NIKKI SIXX - "Anything That's Creative Really Takes My Mind Off Whatever It Is That I'm Going Through In My Life"
April 12, 2011, 13 years ago
MÖTLEY CRÜE / SIXX: A.M. bassist NIKKI SIXX has released his second book, This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography And Life Through The Distorted Lens Of Nikki Sixx. He recently spoke with Ed Masley at AZCentral.com about the release; an excerpt from the interview is available below.
Q: In the book, you talk about getting into photography in 1989 while looking for a hobby to replace the drugs you'd given up, and I was wondering what it was about photography that led you there?
Sixx: "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. And photography is like that. You get to capture. You get to vent. You get to create."
Q: Did photography offer something music wasn't offering at that point?
Sixx: "I think they go hand-in-hand for me. 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."
Q: Could you talk a little bit about what "Life Through the Distorted Lens of Nikki Sixx" means?
Sixx: "It's an opportunity to go back and see messages that were downloaded to me when I was young about what's right, what's wrong, what's beautiful, what's ugly, what's safe, what's unsafe. And as a photographer, I'm able to go, 'I don't really subscribe to that. That is not really my idea of ugly.' There's something very beautiful in that. You start finding beauty in the places that a lot of others don't, and you say, 'I have an opportunity to expose that.' And you're able to level the playing field and say, 'I see it all the same.' There's no difference if you're a supermodel or if you've lost both your legs. What are you doing that's beautiful or ugly on the inside?"
Go to this location for the complete interview.
Sixx has added a Toronto date to his upcoming Book Tour schedule on Saturday, May 7th. His complete schedule is below:
April 12th
7pm
Barnes & Noble The Grove
189 The Grove Drive
Los Angeles, CA
April 13th
7pm
University Book Store
4326 University Way NE
Seattle, WA
April 14th
6pm
Book Passage
One Ferry Building
San Francisco, CA
April 15th
7pm
Barnes and Noble
21001 N. Tatum Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ
April 16th
2pm
Barnes & Noble - Lincoln Park Shopping Center
7700 West Northwest Highway
Dallas, TX
May 2nd
7pm
Bookends
211 E. Ridgewood Ave
Ridgewood, NJ
May 3rd
7pm
Borders
10 Columbus Circle
New York, NY
May 4th
6pm
Barnes & Noble
555 12th Street NW
Washington, DC
May 5th
6pm
Barnes & Noble
1805 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA
May 6th
7pm
Boston University Bookstore
660 Beacon Street
Boston, MA
May 7th
3pm
Chapters Festival Hall
142 John Street
Toronto, ON
To read BraveWords.com scribe Aaron Small's interview with Nikki Sixx, click here.