Alongside being one of the most recognizable rock stars on the planet, Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx is an accomplished photographer who compiled his work into a 2011 book entitled This Is Gonna Hurt. Alongside evocative images of the female form, the book contains several essays on topics ranging from drug addiction to art. The most interesting, however, is a candid section written during a European tour in which Sixx confesses to wanting to go home and quit the road for good. Sixx argues with the bands record label after telling them he doesnt want to go on tour before noting that I did go. I did then return home for only nine days with my family before leaving them again. The tension comes to a head when Sixxs then-girlfriend, tattoo artist Kat Von D, breaks up the relationship on the grounds of feeling lonely while hes away with the band. Sitting in a hotel room in Moscow, Sixx reflects that Id like to say there is no crying in rock n roll, but this isnt getting easier as I get older. In fact, its now close to impossible to leave them at home before having a full-on emotional meltdown, declaring that it feels like death. I think I am going to die. Yet Sixxs resentment towards the price of fame goes beyond touring, the star insisting that Motley Crue would decline the honor of being placed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Whether or not his bandmates agree is up for debate.
