Nikki is a unique individual that has encountered many hardships in life but has yet somehow managed to see the light and positivity in all things around him. Allowing himself to be a better person has helped him in ways that most people can't even begin to understand. Throughout the Celebrity Interview he touched bases on art, how the digital age has affected the world, the lies of the beautiful people, as well as why he is disappointed in today's bands.
One aspect he talked about tied in with his love of photography, his upcoming book (which also involves photography) and the affects of the digital age. His new book This is Gonna Hurt is a photographic journey of his life while narrated as if it were in his own journal. He tells of his encounters with his love of art and all things beautiful. He admits himself that he finds beauty in what others find as disturbing. While using the internet as a tool ("it's useful, why not use it?" he says,)he fought not to use facebook and become one in millions who have been conformed to using the social media website. Myspace was his first choice and chose to post his photos of beauty at will. Eventually he moved towards Facebook and did the same thing - until he encountered a slight problem. "Maybe Facebook is not a place for art," he says to the crowd of a few hundred. Every time Nikki would add a photo moderators would instantly take it down.These photos (deemed as art by Nikki) were too "graphic" and not something that should be seen by others. These photos included a man with breasts and a woman with half of her face melted off. Nikki was able to see beauty in these unique individuals but Facebook clearly felt differently.
This is Gonna Hurt while a photographic memoir, was also a way for Sixx to be able to get his thoughts out on paper without going overboard when writing lyrics. He used writing as a theraputic device for his second book. He found it easier in the end to write lyrics and writing the book went hand in hand when it came to writing the new Sixx AM album. "Music is hard as a lyricist because you only have a certain amount of words and my fans would always tell me, 'Why do you have so many words? Why are there so many fucking words?' Well, I got a lot to say!"
Sixx was also very opinionated when it came to the lack of great bands."Personally, I’m really sick of looking at bands that don’t scare me, they don’t inspire me, they don’t dress in any way that’s interesting, they don’t have anything to say and they’re boring. I think it’s sad. I think it’s sad that that’s okay. I think it’s become redundant and ridiculous," he said to the crowd. "There are some good bands out there and there are a couple of great bands out there but I’m not seeing any new Metallicas, I’m not seeing any new Guns and Roses, I’m not seeing any new Rolling stones. Where’s the new Steven Tyler? I’d love to meet him; I’d love to work with him. I’d love to see a band become the biggest band in the world again." So what does it take to get noticed? Write good music, buy some hair products, and maybe some new clothes. Sixx wants a band that can stand up for themselves and create something that can be compared to other music greats.
While the entire interview was well done, I felt that my favourite portion of the hour was when he talked about the "beautiful people" and how society and celebrities seem to define what is and what isn't beautiful. Everything he said was inspiring and heartfelt and it really made me happy to hear that he sees the beauty in everybody. He went on to say that he sees the inner beauty that makes people special and doesn't think people should focus on what we see. "Let’s not let society make those decisions as to who is beautiful and who isn’t".
Overall this was a very interesting interview and I was glad that I was able to attend. I hope that everybody who reads this has a better understanding of Nikki Sixx and will take the chance to listen to the music and read his books.
Check out his video for "Lies of the Beautiful People":
For more information on Nikki Sixx feel free to visit: http://www.nikkisixx.net
For more information on Canadian Music Week visit: http://www.cmw.net
Photo courtesy of Jennifer Ellis...see more of her writing and photos at www.zebraprintsky.com!
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