NIKKI SIXX Doesn't Like To See 'Artists That Are Still Trying To Act 25 And They're 65': 'I Don't Think That's Cool For The Fans'

In a new interview with Dustin Grove, a news anchor and reporter at WTHR-TV, Channel 13, in Indianapolis, Indiana, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx spoke about how his creative process has changed over the course of the band's four-and-a-half-decade existence. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "You evolve as a person, as a lyricist. My evolution as a lyricist, it goes from the rawest of the raw to the most heartfelt. And that's just as I grew as a man and my interests evolved. That changes the lyrics, but then that changes the idea of the song. The lyrics to 'Home Sweet Home' is way different than the lyrics to 'Shout At The Devil'. And so as we go, we just keep evolving. And you might stumble upon some different ways of writing. I guess you just keep kind of chipping away at the stone, so to speak."

When it comes to making music and hitting the road, "We're not in a rush ever," Sixx said. "We don't have to be in a rush. In my case, I've got a six-and-a-half-year-old [daughter] who's amazing. And so I wanna not be in a rush to work constantly so I can enjoy that part of it and then go out there and play for the fans. It's about balance.

"Life changes, man," Nikki continued. "It's cool that it changes. The thing that I don't like is when I see artists that are still trying to act 25 and they're 65. I don't think that's cool for the fans. Evolution is evolution. We all age, we all change, we have different interests, and MÖTLEY CRÜE seems to have ridden that wave pretty good, just letting it be real.

"Like us or hate us, one thing about MÖTLEY CRÜE is we have so many people that we just really piss them off, and other people that they say we've changed their lives," Sixx added. "So I guess if you're gonna operate the way we operate and say it and do it the way you wanna do it, not like anybody else, you're gonna probably draw both extremes of types of reactions. And that's kind of also been accidentally the magic of MÖTLEY CRÜE. We put out 'Shout At The Devil' and it was, like, 'I keep saying, 'But it said 'Shout At The Devil', not 'With The Devil'.' [There were] Christian groups outside the concerts, [accusing us of being] devil worshipers. And at the same time, the arenas were full. So there are bands out there like that, that are polarizing. And I think that's kind of exciting. All genres have that — we've got our hip-hop guys, our country guys, our rock guys. So it's about being authentic and being able to take some bricks in the face if you have to."

MÖTLEY CRÜE's upcoming "The Return Of Carnival Of Sins" tour will celebrate the 20th anniversary of CRÜE's groundbreaking 2005-2006 "Carnival Of Sins" tour and the 45th anniversary of the band. The 33-city Live Nation-produced trek will kick off on July 17, 2026 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania at the Pavilion at Star Lake and will feature support acts EXTREME and TESLA.

MÖTLEY CRÜE said that $1 from every ticket sold for "The Return Of Carnival Of Sins" tour will be donated to ASAP! (After School Arts Program) through the Mötley Crüe Giveback Initiative to fund hands-on arts programs for young people.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's Las Vegas residency launched on September 12 and at Dolby Live at Park MGM and ran through October 3. The shows had initially been set for spring but were rescheduled after frontman Vince Neil revealed he had suffered a stroke last Christmas.

In September, Vince revealed that he had actually had a series of strokes before he suffered the "big one" in his sleep last Christmas night, rendering him unable to get out of bed when he woke up the next day.

When MÖTLEY CRÜE originally postponed the Las Vegas residency, the band said it was because Neil needed a "medical procedure," but offered no further details.