Thank you again to Marco D’Auria for inviting me for this special episode of the Contrarians! Together we go back in time and honour M.E.A.T Magazine, Drew Masters, and all the great bands of the era like Slam Glory, Russian Blue, Slash Puppet and Blackglama!
For the first time in…well, perhaps ever…I have been unable to write about my life. This entire site started because I wanted to write about my life…and I have been paralyzed, frozen, unable to put fingers to keys and just pound out some words.
Even when Jen had cancer…even when her mum was dying…I was still able to write some words. I might have taken breaks, but I was still documenting and logging my thoughts and feelings. These days, I haven’t been able. Ever since December 2025, I’ve been clamming up and keeping things private. The reasons for this are multiple, so let’s see if we can’t crack this open and talk about life changes.
It would be a lie to suggest that the political changes of the last two years have not affected me and my life. I have spent many nights in existential dread mode. (Check out Kumail Nanjiani’s comedy special Night Thoughts for some humour on this subject.) It’s not just wondering about the end of the world, but also the real-world impact of tariffs on my job. Times are hard everywhere, and now with gas going up, summer just got a lot more expensive.
Summer means we made it through winter! It was an uneventful winter here, except for a couple major upheavals that we’ll get to momentarily. Winter used to be my nemesis, my Kryptonite. It used to be the element that could be counted on to bring spirits down and destroy hope. Winter 2025-26 was nothing. At least as far as seasonal affective disorder goes.
What has become more difficult is that Jen’s seizures have become more severe and frequent as of late. We saw the neurologist and there’s nothing more he can prescribe. We’ve been through every medication there is. In 20 years of dealing with this bullshit disease, we’ve never hit a point where there was no hope left. We have to live with it. There are no options available. Oh sure, they’re talking about sending her back to Toronto again for weeks and weeks of observation. That didn’t do anything last time. I guess it’s something. We’ll be separated for that time, while she is stuck in observation and I toil away at home.
That is where we get to the biggest change, one which I have been reluctant to speak about. Work changes are scary, and due to a variety of reasons, I no longer have an office to work out of. The physical building in which I worked for 19 years was sold, and eventually came the decision that we’d been semi-expecting for years: the office was closing. This was the biggest life change I’ve experienced since getting married in 2008. Working from home! I’d done it on a tiny laptop before, but now I had to set up my own home office. This all coincided with my unfortunate accidental dumpster dive, and subsequent injury. This only added to my stress, as I had a timeline for moving into a home office that I wanted to adhere to. Everyone had to help with the office closure, but my rib injury made my participation extremely painful. This news was not what the others wanted to hear, (as was made clear to me) but I did my part, probably setting back my healing timeline by a couple weeks. I bought a desk; one of those fancy electric ones that raise and lower, which helped me deal with the rib pain by changing positions when uncomfortable. I set up a home office. It is small. It is cozy. It is all mine and I am surrounded by my things, and all the toys and music that makes me happy. I settled in quickly and fell in love with my home office.
I don’t want to jinx it. I don’t think everything lasts forever, so I am going to enjoy the home office to my fullest extent while I can.
I make my own home cooked meals for lunch. I go out to the convenience store on my breaks. I have lunch with my mom and dad once a week. I don’t have to drive anywhere. I saved a ton on gas. I have only fueled up four times in 2026, and it’s mid-April.
The difficulty here was probably more on Jen’s side. She was used to having the house to herself almost every day. Now she has me to deal with, but she’s made the adjustment and has a healthy schedule of getting out daily.
I don’t want to talk about working from home and further than that. It has been a privilege and I feel like if everyone knew how comfortable, how efficient, and how great I feel working from home, it’ll all go away. So enough of that.
I have continued to buy new music, but have not felt motivated to write about it very much. I’ve gone through periods like this before, and now I understand that it’s just a phase. It doesn’t mean I’m all done or won’t be able to come back from this. I used to think that. Experience has taught me that these creative waves can end, but return when the time is right. It’s still cold, it’s still dark, but spring is here and that always changes my creative life. Soon it will be time to charge up the drone, and fire up the barbecue at the cottage. Summer at the cottage always offers its own creative opportunities, and is the best setting for listening to new music. Perhaps this summer, it was be the Van Halen 5150 anniversary box set. Live Without A Net on the front porch in the sun? Sounds great to me.
One of the most unusual things about this past winter was that it was my first winter in 52 years without my Grandma. Even as she grew older and weakened, we still tried to go and see her every other weekend. That part of our routine was gone, and it was strange for a while. There were times when I thought I’d pick up the phone and tell her something. One thing Grandma used to love was when we’d come over and show her my drone videos. She loved seeing what the cottages looked like from the air. This spring, when I take my new drone up in the sky, I wish Grandma could see my videos.
Spring and summer always offer surprises. I never know what my next creative project will be, but something always comes up.
RECORD STORE TALES #1240: Life is short sometimes, goes by in the wink of an eye
Changes have been afoot. Not all has been well. I have been quiet. You probably haven’t noticed, but life is…interesting. We’re not ready to talk about the changes yet.
