As a lifelong Motley Crüe fan, I had some reservations about seeing The Dirt, the new Netflix movie based on their exploits as heavy metal’s most outrageous band.
I’ve been listening to them since I was a little kid, I’ve seen them live half a dozen times, and I’ve read The Dirt. Let’s just say I’m a fan. Hell, that’s me with Nikki Sixx backstage in Kansas City in 1999.
[Editor’s note: Hahaha!]
Photo Credit: Facebook
1. Vince Neil wasn’t their first singer
Photo Credit: Netflix
The Crüe’s first singer was actually a guy named O’Dean, who they even recorded some demos with before they brought Vince Neil on board to be their vocalist.
2. Tommy Lee and Nikki Sixx didn’t accidentally meet at Denny’s
Photo Credit: Netflix
In the Netflix movie, Tommy is awestruck when he sees Nikki eating by himself at Denny’s one night. Tommy is a big fan of Nikki’s band London, but Nikki tells the enthusiastic young drummer that the band is kaput and that Tommy should try out as the drummer in a new band he wants to put together.
The truth is a little different. Tommy was playing for a local band called Suite 19 and Nikki was impressed with his skills. Nikki and Tommy planned to meet at Denny’s to discuss forming a new band. The rest, as they say, is history.
3. Tom Zutaut didn’t sign the band the first time he met them
Photo Credit: Netflix
The Crüe, in true DIY spirit, originally formed their own record label so they could put out their own records. The band was hesitant about Zutaut and made him buy them alcohol and food before they even considered signing with him.
4. The details about the deadly car accident
Photo Credit: Netflix
In December 1984, Vince Neil was behind the wheel when a car crash killed his passenger Razzle, the drummer for the band Hanoi Rocks.
The movie portrays Neil as coherent and not very inebriated before him and Razzle leave the party at Neil’s house to buy more booze. Also, the film depicts the accident as a result of Neil not paying attention and drifting into the opposite lane.
In reality, Neil was inebriated and he swerved around a fire truck, hit a spot in the road and lost control and hit two oncoming cars because he was driving 65 mph in a 25 mph zone.
5. The people with Nikki Sixx the night he overdosed and “died”
Photo Credit: Netflix
Nikki Sixx overdosed on heroin, died, and was brought back to life by a shot of adrenaline on December 23, 1987. In the movie, we see Sixx partying with a bunch of random people the night of the incident.
The night this occurred, Nikki Sixx was actually partying hard with Slash and Steven Adler of Guns N’ Roses and Robin Crosby of Ratt. Slash’s girlfriend at the time, Sally McLaughlin, helped save Sixx’s life by giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until paramedics arrived.
Here is the trailer for The Dirt for your enjoyment.
What did YOU think of The Dirt?
