Nikki Sixx

Mötley Crüe’s death-defying bassist on drugs, groupies and why his daughter is wiser than he is

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Who are your heroes?

Keith Richards. He’s always kept the standards higher than anybody else. I also love so many Beat Generation writers. Look at the William S. Burroughs story; it’s not always pretty, but art wasn’t supposed to come from pretty places.

Like you, Richards and Burroughs both overcame heroin addictions. Is that another reason you look up to them?

When I was first introduced to heroin, it was like, “Oh, these writers, songwriters and painters do that.” I was young and naive. I didn’t realize the demon it was.

What did you learn from that period of your life?

I learned that drugs are like Band-Aids and that Band-Aids don’t work. You’ve got to clean out the wound. I had to struggle with that through the fame and success. I could have made better decisions. I feel bad for the people in my family that I scared. And I regret that when the band finally got what we wanted, we were self-destructing.

You were pronounced dead of an overdose in 1987. What did dying teach you?