In a recent interview with Artists On Record Starring ADIKA Live!, rock producer Tom Werman clarified his experiences working with Mötley Crüe in the band’s early years, touching upon how his interactions with the band were depicted in the Crüe biography, ‘The Dirt – Confessions Of The World’s Most Notorious Rock Band,’ and its Netflix film adaptation.
While acknowledging that there were factual elements in the film and book, Werman pointed out that Nikki Sixx, the band’s bassist, had inaccurately described him and Vince Neil in ‘The Heroin Diaries,’ another work penned by Sixx:
“[The portrayal in the book was] pretty fictitious. There are facts, but it’s always stretched. And I was relieved not to be in that book and that movie. Nikki Sixx slagged me in ‘The Heroin Diaries.’ Nothing he said I agreed with. We both recalled things differently. He said he wound up producing most of Vince’s vocals. Not true. Other things like that. [He said that] I was on the phone all the time.”
He also refuted claims made by Sixx, suggesting that Sixx’s state at the time might have influenced his perception of events:
“You know, if I was that bad, how did I get 23 gold and platinum records? Or why didn’t they fire me instead of having me do a second and a third album? It isn’t easy having done stuff. They take shots — they take shots at you. I’m not saying it’s perfect. I’m not saying it was perfect. I partied with the boys. But ‘The Heroin Diaries’ specifically was probably subject to inaccuracy because it was written by a guy who was on heroin. It figures.”
This isn’t the first time the two have publicly disagreed. Back in 2008, after Sixx responded to Werman’s letter to The New York Times, where Werman called ‘The Heroin Diaries’ ‘totally deluded’ and ‘stunningly inaccurate,’ Werman had further responded by challenging Sixx’s recollections.
Nikki Sixx had stated back then:
“I’m sorry if he got his feelings hurt, but I feel that I was kind to Mr. Werman by withholding things from the book that would have jeopardized his marriage and his job security with Elektra at the time.”
It’s worth noting that ‘The Dirt’ received mixed reviews upon its release on Netflix in March 2019, with critics noting its hesitancy in handling the more complex aspects of the band’s history.
You can watch the interview below.
