Portion of an old interview I came across...
Hit Parader December 1983by Andy Secher
Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx smiled mischievously when asked about the derivation of the group's name. "We are the living definition of motley," the bassist growled as he ran his fingers through his thick mane of black hair. "We're the loudest and grossest band in the history of rock and roll. We'll do anything to get a little attention. Motley Crue isn't just an image and we do our damndest to live up to it at all times."Few bands have hit the rock and roll scene with the impact of the four young Los Angelinos who comprise Motley Crue. Combining the outrageous showmanship of Alice Cooper, the leather-and-makeup image of Kiss and the over-the-top sound of Motorhead, Sixx and band mates Mick Mars (guitar), Vince Neal (vocals) and Tommy Lee (drums) have emerged as the latest in a long line of groups who seem determined to take heavy metal to its furthest extremes."We're appealing to a generation of kids who are too young to have ever seen Alice Cooper in his prime:' Sixx explained. "Maybe they're too young to even have seen Kiss. They want a band that they can relate to - guys who are about what they're experiencing. A bunch of old farts in their thirties and forties can't do that. (just a note from myself: Motley is now in their 40's and still rockin... the test of time shows a true rock and roll band! ) We're not gonna go out there and play 20-minute songs. Our attention span isn't that long. We like to keep everything about three or four minutes long - about the same time between commercials on TV.Formed in L.A. in 1981, the Crue quickly set out on a course designed to "destroy everything that came in our path." After tearing through the local club scene where their willingness to wear shocking attire and play at volume levels designed to instantly curdle cement attracted a large cult following, the band released their debut album, Too Fast For Love, on their own leathur Records label. The album sold over 35,000 copies before Elektra/ Asylum Records signed the group to what Sixx called a "substantial' recording contract. "That first album was really nothing more than our demo tape," Nikki said. "We went in and just laid down the set that we were playing in the clubs. We released it on our own, but then when E/ A signed us, they had Roy Thomas Baker clean up the tapes a bit. We like the original album better than what finally came out on the label. But the whole process involved with making Too Fast For Love was a real learning experience for us. It taught us a lot of things we've been able to use on the new album.'That new album, Shout At The Devil, documents the Crue's growth into one of America's leading metal merchants. On such numbers as Ten Seconds To love, Knock 'Em Oeed Kid and Red Hot, Nikki and the boys lay down some of the nastiest licks ever to grace a slab of vinyl."It's a pretty hot album," Sixx agreed. "But we're not just the theatrics and flashy clothes that you see on stage. We write really good songs. Another cut on Shout At The Devil that has special meaning for Motley Crue is Knock 'Em Dead Kid, a high-voltage killer that tells the story of the band's recent run-in with the law. "Vince and I had gotten into a fight with some bikers a while back:' Sixx explained. "It was really a life- or-death situation. Evidently some cops arrived on the scene and tried to stop the battle. I was so busy fighting for my life, that I didn't even notice them. All I knew was that this guy was running towards me with a mean look on his face, so I hit him with a chain. He turned out to be a cop. The next thing I know, I'm in jail and they're telling me that they're charging me with aggravated assault. That's a five-year rap without any chance for probation."The guys in the band came down and bailed me out," he continued. "We had a show that night, and we also had a plan. So we did the gig, then we took the money we made and went to find the cop who had arrested me. We made a deal with him. We'd give him the money if he'd drop the charges. He was only too happy to comply -he dropped the charges on the spot. Who says you can't find justice in this country anymore?" While Sixx admits that the Crue "aren't very mellow people," he takes offense to those who dismiss the group as merely a spectacle without much musical substance. He stresses that the Crue are very concerned with presenting the best songs possible, and that their instrumental dexterity is an important ingredient in the band's stage shows, as well as on albums."We've always been into bands that write songs"'. Nikki said. "We're not into the half-hour solos and the riff, riff, riff style that so many European bands are into. That's pure heavy metal.- that's not us. Our biggest influences were bands like Aerosmith and Kiss, where there were some great tunes being played. That's the American tradition. We're an American rock and roll band and we're proud of it We grew up listening to the radio, and we don't see anything wrong with writing songs that can get played there. The only thing is that we're not willing to sacrifice our ideals just to get that radio airplay."It would seem that the band is confronting a major radio dilemma with Shout At The Devil. The album's title has turned off many of the nations stations which have already faced objections to playing albums that supposedly contain "demonic references" Sixx finds such logic totally absurd."This album has absolutely nothing to do with the devil. We're about as anti-Satan as you can get" he explained. "We're trying to say that the devil is any authority that tells you what you can do and what you can't do. It can be your parents, it can be your teachers, or it can be your boss. We're saying shout at that fucker - don't let 'em get you down. That's our philosophy. It's got "absolutely nothing to do with the devil- believe me."The band's scandalous attitudes and actions have kept authorities on the lookout wherever the Crue have gone. One particular incident occurred in Canada last year when the band created enough international tension to make the U.S. State Department issue a red alert."We've been banned in Vancouver," Sixx explained casually. "Evidently, they had been warned about us, and they claimed we were devil worshipers and molesters of little girls. We really hadn't even caused any trouble there. In Edmonton we had been stopped for wearing studded wristbands, which they claimed were 'lethal weapons'. They thought that was bad until they opened our luggage. Vince was traveling with some of our stage gear, which included some chains and switchblades. They weren't too thrilled about that. They confiscated everything we had."We're used to being treated that way," he added with a laugh. "We enjoy being outrageous. We live life to the fullest. Just the other day I smashed my Porsche into a tree at 70 miles per hour. All it's good for now is scrap metal. I broke my shoulder. But that's o.k. We're enjoying every aspect of being in a rock and roll group. Motley Crue is more than just a band - it's a way of life."If I Die Tomorrow
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Motley Crue - Wild Side
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Rock's Hardest Partiers: No. 1
Posted Sep 19th 2007 3:00PM by Spinner Staff
Filed under: The Hit ListNUMBER ONE ROCK AND ROLL PARTY BAND.................
1. Motley Crue
