Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic Read
Review: I highly recommend this book, regardless of whether you are a Motley Crue fan or not. This is one of the most entertaining, well-written books I have read in a long time. Of course, if you are a Motley fan, you will be familiar with the band members and the wild stories, but even a non-fan (such as myself) can get into the story of these four guys. Neil Strauss did an amazing job. He covers the band members childhoods, drug use/addictions, the struggle to become the Crue, the successes, the tragedies, the marriages, the divorces, the jail time, the band break ups - you name it, it's all here. Many of the stories related are not for the easily offended / faint of heart. There is some pretty hardcore stuff here. I have to admit I was turned off by quite a few of the guys antics. And I'm still amazed that there are actually women out there who behave like this. READ THIS BOOK! I guarantee you won't be able to put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly interesting and captivating
Review: Whether you are a fan or not, this book is awesome. I couldn't put it down, and my sister, who was never a fan, even felt the same way. This band practically invented "sex, drugs and rock and roll" and told us what it was like on the inside. It was brilliantly written! It will have you laughing out loud and even crying. Highly recommended reading.
Rating:
Summary: What can I say about this book?
Review: I am not only a huge fan of all genres of literature. I am not only a published novelist/writer. But I am one of the biggest Motley Crue fans to ever walk the planet. This book tells the story of four idols. The REAL story and not some hollywood/MTV fake story for 13 year olds. Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil, Tommy Lee and Mick Mars all tell the past twenty years (and their own very different childhoods) from their own point of view without holding back anything. I can tell you now that not only is the Dirt the best source of info about the great band Motley Crue for fans, but will be a great book for ANYONE who is open minded. The book is raw and exciting. There is only one dull moment that I can remember, but then again there are people that I know that say that it is their favorite part of the book so I will not say which part it is.All in all, the only thing I can say is this... "Wow!" If you hate reading, if you hate or love rock'n roll, if you are a man or woman, if you are a monkey you will love this book and it is more than worth it to buy. Trust me on this, okay?
Rating:
Summary: Read this book!
Review: Whether you are a Crue fan or not, the antics of the Motley Crue boys described in this book will amaze you! I myself have been a HUGE Crue fan my whole life and I found this book utterly fascinating. To hear the stories of the fights, girls, and drugs from the mouths of the band themselves was great. The book goes in chronilogical order, with each chapter being written by a different band member or manager; sometimes repeating stories for different points of view ala "Dracula". The 25 year metamorphisis from animals without emotion to civilized, compassionate human beings is truly remarkable. Unless you are weak in the stomach, I garuntee you will enjoy this read.
Rating:
Summary: Free from Self-Promotion.....Take Them or Leave Them
Review: It is refreshing for a band to pen a book that isn't the usual self-promoting, self-indulgent ... that stains the book market. I came away with no respect for these guys, but found them somewhat likable in that they came clean and didn't try to paint themselves as "rock gods". In their honesty, they portray themselves as difficult, and relate their lack of maturity in business, music, and life. They admit to poor performances and criticize their own music in the drug-induced efforts of Theatre of Pain and Girls, Girls, Girls. Definitely a good read. The book ranks right up there with the Zeppelin bio Hammer of the Gods and the Doors bio Break on Through.
Rating:
Summary: This Book Rocks More Than The Band Itself!
Review: This is the most amazing behind the scenes look at a heavy metal band addicted to sex, drugs and (when they weren't preoccupied with those) rock and roll. Motley Crue, in my opinion, exceeds the stereotypical rocker expectations the general public may have about musicians. Before I read The Dirt, I couldn't even name one Crue tune. The only reason I even decided to read this book (which my husband bought) was because I was stuck at work during a snowstorm with nothing to do. Then I became addicted to The Dirt. I just can't figure out how four guy's who lived such a wild life full of over consumption even lived to tell their story. Through heroin overdoses, vehicular manslaughter, coke binges, orgies, orgies, and orgies, they survived. I started reading this book not knowing a thing about Motley Crue, and now I can name all of Vince's ex-wives, Nikki's drugs of choice, Tommy's police charges, and Mick's medical woes. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking to read something interesting. ...
Rating:
Summary: I can't wash the dirt off of my mind
Review: I loved this book. I can't get it off of my mind like seeing a bad accident. I read this 6 months ago and am ready to read it again to be sure I got it right. What filth, what insight on the world of a rock and rollers. I think there should be some kind of college course reviewing this book as you could discuss for hours how rockers are rewarded for behaving badly and seem to just exist to party and not take part in bathing, laundry, sleeping with sheets on a bed etc. The whole groupie mindset is frightening and makes me happy to only have given birth to sons. I felt like I had spent a month with them on a show like Survivor and knew them deeply. Can't explain my fascination with the book as I am not a fan and am a 42 year old housewife but just could not put the book down. Run, don't walk and read a treat of a book. I can't imagine anyone not enjoying jumping head first into this motley mess. The Ozzie references are priceless. This would make a good movie.
Rating:
Summary: Wow! What A Read!
