Heartstrings and Sixx-Strings

Part 1 - The Encounter

April 5th, 1983

I carried on down the wide and ambient corridor beneath the Long Beach Arena. The fluorescent lights flickered in the distance, sending goosebumps down my arms. I put my hands in the back pockets of my leather pants and began shuffling deeper into the empty hallway. The roar of the crowd bellowed in the space above me. Only 20 minutes until showtime and I still hadn't found Nikki's dressing room.

I reached into the pocket of my jacket and pulled out the note Doc gave me to give to Nikki. As his new assistant, it was my position to file paperwork, read over contracts, that kind of thing. Not so much interact at the shows, unlike tonight's exception in Los Angeles. Doc was busy chewing Tommy's ass out for drawing a bullseye on the dressing room mirror and throwing beer bottles at it. Go figure, right? Due to him being engaged with Tommy at the moment, I needed to pass the message along.

The thought of this first ever encounter made my palms sweaty. I had only seen photographs in magazines of this guy, let alone hearing him talk. The wild stories of Mötley Crüe filled my thoughts the more I thought about Nikki. Doc had shared many stories expressing the band's character during the interview. I heard some steps approaching around the curve of the hallway. A few backstage crew members appeared. I spoke up.

"Hey there, can either of you point me in the direction of Nikki Sixx's dressing room? I was told to pass a message along from the manager."

The man pointed down the hall with his thumb. "Oh yeah, Sixx's room is just right down there to the left. A piece of duct tape with his name is taped to the door."

I walk a little further down the hallway and see a door with "Sixx" labeled on the front. The light above me flickered, making me more anxious. I reassured myself that it was probably from the pandemonious crowd awaiting their show. I took a deep breath and shook my shoulders, just trying to ignore the anxiety. I knocked on the door.

I waited patiently for a few seconds, which felt like a complete eternity for me before the door opened. Nikki Sixx stood before me in his complete stage ensemble, minus the tall black boots. His fluffy jet-black hair was spiked up in all directions. He leaned his right arm on the door frame while the other hand held an almost empty bottle of Jack Daniel's Whiskey at his waist.

"Yes?" He smirked. I could see his eyes gazing at me from my curly black hair to my red heels. I reached into the pocket of my leather jacket and pulled out the note from Doc.

"Hey..uhm," I shuddered, looking down at the ground. "Doc wanted me to pass this message along to you."

"Thanks." Nikki glanced at the note briefly before crumbling it into a ball and tossing it over his shoulder into the room. He looked back at me with a smirk. "So you must be?" Nikki asked.

"Oh...I'm the new assistant Doc McGhee hired on. I normally work at the studio, but Doc needed my help with some things tonight since it's a hometown show."

"Right on, alright," he replied, nodding his head. Nikki smiled at me before inviting me inside the room. "Here," He moved out of the doorway. "Why don't you come in for a drink?"

"Uhm, sure!" I replied. I couldn't believe he was inviting me into his room. He signaled with his hand at the sofa. Nikki handed me a glass of whiskey from the bottle he'd been drinking from. He grabbed the back of a red velvet chair and spun it around before sitting on it, facing me on the couch. His smile eased my pulsing nerves.

"Have you ever seen Mötley Crüe live before?" He asked with a grin on his face. I could tell he knew his band was hot shit.

"Actually, I haven't. I said, smiling at the ground again. I felt embarrassed. Nikki smiled and shook his head. His hand reached under my chin, gently lifting my face up. He stared into me, making my heart stop.

"Hey..." He murmured. "Don't be shy, I want to see those beautiful blue eyes now."

My heart sank into my stomach. Like the feeling you get when you finally drop on a roller coaster. I couldn't help but smile and look down again. Nikki laughed once more.

"You're a bashful one, aren't ya?"

"I guess you can say that." I whispered, fluttering my eyes. Nikki stood up and went to the mirror. I knew I needed some extra courage if I was going to even have a proper conversation with this man. I swirled the whiskey in the glass before quickly downing the whole serving.

"Holy shit girl, not so fast now." He chuckled with surprise.

"I'm sorry I just really needed that." I choked, patting on my chest. A fist banged on the dressing room door.

"Hey man, we gotta be out on stage in 5. Let's do this!"

"I'll be out in just a minute Vince!" Nikki barked.

He then began putting on his tall boots. "So, uh, I never got your name?" He asked.

"Kassie. My name is Kassie." I replied. He zipped up the platform boot and stood up. He was incredibly tall, towering over me on the sofa. I got up from the sofa.

"Well...Kassie," he said. "Are you ready to see your first Mötley Crüe show?"

"Are you serious?" I asked, shocked. I began treading towards the door.

"Wouldn't Doc be-" Nikki interrupted me.

"Don't worry about Doc, I'll handle that. Follow me." he said, guiding me out of the dressing room.