Motley Crue's legendary depravity should not precede them, according to bassist Nikki Sixx.

The band made a name for itself with hits like “Dr. Feelgood,” “Shout at the Devil” and “Kickstart My Heart,” and during its peak, the only thing bigger than the songs was the band’s infamous lifestyle. While much of the new Netflix biopic The Dirt chronicles the group’s hard-partying ways, Sixx is quick to point out that there’s more to Motley Crue than debauchery.

Still, he confessed in a new interview with Rolling Stone, a lot of Motley Crue’s musical achievements get overshadowed by stories of the band’s excess. While the group has no regrets regarding its lifestyle, that often leads people to preconceived opinions.

“Everybody thinks you’re an animal," Sixx noted. "Sometimes when I’m working on stuff, I have conversations with people and they’re like, 'Yeah, dude. You’re in Motley Crue.' That doesn’t mean you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I’m up for the conversation. I’m very liberal. I’m the definition of the fucking snowflake for Republicans.”

When “Girls, Girls, Girls” is one of your best known songs -- and you’ve admitted to “tagging” groupies -- it’s hard to convince people you believe in equal rights. Still, Sixx is adamant in his support for equality.

“I stand 100 percent behind the #MeToo movement,” the bassist asserted. “I think we’re in a very great time for equality and we’ve got room to grow. Even though we were fucking animals and the shit that we did was fucking crazy and the shit the girls did to us was crazy, there was never a moment ever that anybody in the band took that as an opportunity to wield power. I’m not saying we were angels, but it was all consensual.”

Sixx is now a father of four with another on the way. He believes being a dad has given him greater perspective, especially with his self-professed “feminist” daughter. “One of the greatest moments happened when we were talking about a friend of mine who’s gay," he recalled.

"He’s my friend. I don’t care. But I said something like, ‘You know my friend, Justin? He’s gay and his boyfriend is going to come over for Thanksgiving.’ She said, ‘If he was straight, would you say, ‘My friend Justin, who’s straight?’ I was like, no. Then I was like, ‘Wow, that’s really interesting.’ Then she broke down gender identification with me with a hand-drawn map. I was really grateful for that. It’s fascinating. I love it.”

 

 

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