NIKKI SIXX: 'I'm Really Proud To Be A Single Father, And Not A Single Rock Star'

Nina Metz of ChicagoTribune.com recently conducted an interview with MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

On raising his kids:

"The first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about at night are my kids. I'm really proud to be a single father, and not a single rock star. I gotta tell you, the bar is so high for me in meeting someone [to date], it weeds out about 99 percent of the population. To let them into our life, that's a big decision that I take very seriously."

Most luxurious feature in your home:

"The kitchen, as most homeowners know, is the heart of the house. Our kitchen is nice, but I'm not so into the aesthetics. Emotionally, it's the most special room in the house. It's where everything happens. I mean, the kids are doing their homework, their friends running in and out. A lot of, like, 'Hi/Bye!' Grand Central Station, so to speak."

One thing on a wall in your living room:

"Hundreds of crosses. Any time I see a cross or a rosary, I have to buy it. I'm not even Catholic or Christian — or Buddhist or Jewish. I'm spiritual. So anything to me that symbolizes good, I'm attracted to it."

One thing you have in your house from your childhood:

"My Apollo 13 lunch box, with an STP sticker on it — which obviously was oil. It's funny that later there was [the band] STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, because one of my kids said, 'Hey, you have a STONE TEMPLE PILOTS sticker on your lunch box.' And I was like, 'Uh, no.' It's on top of my television in the family room. I just look up at it and chuckle. I remember filling that lunch box with rocks because these bullies were picking on me, and when I got off the bus I whacked them in the head. I needed some help. I needed to defend myself."

One thing on your nightstand:

"Lots of books. The one on top is a book called 'The Child Within', and that book is amazing. As you progress down the road you get further and further from your childhood, and to me that whole thing of peeling the onion — the psychology of it — is mind-blowing. Those formative years are so impactful to the rest of your life. I find it so intriguing."

Best furniture bargain you ever got:

"Antique rugs at swap meets. I've gotten a couple of rugs over the years, like Persian rugs, that I've paid through the nose for. And then I've gotten some where you don't know if they're real or not, and I've found out later a couple of them were real — and you sit there and go, I bought this rug for $13, and it's worth $13,000. Not that I would ever go sell it, but it feels good to know I got a bargain."

Biggest surprise we'd find in your closet:

"Suits. Some that I've designed. Some are from this amazing suit-maker in Los Angeles called Lords, and they have the most amazing Italian fabrics that you can choose from. They're not cut like you would imagine. They're very slim. The [trouser] pockets are slits at the top. You don't wear belts with them. They're very rock 'n' roll looking — very British-rock-star looking. I just love suits. I'm really on a suit kick right now. It's addictive. I guess if I can get addicted to heroin, it's OK to get addicted to buying suits."

Messiest room in the house:

"My bedroom. I'm a clothes whore, and probably I change my clothes like four or five times a day. My one spoiled-rock-star thing that I do is, I put on a shirt and then I throw it on the floor and try another one on. I put on a suit, then throw it on the floor. It's just a constant battle, me and clothes. The bed's never made. It looks like a war zone."

If you had to save one "thing" from your home, what would it be?

"My Nikon D2x. I do a lot of photography. Some is photojournalistic. I like to get into back alleys or places I'm not supposed to go. In Thailand, I spent a lot of time down with the squatters and drug addicts. I'd like, at some point in my life, to just take off and do photography. But it's hard to do that with kids."

Read the entire interview at ChicagoTribune.com.