Nikki's bands

Nikki's first experience in being in a band takes place when he's fourteen years old. His friend from school, Rick van Zandt, tells Nikki his band needs a bass player, so Nikki decides to steal a bass so he can join. Unfortunately he didn't steal a bass, but a guitar. After the band tells him that it's a guitar, he sells it and buys a Rickenbacker bass. Too bad he sucks at playing it. From then he jams with bands called Mary Jane's, Forced Entry and Sleaze, but none of the bands want him.

When his mom sends him back to Idaho he works hard to buy a better bass. After a while he returns to L.A. There he puts together his first band called Rex Blade, consisting of a girl called Rex, her boyfriend Blade and a hairdresser called Ron on vocals. They rehearse in an office building next door to punk band, The Mau-Maus, before he is kicked out of the band. After that he attends as many auditions for bands as possible.

In 1979, he answers another ad and hooks up with guitarist Lizzie Grey, with whom he joins his first real band with, called Sister. Blackie Lawless (WASP) and Chris Holmes (WASP) put the band together. The band rehearses on Gower St in Hollywood, but with their pentagrams and worm-eating antics, never make it onto the stage. After three days in the studio trying to record an album, they decide the sessions are terrible and they scrap the whole idea. They kick Nikki and Lizzie out.

On November 7, 1981, Nikki becomes officially Nikki Sixx when he changes his name. At the same time he and Lizzie start a band called London, with Dane Rage on drums, Michael White on vocals and keyboardist John St. John. Michael White is soon replaced with former Mott The Hoople vocalist, Nigel Benjamin. The band is managed by David Forest, who owns The Starwood where they would play, and Nikki and Dane work there as cleaners. At that time Nikki writes Public Enemy #1. After rising to the top of the Los Angeles club circuit with their brand of originals, and a few David Bowie and Mott The Hoople covers, London are unable to secure a recording contract, with their demo. Singer Nigel Benjamin, who had previously also replaced Ian Hunter in Mott, quits London, as musical differences become prevalent and the band falls apart. Nikki had co-written about half of the original tunes but he keeps some others aside for his other musical ideas and aspirations.

Nikki sees Tommy Lee for the first time at The Starwood where he plays with a band called Suite 19. He obtains his phone number and gives Tommy a call. They arrange to meet and Nikki plays Tommy some demo songs. Tommy immediately sets up his drumkit and starts playing along. Not long after that they start searching for a guitarist and a singer. Tommy reads a classified ad that Mick Mars has placed in The Recycler newspaper saying, "Loud, rude and aggressive guitarist available" along with his name and phone number. When they meet Mick, they know he's the man.

When the three of them go see some bands to find a rhythm guitarist, they hear Vince sing in a band called Rockandi. Even though Vince is happy to be in Rockandi, he agrees to an audition. When they're all together, the new band is born. The band with no name that is, because at that time they still had to come up with one. Mick suggests Mottley Cru and Nikki changes it into Motley Crue. And because they're drinking the German beer Löwenbräu at the time, they decide to add umlauts to it. Coffman & Coffman productions signs the band and in April 1981 they perform their debut gigs.

After their Greatest Hits tour in 1999, Tommy leaves the band. Nikki takes this opportunity to start a side project called 58. Dave Darling plays guitar as well as Steven Gibb (son of Barry Gibb from the Bee Gees) and Bucket Baker is the drummer. Bucket played with Boz Scaggs for a few years and also played with Michael Jackson. When the band gets together, Nikki already states that 58 won't do any live shows.

In June 2000 their album comes out, which is called 'Diet For A New America'. Americoma have teamed up with Allen Kovac's Beyond Music in a joint venture as marketing partner and distributor. The first single of the eleven track album is Piece of Candy. The animated video clip for the song was only available on the internet.

In June 2002 there are rumours about a project with Nikki and Tracii Guns (former guitarist of L.A. Guns). A little later Nikki tells the world about his new band. Joining him is Tracii Guns on guitar, Adema drummer Kris Kohls, an unnamed second guitarist, and a South Carolinian named London LeGrand on lead vocals. In the fall of 2002 they announce their name 'Cockstar' and let everyone know that they've written some demos already. The second guitarist will be Adam Hamilton (L.A. Guns). But when John Corabi comes in to jam with the band, they decide that he's the best man for the job.

In October of that same year, they change their name to Motordog. According to Nikki too many industrial outlets were uncomfortable with the name. Tracii's not too happy with the new name though and says that they are considering Motordevil. Finally, on October 10 they choose the official name: Brides of Destruction. At the end of that month, the band replaces Kris Kohls with Scot Coogan formerly of the band Ednaswap, Otep, and Antenna, as well as having played with Paul Gilbert and Sinéad O'Connor. Kohls decided to focus on his band Adema.

When the line up is complete and the demos are done, they start rehearsing for their first live gigs in December. Little by little some demos are available on the net in the months after that. Several versions can be heard until the album Here Come The Brides is finally released in the beginning of 2004. In February the first video is shown on MTV called Shut The Fuck Up. This is followed by their first tour that takes the Brides to Japan, the US, Europe and Australia. After Nikki left the band to rejoin the Crue, Tracii, Scot and London will continue with the Brides.