Review: Without a doubt, this is the greatest rock n roll autobiography ever written. The thing that permiates this book throughout is the brutal honesty. I had a terribly hard time putting it down and actually didn't want it to end, it is such a page turner. The Motley boys come across as slimy, selfish, rude, unlikable, sympathetic, introspective, blunt and very likable! Everyone involved with the Crue gets their say from bandmembers, ex bandmembers, managers and ex managers, producers, record company execs etc. What's so important to remember prior to purchasing this book is, unlike other music oriented books, this book does not hold the band up to be role models or pillars of society. This book lays out for all the see, the sheer unadulterated dirt. A+++
Rating:
Summary: OH MY GOD
Review: Y'know...I'd cite specific details from the book here, but I can't think of a single example that wouldn't go against amazon's review guidelines. Nonetheless, THE DIRT may be the book that re-defines how rock biographies are created, written, and judged. As far as I can remember I've never heard an entire Motely Crue song - maybe a couple of minutes of the Home Sweet Home video back in the eigthies - but this book is an absolute must-read. Aside from Neil Strauss's deft abilities at capturing each of the band members unique personalities and idiosyncracies, he has to be credited with the format with he presents their story: an oral history, he interviewed each member seperately and apparently didn't inform each as to what the other had said. The most poignant example of this is after the death of Vince's daughter. Tommy recounts how he called Vince to offer his condolences and of Vince's erratic behavior at the time. Tommy then goes on to say he doubts Vince even remembers the call, Vince's behaviour being so out of control with grief. Sure enough, in Vince's next section, Vince speaks of his diappointment that none of the other guys called at the time. Another element is how Strauss manages to foreshadow Tommy Lee's inevitable descent into spousal abuse and imprisonment with his behaviour throughout his entire life and the previous relationships to Pamela Anderson. There are significant omissions: Vince in fact didn't join the band, he was hired to, at a fairly impressive monthly stipend. This was probably left out to maintain the seeming dramamtic comraderie for the book, but it's still a writer's device and not the strict facts. But that's completely secondary. Because with the Crue, it was never about the truth, certainly not about the music, it was all about walking away from the destruction you've caused with a big fat smile on your face, a wad of bills stuffed into your leather boot, a long cigar dangling form your mouth, a drink in your hand, and a gaggle of groupies clinging to your legs. Bless 'em.
Rating: 
Summary: Live Like Rock Stars
Review: For Christmas Katie gave me one of the most anti-hardcore biographies you could ever read. Ever since I saw this Motley Crue biography on the shelves I've wanted to read it. I'm not really sure why I felt the need to read this thing, it was just something deep down telling me that this could be a good story. I've always been intrigued by the VH1 Behind The Music specials on all the bands from the 80s, and I figured this book would just be a more detailed Behind The Music. I'll start this off by telling you that I read all 400 pages in two sittings. I could not put this book down! I have just recently read "Our Band Could Be Your Life" and it told the stories of Minor Threat, Black Flag, Husker Du, etc, and then after reading about the indie struggles of those bands I changed to the over-the-top glam rock of Motley Crue. Surprisingly "The Dirt" was just as good, if not better, than "Our band...". The story isn't written by an auther looking in on the bands and supplying you with his thoughts and observations of the band. Instead this book is written by the band and others that are close to them. With this book you know you are reading the stories the exact way that they happened. Not only do the band members chime in with their tales of debauchery, but others like the tour managers, label executives, and managers get to share their stories of how their lives were scarred by the crazy foursome. Unlike some of their hair metal peers Motley Crue's story actually starts with them as a struggling poor band living in a rat-infested apartment. But their similarities with struggling punk bands end there. Even during their poor times Crue partied like they were rock stars. Every night their apartment turned into one giant party complete with girls, drugs, and every other rock star thing you could think of. From the start the band plowed through girls and drugs like there would be no tomorrow. Since the whole story is written by the band you can get a real feel for just decadent this band could get. The stories range from doing obscene things with girls like you've only heard about in the Led Zeppelin stories to sleeping with nasty girls for no other reason than they wanted to sleep with someone. It's amazing to me how these guys managed to escape the 80s disease free. After the band finally gets big, all of their vices increase threefold. This is when the story really picks up. The band has a constant flow of alchohol, drugs, and women coming in and out of their lives. One particular story finds the guys at a fancy Thai restaurant where for dessert the waiters bring out silver platters and when they lift the lid off of the platter the band is greeted with seven lines of Coke. The whole story I'm sitting there thinking "I can't believe this stuff actually happened!" As the story progresses you find the band maturing, changing members, changing sounds, and entering rehab over and over and over again. The story gets pretty in-depth with the Tommy Lee/Pamela Anderson fiasco, which should be pretty interesting for all of you that follow entertainment news and/or watched their infamous video. Somehow these ugly looking, makeup wearing glam guys end up with some of the most beautiful women in the world. Whether it's actresses, models, or porn stars, they've had them all. Towards the end of the story is where my interest started to decrease. As the band settled down into married life, sobered up, and had children, their stories became less and less decadent. At this point I should have been happy that everything turned out great for the band, but instead I was sitting there waiting for the band to do something stupid and screw it all up. It seems that the band has turned their lives around which is good for them, but makes for less-than-exciting reading. If I wanted to know about happy marriages with kids I could just look around me. I wanted to read this book to read about all their crazy antics. Luckily, most of the book focuses on the pre-settling down years and is a great book to read. I know this book isn't going to be the most "hardcore" book in your collection, but it's a great tale of a bands rise to stardom and all of the rock star things that go along with it. Today's superstars seem to hide the fact that they indulge in all of these vices, so it's great to see a band embracing their past and telling their story to a whole new generation. So next time you get the feeling like you are in a rock star mood, go out and buy this book and give it a shot. If nothing else you can laugh at how all the band slept with the other band members girls and read their reactions when they find out for the first time through this book. This book is definatly worth the money, go get it...
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