Title: “The Dirt: Confessions Of The Worlds Most Dangerous Band”
Author: Motley Crue with Neil Strauss
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishing
Release Date: 7/1/2002
Genre: Hard Rock
Rating: 10/10

If you were to take all of the musical tomes available today you will find that this one will stand out substantially higher than the rest of them. It makes sense when you consider the often turbulent history of Motley Crue themselves for as a band their music was as volatile as their offstage personalities. Truly Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Vince Neil and Mick Mars were Rock Stars to the very essence of the word. By now it’s safe to assume that most fans of the band have seen the VH1 episode of “Behind The Music” which delved into their chaotic history but since it’s only a one-hour program how can it do anything more than touch upon some of the most famous points. The 448 page book is broken up into chapters that are lined out by each individual member. You might start off with Tommy speaking on something and then it catches Sixx around the same topic and so forth. This made it a fascinating read as it came off much like an in-depth interview as well as a biography of the notorious musicians. I found that with the group having such a level of input into the content of the book that this made the read far more gripping and pure. When you reach the more poignant moments such as when Vince’s daughter succumbed to cancer it pulls at the very heart strings and you will find yourself reaching for the Kleenex. The book begins historically at the earliest recollection and leads up to the actions of only a couple of months before print of the book. It even features sections by their replacement members and this makes it more on target. Everything you had ever heard about Motley Crue the band and the members is in here, the good times and the bad, the lives and the deaths that surrounded them and when you close it you will wonder how any of them are still alive.

Sections of interest focus on Sixx and his overdose as well as Vince serving jail time for the drunken driving accident that killed Razzle Dingly and his daughter’s cancer struggle. I have read a lot of music biographies and I have to say that this one did not get put down very easily. I essentially found myself reading for hours and hours looking forward to page after page. It was that interesting and if done properly this will make a kick ass movie. The book features a great photo section in the center and will definitely appeal to all fans of Rock Music history. Motley Crue is indeed one of the wildest bands that ever existed and this biography is a testament to those stories. Go on and get dirty, sleep it off tomorrow or the next day.

Official Web site: www.motley.com