The Heroin Diaries

Even if you aren't a fan, you've probably heard of the rock band Motley Crue. I've got a 'greatest hits' cd and it's pretty good. Other than that, I've never seen them in concert and don't really follow them all that much. I did read most of TommyLand, the autobiography of their drummer, Tommy Lee and gave a copy to my brother-in-law for his birthday. He's always loved the Crue. I read it because I like colorful or influential personalities..... everyone from rock stars to Mother Theresa.

So if you're familiar with M.C. then you know of Nikki Sixx, their bass player, and main song writer. And if you know anything personally about the band, you know drugs played a big part of their years together. One thing I didn't know tho, was how extreme that lifestyle got for Nikki. In his new book, 'The Heroin Diaries ~ A Year in the Life of A Shattered Rock Star', he describes what a year in his life at the height of his drug abuse was like. It's in the form of a diary with commentary in between the entries from past lovers, family, friends, bandmates. It's not your average diary of course... this one is in red, white, and black pages, wildly scribbled on, drops of blood, syringes, skeletons, pictures of Sixx. It sure grabbed my attention at Barnes and Noble. It's written in that form because he found personal diaries while looking thru an old storage locker and decided to release them with the help of rock journalist Ian Gittins. Nikki felt that if one person read his book and didn't end up having to live a life like his then it was worth sharing. The profits from this book are being donated to a charity he started called 'Running Wild in the Night through Covenant House' that was set up to help runaway kids.

From the book:

"They say to keep what you have, you have to give it all away. I believe that. I also believe that you can be cool as fuck, not give a fuck and fucking kick ass in life, and not be fucked up. I'm still the first person to say 'fuck you' but I'm faster to say 'I love you'. If life is what you make it, I've made mine great. It took a lot of hard work and if you need to, you can do it too."

I didn't follow it page for page but what I did read was really interesting. He was as low as anyone could go at one point, being very close to death from overdose. He made it through that evil and darkness and has turned his life around. I enjoy hearing when that happens. To some he'll just be thought of as another drug-addicted rock star but he lives a very different life now and hopes to help others with his story. And that's a good thing!