MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx recently spoke with Bravewords.com correspondent Deb Rao regarding the band's upcoming Crüe Fest 2, their recent European tour, and his passion for photography. The interview appears below in its entirety.

Q: Are you looking forward to performing at Crüe Fest 2 this summer?

Sixx: "I really do still love performing for our fans, but I am afraid being away from home is becoming harder and harder for me. I am excited about the shows though, I just wish I could teleport in for them."

Q: I know Ozzy Osbourne had a huge impact on the years of the Mötley Crüe's early career. How did Ozzfest influence your decision to launch Crüe Fest?

Sixx: "We love how Ozzfest supported and introduced new bands as well as bands fans know and love. It's a high bar to reach and we hope to be able to fill such huge shoes."

Q: Mötley Crüe has spent much of the beginning of the summer performing in Europe. Any highlights that you would like to share with us?

Sixx: "We played to a lot of fans we have not ever been able to play for before. That was the highlight for me. It is a beautiful time of year in Europe. We had three days in Athens, Greece, first time ever there. The people, food and culture pretty much blew my mind. Unfortunately for us and the fans, the show in Greece was cancelled due to rain. The same thing happened to THE KILLERS show the night before."

Q: Photography is one of your huge passions. Did you get to shoot a lot of the beautiful landscape and scenery in Europe? There are so many different cultures there.

Sixx: "I love photo-journalistic type photography as I do in studio work. I had very little time to explore the dark reality of what every city has to offer for this type of photography. I am not much of an architectural or landscape type photographer, and mixed with such heavy commitment's to press and shows, I am afraid I didn't shoot as much in Europe as I wish I could have."

Crüe Fest 2: The White Trash Circus dates:

July

19 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
21 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
22 - Tinley Park, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
24 - Minot, ND - North Dakota State Fair (Mötley Crüe only)
27 - Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheatre
28 - Portland, OR - The Amphitheater at Clark County
30 - Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
31 - San Bernardino, CA - San Manuel Amphitheater

August

1 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
3 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
4 - Englewood, CO - Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
5 - Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion
7 - Spring, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
8 - Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center
9 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
11 - Maryland Heights, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - St. Louis
12 - Indianapolis, IN - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
14 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
15 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
16 - Pittsburgh, PA - Post Gazette Pavilion
19 - Mansfield, MA - Comcast Center
21 - Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater
22 - Bristow, VA - Nissan Pavilion
23 - Raleigh, NC - Time Warner Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek
29 - Atlanta, GA - Lakewood Amphitheatre
30 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

September

1 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
3 - Syracuse, NY - New York State Fair (Mötley Crüe only)
4 - Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion
5 - Darien Lake, NY - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center

For more info about Mötley Crüe and Crüe Fest 2, head to: motley.com, cruefest2.com.