In a recent post to Twitter/X, Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx shared some insight into how he writes songs, saying that his reading habits have greatly influenced his writing style.
“I think all the years of reading books separated my mind from a standardized lyrical style to more story telling even through stream of consciousness writing while not focusing on hard rhymes a lot,” he wrote, adding: “Every writer has their process for getting over the finish line.”
Sixx then asked fans if they had any questions, prompting some in the comments to criticize the bassist and his songwriting abilities.
One fan in particular suggested that he should listen to music by Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz or Maynard James Keenan of Tool and A Perfect Circle if he wanted to be a better songwriter.
“Calm down Nikki, you write about girls, dr*gs and bl*wj*bs,” the comment read. “Go and read Adam Duritz’s lyrics if you would like to learn something or even check out Maynard Keenan.”
In response, Sixx hit back at the fan, writing: “Another tool that didn’t look under the hood.”
While there were some critiques, others had more insightful questions, such as if Sixx has written any lyrics he particularly “loves” or “hates the most,” to which he replied:
“As a writer you can’t always hit a home run but you gotta keep getting up to bat until you do. Writers write.”
