is kind, generous, and people that are humble.

As a lyricist, I'm really trying to raise my level of quality.

We have a growing new fan base, and we wanted to get out now, and play now, and the timing was right.

I remember, when I was a kid, listening to the radio and hearing 'Big Bad John' by Jimmy Dean - and it just blew me away. I used to sit there and call the radio stations and request that song. And then the Beatles were obviously out already, but I really didn't know about the Beatles.

You get clarity as you get sober, and you get clarity as you get older.

I don't really care what people do.

Fans are so grateful when you go places they don't expect you to go.

The book is really, really dark, to the point where some people that I've talked to have said that it could be a series. And I'm like, Where? VH1? It's a little hard for VH1.

You want to love unconditionally everything you do, or don't do it.

It's interesting. People go to an animal shelter and pick a dog that's been kicked, beaten, and has lost a leg and an eye, and they'll take that dog home and give it love and support, but they don't do that with people.

How lucky can one guy get? I was a runaway, and then I was in one of the biggest bands in the world. I've sold out every arena. I've sold millions and millions of records.

I think - I honestly think that my story is not 100 percent that unique. I think that I'm - just the whole rock star part kind of throws an interesting twist on it.

There's a sound with Motley Crue, and it comes with Vince's voice, which is such an important part of the show, and Mick's guitar. And the way Tommy and me play together is an important part of it.

I can't stand people who try too hard.

Through recovery, I've been able to do so much good stuff.

You can't lie to your audience. You can't lie to your fans.

You can get through anything if you want it bad enough.

I love Starbucks. Maybe that's a bit sad. But I definitely need my caffeine. It's what gets me out of bed in the morning.

I've always had an eye for the oddities in life.

Each guy has his own space. We all end up in one of the other guy's rooms all the time. We always end up together, as far as people getting along.

The industry is a menace to artists.

You can't pee like a puppy if you wanna run with the big dogs.

Some kid gets his first iPhone, signs up to Twitter, and then tweets, 'Nikki Sixx sucks.' And I'm supposed to take that personally.

SIXX: A.M. is a passion project. I think when you do things like that and put your heart into them and do your best and don't necessarily put them on a marketing grid, that's when things turn out the best.

Formats are going to change because this is what the people want. It's not what the labels want.

I know when I wear a Led Zeppelin shirt, I am happy to put that Led Zeppelin shirt on. It's not, 'Well, they kind of suck.'

Growing up in the '70s, it was only a few years before that when men started to grow their hair long. And in the '70s, people were pushing the envelope a little farther, with men having even more style and piercing both their ears and wearing makeup.

Some cats, Iggy Pop, they're going to always have that hunger.

I'm not bothered by my appearance.

For me, to turn people on to new music, on to things that are going on in the world, is important.

I've got five kids and I'm married, Tommy's got two kids and he's been married, Vince just got married again, Mick's out of a relationship, Tommy's single as well. We've done a lot in our life, we've covered a lot of miles.

I listen to NPR a lot. I love that.

Sometimes when people can't speak English, they hum the melody instead of singing along. Having 20,000 people humming your song is incredible.

You get clarity as you get sober and you get clarity as you get older.

Addiction is a really hard thing to kick.

My studio, nicknamed 'Funny Farm,' is in a hidden location. It's very private. Not only do I create my photography there, but it is also where I write my books and create music.

It's about what happens on stage, whether we can deliver it in a hungry way that is who we are in our hearts.

What's the best angle to cut someone's throat? Well, usually from behind. That's usually how it works.

The music industry is saying, This is the format, and if you'll fit into this format, you can be on radio, and if radio will play you, MTV will expose you, and MTV will expose you, we'll sell records.

Overconfidence comes from fear and doubt, and you boast an ego when you're feeling less than.

When you have so many things, and you have no idea why, you think, 'Maybe I'm supposed to do things for other people.'

I'm very interested in architecture.

Even as a kid, I saw the world in my own way and thought most things that were different were beautiful and magical. Even things that other people thought were horrifying and disgusting and weird.

Personal chemistry forges the way for musical chemistry.

It wasn't like I picked a camera up in 1989 and stopped making music. I picked a camera up and found another form of expression.

If you don't deal with your demons, they will deal with you, and it's gonna hurt.

Let me explain something: I'm not incredibly rich.

For me, one of the things that I get excited about is getting in situations I shouldn't be in.

I don't want to interview people. I want to have a conversation. I want to talk to Paul McCartney about the bass sound on 'The White Album.'

Politicians really worry about being politically correct.

I forgive my mom for being a psycho and my dad for being a loser.

We did something this year that was not based on animosity.

Ego is the great enemy. Ego will hold you back every single time.

In the end, the whole Internet thing kills me, because you can use it as a positive thing or you can read into all the negativity. And I think youve gotta put out positive energy, put out cool viral stuff, and then just stay out of peoples opinions.

It takes all kinds to make the world go 'round. If everyone was straight-laced and uptight, it would sure be a drag. We need a little tug of war in society.

Traveling around the country, meeting fans and hearing their stories in person and on my radio show has reenergized my commitment to creating honest and inspirational content that not only serves my own creative purposes but can help and touch others as well.

If your album sells, that's cool, more people find out about you, more people get turned on to what we're really about-which is a live rock and roll band.

They say the music you listen to in your formative years stays with you and leaves an impression for the rest of your life. For me, the things that I fell in love with happened in the '70s, when artists were nurtured by record companies and it wasn't about singles.

I'm always willing to talk to somebody if they have something to say that is interesting.

I have a wonderful assistant. I tell her I need four amputees and a midget, and she finds them.

My mom, you know, took off when I was about 6. What ended up happening is I ended up being with my grandparents.

I'm able to make decisions even in the face of adversity.

People say I have a distorted lens. I think I see things as they really are.

Being able to say something lyrically, to say something that will do more than just be words, is really hard. It's easy to do when you're writing a chapter of a book or writing poetry, but it's really hard to do when you're confined to a melody line.

Rock n' roll is dirty, and it's bad, and it's either clever or it's not clever.

When the addict gets recovery, his family gets recovery, right?

Let's just say I have expensive taste.

It's getting harder and harder to feel inspired to spend six months on a record.

Radio stations play what they believe is in, and they all talk to each other.

I harbored a lot of resentment as a teenager and as a young adult. I still have a problem with authority, I'm trying to listen!

It's physically very, very, very trying to be onstage as a performer, not unlike an athlete, for thirty years.

I do believe that I'm an addict on one level or another at all times.

I understand quarterly billing, how the record companies run.

I never understood bands saying Nirvana had anything to do with derailing their career. Maybe those bands didn't have the goods.

If you were on the phone with me and Tommy right now, we would probably forget you were there, we'd just be cracking jokes. It's like Beavis and Butthead.

What's scummy about the music industry is that everybody loves you when you're dead.