Whiskey and porn stars, hot reds and car crashes, black leather and high heels, overdoses and death. This is the life of Moetley Cruee, the heaviest drinking, hardest fighting, most oversexed and arrogant band in the world. Their unbelievable exploits are the stuff of rock 'n' roll legend. They nailed the hottest chicks, started the bloodiest fights, partied with the biggest drug dealers, and got to know the inside of every jail cell from California to Japan. They have dedicated an entire career to living life to its extreme, from the greatest fantasies to the darkest tragedies. Tommy married two international sex symbols; Vince killed a man and lost a daughter to cancer; Nikki overdosed, rose from the dead, and then OD'd again the next day; and Wick shot a woman and tried to hang his own brother. But that's just the beginning. Fueled by every drug they could get their hands on and obscene amounts of alcohol, driven by fury and headed straight for hell, Moetley Cruee raged through two decades, leaving behind a trail of debauched women, trashed hotel rooms, crashed cars, psychotic managers, and broken bones that has left the music industry cringing to this day. All these unspeakable acts, not to mention their dire consequences, are laid bare in The Dirt.

Here -- directly from Nikki, Vince, Tommy, and Mick -- is the unexpurgated version of the whole glorious, gut-wrenching story. In these pages, published for the first time anywhere, are Tommy Lee's letters to Pamela Anderson from prison: Mick's confession to having an incurable disease that is slowly killing him; Vince's experience burying his own daughter -- and the train wreck that his life became afterward; and Nikki's anguished struggle to deal with an entire life fueled by anger over his childhood abandonment, his discovery of the family he never knew he had -- and his subsequent loss of them. And all of it accompanied by scores of rare, never-before-published photographs, mug shots, and handwritten lyrics. No one is spared. Not David Lee Roth, Ozzy Osbourne, Vanity, Aerosmith, Heather Locklear, AC/DC, Lita Ford, Iron Maiden, Pamela Anderson, Guns N' Roses, Donna D'Errico, RATT, or those two girls from Dallas, Texas.

Make no mistake about it: these guys are geniuses. They invented glam metal and then left it in the dust; sold more than forty million albums from Shout at the Devil to Dr. Feelgood; toured the world dozen times and have the scars to prove it it; and maintained a rabid following in an era of throwaway pop stars. Moetley Cruee has done nothing less than tattoo the psyche of the entire MTV generation. They are the ultimate rock 'n' roll band. And if you don't believe it, read The Dirt. You don't know what decadence is...

Vince Neil has the most penultimate tear-jerker in the chapter that deals with the death of his daughter. In a book made to shock and astonish, this was as touching a moment as anything I have read. Beyond his love and loss, he comes off like a stand-up guy who enjoys the life style and isn't making excuses.

Nikki Sixx had a rough childhood and has so many father-son issues it's not even funny. While I respect the fact that he's been through more turmoil than I'll ever know...get over it. There's nothing more pathetic than listening to rock star millionaires pining away about how sad they are. I guess money can't buy happiness.

Mick Mars has the least to say in this book and this left me the most intrigued. He has battled rough times from personal illness to divorce to just plain being the victim of emotional abuse. I'm amazed he stayed with the band as long as he has. His is the true sad story in The Dirt.

Tommy Lee...moron. Here is the epitome of a millionaire jerk who just never learns. How a guy like this managed to bag babes like Heather Locklear, Pamela Anderson, and Carmen Electra...is beyond me. Don't expect to learn anything from his chapters except to see a spoiled baby who is used to getting anything he wants, and if he doesn't then the tantrums start...then and now.

It's a testament to this book that I enjoyed reading it. The chapters flow quickly telling each band member's story and author Neil Strauss never slows down. And unlike biographies by other rock groups, these characters actually have some bizarre stories to tell...and how they survived is beyond me. While I may not be racing out to buy any Crue music, I'm very happy that I read this biography.


Lewd, Crude, Rude, and -(what?)- Sensitive!   July 31, 2001
 58 out of 61 found this review helpful

This autobiography strongly resembles the Aerosmith book "Walk This Way" from a few years ago. You start out with the band's early days of non-stop partying, drugs, and chicks, and it's like the fun never stops. Then the story gets darker as the drugs take their toll and everyone loses their friends, money, and careers (at least temporarily). This pattern is clearly evident in the Motley Crue book, and to an even more extreme level than Aerosmith. The debauchery of the early years is truly excessive and explosive. If you love to act that way yourself, or do it vicariously by reading about the exploits of others, then you'll love those portions of this book. The only drawback is lurid descriptions of degrading things being done to women.

