Welcome to the third installment of Lemondrop's Celebrity Memoir Book Club, in which we will discuss "The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band" by Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, Vince Neil and Nikki Sixx, with Neil Strauss. You may know four of those five guys as Mötley Crüe. And don't worry, there's no penalty for not doing your homework; anyone can comment, and those who do are eligible to win one of 10 autographed copies of "The Dirt" or one of five limited-edition "Dirt" lithographs.
So, let's start!
The epigraph for "The Dirt" is from Wilkie Collins's 1860 novel "The Woman in White" and reads, "The story here presented will be told by more than one pen, as the story of an offense against the law is told in court by more than one witness."
And that's exactly what this book is: a document of the brutal life and times of four dudes who drank, drugged and screwed their way into rock-n'-roll infamy. Each chapter is the "testimony" of a member of the band or someone close to them. The book is also chock full of "supporting evidence" including Nikki Sixx's elementary school report card and Tommy Lee's letters from prison.
1. Reliable Witnesses?
So, we want to know: Does the book's Rashomon style of writing work? Which Crüe member tells the best tales?
Personally, I'm partial to Mick Mars's "cranky old man" chapters in which he mocks his young whippersnapper bandmates.
Keep coming back throughout the week for more discussion of what is quite possibly the greatest rock memoir of all time.
*Contest rules/fine print/whatnot: Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, leave a comment on any of the Mötley Crüe Book Club posts before noon Eastern on December 1, 2009. Each comment will represent one entry; 15 winners will be selected in a random drawing. 10 winners will receive an autographed copy of "The Dirt" ($50 value); five will receive a limited-edition lithograph ($100 value). Click here for complete Official Rules.












Comments:
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Wednesday 04 November
By Valerie
I so want to read that book!
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Wednesday 04 November
By Sandy
Finally! I've been waiting for this discussion! As a Mötley Crüe fan from waaaay back, I loved this book. The band known for their wild lifestyle was wilder than I had imagined. I liked the way the book was written; it was interesting to see different perspectives of the same event.
I agree that the best chapters were the ones by Mick Mars.
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Wednesday 04 November
By Jae
I love Motley Crue!!! This memoir is definitely one of the best rock memoirs ever written. Also, the pictures are great little snapshots into the personal lives of each of these rock gods.
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Wednesday 04 November
By olivia
my first concert was a motley crue concert ..... back in the day ..... I loved them and when this book came out I got 3 copies for christmas .... its a good read... in fact it htink i will pull it out tonight and re-read it!!!!
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Thursday 05 November
By PaintingChef
Okay... now THIS is a book I didn't even know I was dying to read!!
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Thursday 05 November
By Sacha
Funny, this book is mentioned on Perez Hilton today, quote
"nothing will ever top Motley Crue's The Dirt!"
And sadly, I didn't even know anything about this book. But being a Crue fan from way back, would be interested to peek into the lifestyle.
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Thursday 05 November
By Hello Tiffany
I can't wait to read this. The Heroin Diaries was one of the best books I've ever read. I love the soundtrack as well and I wish that it could have been made into a movie.
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Thursday 05 November
By Jonathan O'Neill
This is my favorite book ever. I love Motley Crue! Being only 19 years old, I didn't get to experience the Crue back in the day, but I have been fortunate enough to see them 3 times now since the first Cruefest. I can honestly say they are better live than many other bands half their age! This book is an amazing tale for anyone into rock and roll and reading it makes me wonder how these guys are still alive. They have all overcome so much. I love Motley Crue!!
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Thursday 05 November
By Hardy
This is one of the best books I've read. I have read this book twice so far and plan to read again. Motley Crue are amazing.
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Friday 06 November
By Delia
I read the first book a while back, and I was touched by Vince's stories of his daughter (so heartbreaking). The Crue has been through alot, and still Rocks!!
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Tuesday 10 November
By Jenn
This is one of the best books ever! Of course, Motley Crue is the best band ever so it's just fitting! I have read it countless times and it never gets old! Keep on rocking!
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Monday 16 November
By Big Jigga
Motley Crue is the shiznit! I want dat book!!
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Tuesday 17 November
By JCRUE
THE GREATEST BOOK WRITTEN ABOUT A TRUE ROCK-N-ROLL BAND!!!!!!!!!!
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Tuesday 01 December
By Justin
A friend was reading this a few months ago, and I flipped through it. Seems like a good read.
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Thursday 10 December
By Jami
I love Motley Crue! They are so f*cking awesome! I have seen them twice in concert and hopefully they will be back at MSG this spring.
The book was awesome. I thought I knew everything I could about them and this just told me so much more.
I loved the style of writing also, because it told everyone's point of view on the same subject.
They were all my favorite!
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Saturday 16 January
By zzsangel
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK!!!! have been through 3 copies already b/c they get read so much they eventually fall apart:) My fav parts are those on Vince. The chapter about Skylar's illness makes me cry every time I read it, and it shows people that Vince is human and hurts like the rest of us...
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Tuesday 09 February
By john kilgore
I just finished it today!Awsome book!I als liked Mick's parts as well as the rest.MOTLEY CRUE FOR LIFE \m/
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