Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star

Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star
by Nikki Six

ISBN: 0743486285

8/10

This is a really gripping book that looks into the head of quite a fucked up artist. Nick Sixx, bass player and songwriter for Motley Crue (and sometimes Saliva and Meatloaf) is a mess. The tale records his life from 86-87. It's when he started his journal because he was all alone on Christmas and the journal helped keep him company/sane. His entries are sometimes followed by current reflections on those entries by himself or others that were involved, often by Tommy Lee or Nikki's ex (also Princes ex, now evangelist) Vanity, though there are many guests who contribute there thoughts or takes on what happened such as GNR guitarist Slash and Motley's management and security.

When the book starts he is heavy into coke (insnufflated and freebase) and alcohol. But heroin use and sleeping pills come into play soon after. I think Motley's singer vince put it best "There's no middle ground with Nikki. It's either 0 or 10" He almost always binged and went too far. Eventually he dies of an overdose. He manages to kick some of his habits (or switch them at least) a few times throughout the story.

He suffers from serious depression. His writing is quite beautiful albeit tragic and disturbing. There are some unused lyrics included.

Nikki feels that a lot of his problems stem from being abandoned by his father, and then constantly being dumped on his grandparents by his mother, thus also feeling abandonment from her too.

Paranoia after a freebase binge often leads him to locking himself in his closet, gun in hand, fearing the non-existent invaders of his house. Junk withdrawal is described too, more than once.

There's a bit of the raunchiness of the rockstar world included here too, orgies, gangbangs, one night stands, hookers... But the real meat of the book is the drugs. Perhaps the book The Dirt about Motley would have more on their sexual excess if that's your thing. If you're into reading about the tragic lives of addicts or the lives of rockstars then I recommend this book.

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