The Dirt: Confessions Of The World's Most Notorious Rock Band by Tommy Lee

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Sex, drugs, and rock n' roll. Nobody did it bigger or better than the guys from Motley Crue. They certainly didn't invent debauchery--even the Romans can't lay claim to that notion--but the Crue did their part in taking it to levels not seen since the early days of the Mighty Led Zeppelin.

Each chapter of The Dirt is a narrative from one band member or another, in their own words, sharing their own recollections. Bassist Nikki Sixx gives us all an inside look at the life of a functioning junkie. Drummer Tommy Lee tells all about being married to Hollywood stars. Guitarist Mick Mars, well, let's just say he's filled with his own complex theories as to how things work. And then there's lead singer Vince Neil, sharing his pain over the death of his five-year-old daughter Skylar, a victim of cancer. Even managers, past and present, get a few words in. But it's the back stage exploits that really gives this book teeth. Groupies, drugs, groupies, booze-fueled-excess, groupies, fights, fired personel, and, lest we forget, groupies.

Those of us who remember reading Circus Magazine, Hit Parader Magazine, or Rolling Stone Magazine back in the 80's know all too well the crazy world that was Motley Crue. Most of the lurid tales in this book are simply rehashed stories from the aforementioned magazines. But to bring them all together, between two paperback covers, is system overload. It's surprising that all four original members are still alive to tell what they know.(Temporary drummer Randy Castillo died of cancer.)

The Dirt dishes on the excess of the 80's, the firing of lead singer Vince Neil--or maybe he quit, depending on which side you take--and the slow transition into the elder statesmen of rock n' roll they've become. This may not be your cup of filth--I don't recommend it for any reader under the age of eighteen--but it is entertaining, to say the least. I saw them in concert twice back in the day. You always got your money's worth at a Crue show. Same goes for this book. Long live Motley Crue.



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