When the darkness sets in, I was surprised by the senstive and emotional writing of the guys in the band. Mick Mars (an extremly funny guy) discusses his painful bone disease that will probably lead to his early demise, Nikki Sixx (who's more intelligent than I imagined) talks about his traumatic childhood and family life, and Tommy Lee (a real sweetheart) includes his letters to Pamela from prison and shows a deep love for his sons. The most moving part of the book is when Vince Neil (who I don't think is a very cool person otherwise) discusses the death of his four-year old daughter from cancer, and how it changed his entire outlook on life.

This book also avoids the pitfalls of many biographies (and history books) by covering all time periods equally, instead of ignoring recent history at the expense of the glorified good old days. There's good coverage of the band's years with temporary singer John Corabi, and their recent not-so-glamorous struggles with the changing musical landscape. The only problem in this regard is the lack of dates and specific historical information, if you're the type that wants to know exactly when things happened. Otherwise, this was an extremely entertaining book, covering the expected rock star excesses with a surprising amount of realism and sensitivity. Good for both Crue fans and general rock fans alike.


Whether you are now, were then, or have always been...   May 29, 2001
 22 out of 26 found this review helpful

Finally, I received my of "The Dirt" from Amazon and I knew from various tidbits of information from other sources that I would enjoy this read. I'm 19 years young now and was not "there" in the 80s when the Motley Crues, Poisons, and Warrants ruled the world, but I grew up on Rock-N-Roll now, and still Love and live it. Reading this book brought on the entire range of emotions, from laughter and happiness to despair and sadness. I'm sure if any member of Motley Crue walked past any one of us, that we would probably bow down... or at least be struck in awe, but guess what? They're four regular guys who had a passion. A passion for Rock music, a passion for women, a passion for drugs... mostly a passion for EXCESS. Whether it was good or bad, they were passionate. I laughed in admiration of the antics of Nikki Sixx as he was growing up, but started feeling bad as his pains and demons of his childhood were haunting him. And then, something I do not do, I started to cry when I read about Vince Neil and his struggle to cope with his daughter's death. Yes, we've all seen Behind The Music, but that misses A LOT that this book covers. Whether you are now, were then, or have always been a Motley Crue fan, buying and reading this book is sort of like a toast... to the most decadent, craziest, and to me, the greatest Rock-N-Roll band of all-time, Motley Crue. They're just like us... but they never gave in. Luckily they survived this crash course in Excess 101! I guarantee if you have any interest in Motley Crue that this book will be read in one sitting. Told from the perspectives of each Crue member, and various other influential people, the real, uncensored story finally gets revealed. Don't listen to MY words. Read it for yourself.


Wow! Man, be prepared to be blown away   May 23, 2001
 17 out of 21 found this review helpful

Most people know that Motley Crue was/is a crazy band. We know the stories of them dating playboy playmates, getting crazy with Ozzy Osbourne and doing crazy drugs. But, in The Dirt, you get all the nasty, gutrenching information on one of the greatest Rock N Roll bands to ever walk this earth. The book covers each of the band members childhood. To the suprising story of Vince Neil growing up on Compton, CA and already getting hot chicks at age 16, to Nikki's very strange and sad childhood. The book covers the Crue's early days of partying, which should warn people to be get ready to be shocked, amused, grossed out, stunned and freaked out. The book also captures each of the band members honesty. Neil Strauss not only did a great job of writing, but also getting each band member to open up. The chapater on Vince losing his daughter was very tough to read. I must admit, I got emotional. The stories about all the girls is crazy and fun to read. It makes you feel want to be one of the guy's so much, but then you read about how these guys have sufferd in life as well. Not just with heavy drug use, but losing money and family. At the end of the book, you will most likely take a deep breath and say...Wow! I cannot believe these guys lived through all this. Weather your a Motley Crue fan or even a Rock N Roll fan for that matter, this book is a must read. I always thought only a movie and not a book could blow me away, but I was very wrong after I read "The Dirt"


Bits and pieces of extreme ignorant narcissism   July 5, 2001
 12 out of 31 found this review helpful

Pick up just about any tell-all book about a rock-n-roll group written in the last 20-30 years and it will probably tell you much of what you read here. This is basically the same worn out story, just a different chapter, group, and year.

What is the story? Four self-centered morons with an ounce of musical talent struggle early on to make it big, while doing incredible amounts of drugs, booze and women. The guys make it big, while continuing to do massive amounts of drugs, booze and women. Guys hit the top, start to battle personal "demons" (due to the fact that they are all drug addicts now), start a downward spiral, recover to some extent, try to regroup, blah blah blah, yada yada yada.

The fans of the group will like this book. The person with higher than average intelligence who has read a few books like this before will be bored, insulted, and maybe only occasionally amused. This is a book about incredibly shallow, stupid, selfish, filthy, ridiculous people who have served absolutely no purpose in this world other than to make some really bad music.

Yes, they are washed up now. Thank goodness. Unfortunately, another moronic band (several come to mind) that is enjoying their rise to the top while doing incredible amounts of drugs, booze and women will probably assault us with the same sad published story next year.