Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx weighs in on ‘The Dirt,’ Ariana Grande

There’s a reason Motley Crue’s new music is all about dirt.

The ’80s icons wrote three new songs for their upcoming Netflix biopic “The Dirt” (streaming March 22), all of which were written as potential title tracks.

Once they landed on what would become lead single “The Dirt,” featuring rapper Machine Gun Kelly, “the label said, ‘Just go rewrite the choruses, and the other songs will be called something else,’” says bassist Nikki Sixx. “To be honest with you, I was like, ‘These songs sound so good the way they are,’ so I told the label that I changed the choruses, but I never did. I just changed the titles – all of the songs say ‘the dirt’ in [the lyrics].”

The other two songs – “Ride with the Devil” and “Crash and Burn” – will be included on the film’s official soundtrack (out March 22), along with the band’s Metallica-style take on Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.”

“Dirt” marks Motley Crue’s first new music together since 2015 single “All Bad Things,” which was released in conjunction with their farewell tour. Sixx, 60, chatted with USA Today about the reunion, Ariana Grande and drummer Tommy Lee’s new marriage.

Q. What was it like getting to record with Machine Gun Kelly (who also stars in the movie as Tommy Lee)?

A. He’s a great guy; he’s passionate. … I’m a fan, Tommy’s a fan and also a friend of his. He chopped it up and added 32 bars, and just did this Gatling-gun, fast-vocal thing. He asked me, “What do you want me to write about?” And I go, “You lived the movie – write what you want to write.” It feels like a continuation of the message of the songs, so that’s really cool. I’ve seen some fans online being like, “I can’t believe Motley Crue has a rapper on a song,” and I’m like, “You guys gotta slow down and trust the band that we know what we’re doing.”

Q. How did it feel to be back in the studio with the other guys?

A. There’s that saying, “It’s like riding a bicycle.” I mean, it’s been almost 40 years with these three guys. We know everything about each other. I’ve known Mick (Mars) and Tommy and Vince (Neil) longer than anybody on Earth. … So there’s a bond between us that is unbreakable. Even if we’re fighting, it’s unbreakable.

Q. After seeing how well these songs turned out, has there been any talk of a new Motley album?

A. I don’t know. Maybe if we got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or something, it might be fun to get out and bang up some songs. Besides that, we haven’t really talked about anything else yet. We’re pretty focused on the film and soundtrack.

Q. You recently slammed Ariana Grande on Twitter, after she tweeted that she wasn’t performing at the Grammy Awards because producers stifled her “creativity and self-expression.” What don’t you like about her music?

A. I don’t know, man. Do you go into [Baskin-Robbins] and just buy vanilla every day? I’m so tired of the pop scene, it’s so contrived. I’m like, “Same chord patterns. Same song. Different singer.” I grew up with Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Elton John. There’s some talent out there. But when she was (tweeting about skipping the Grammys), I was like, “I don’t know if I would consider her ‘art.’ ” I think it’s kind of like Taco Bell: you eat it, then you (expletive) it out and move on.

Q. Your bandmate Tommy Lee also just got married on Valentine’s Day to his fiancee, Internet personality Brittany Furlan. Did you know about the wedding ahead of time?

A. Of course. I’m so happy for him; Brittany is great. I feel like Tommy truly found somebody that he’s in sync with at this time in his life, and I think they’re going to go the distance. I’m really happy for both of them.

Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY

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