Some things remain the same, and on Friday April 17, we loaded the car with new tunes and made our way to our lake retreat for the first time in 2026. We began the trip with Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne’s new version of “War Pigs”. This one really blew the ears open for the road trip. What a track. Destined to be a classic. Later on, we followed it with some April Wine.
It was the first time I’d driven to the lake in the dark in close to a decade. In that time, both my eyes and nerves have aged. We made it safe and sound, albeit a bit tired.
Writing is difficult. There are a lot of things I just don’t feel like talking about right now. I hope that this summer will bring all of the things I enjoy: flying drones, doing shows from the cottage, cooking food, taking pictures and making videos. And whatever else comes our way that I can turn into a creative endeavor.
We will return again soon, and we have planned the first live show of the weekend. With good friend Peter Kerr, Harrison and I will discuss our Top Five Artists that are Not Rock! The first cottage show of the season will likely be indoors due to the cold, but you never know. We are back!
The first drone flight of the weekend occurred Sunday April 20 before 7:00 AM. It was below freezing. Our first flight at negative temperatures! Flying above the birds, I captured beautiful views of Lake Huron by the beach, and revealed much higher water levels than last fall. Let’s hope that they don’t retreat again. The detritus of winter can be seen on the beach. A huge log washed up, impossible for a person to move. Only the power of snow and ice could have moved it here. For the drone video, I chose the song “Life Is” by Arkells on the flight soundtrack.
I ran into a new problem, which is moisture condensation inside the drone camera. I ordered some silica gel packs to try to get rid of the moisture, but this is new territory for me and I’ve never had to deal with this before. Hopefully, I can solve the issue.
Driving home on Sunday, we chose the new Arkells album Between Us for the soundtrack. The album has catchy songs, but very few that have captured me. We’ll have to give it time, but early signs point to this being “just another album” by the Hamilton band.
Much more intriguing is Quebec’s Angine de Poitrine. Everyone is talking about them. Their albums are completely sold out everywhere and go for over $150 on Discogs. A CD reissue is due in June, but until then all we can do is stream. This band uses a custom microtonal guitar/bass doubleneck to achieve song melodies that sound like someone bending the notes precisely every time. A duo, they loop their parts and build the songs slowly. An addictive band and a cool way to end our weekend. Ignore the alien costumes. While they may have drawn eyes to the band, the music is what you need to focus on.
Enjoy the photos below, and see us live on Friday April 24 with Peter Kerr from Rock Daydream Nation. The cottage is waiting for your arrival!
From the very start of Record Store Tales, to the present day I have been quite emphatic about one fact: My parents did not place any conditions or prohibitions against any kind of music we listened to as kids. We had nosey Catholic neighbours who did on their kids, but my mom and dad were cool. My dad liked that Iron Maiden sang historically accurate songs about World War II, and other conflicts such as the Crimean War. My mom had a younger brother, my long-haired Uncle Don Don, who liked Led Zeppelin and Alice Cooper. What I was bringing home, Van Halen and Quiet Riot, wasn’t much noisier or frightening. We’re talking degrees of separation. I had it easy. I wouldn’t have the collection I have today if they didn’t give me free reign over my entertainment.
That doesn’t mean they weren’t paying attention. They saw stuff on TV about “Knights in Satan’s Service”, and my mom did ask me if that’s what KISS stood for. I remember getting really huffy and saying “NO, it’s just a word!” She believed me and let me go. I think my parents always knew that rock stars did well by generating their own controversy. They witnessed the rise and fall of Elvis Presley, and the explosive career of the Beatles, all accompanied by screaming teens, shaking hips, and suggestive songs. I think they knew I wasn’t going to die on a toilet like Elvis just because I saw David Lee Roth getting arrested wearing nothing but a towel in the “Panama” video. I don’t think they believed in Satan, so much as thought I would go to hell because I saw Ozzy Osbourne dressed as a werewolf in a music video. Maybe it would have mattered if I spent all my time watching videos, but I went to school and did my homework like every other kid. They just preferred Tears For Fears to Tesla.
I can really only remember a handful of talks about music. Once was the question about the meaning of KISS, and one was about the death of Randy Rhoads. I was quick to correct my dad when he said he “probably died of drugs”. “He wasn’t on drugs, but the pilot of the airplane was,” I said. I never got in shit for playing any music. Only the for the volume at which I played it. I played “Big Balls” by AC/DC at the kitchen table one time. Never a word!
There was only one instance in which my mother was simply not impressed with my music. Not at all impressed. It involved the aforementioned Alice Cooper.
I had this second cousin on my mom’s side, Danny. He was a bit older and into all kinds of heavier rock. He was into Alice Cooper, and played me “The Black Widow” in the Winnebago he arrived in. Summer of 1986. The bit with Vincent Price doing his Vincent Price thing really grabbed me. I loved Vincent Price. Alice had a big comeback in the 80’s, with Constrictor, Raise Your Fist and Yell, and Trash. He was once again in the news, but this time for his remarkable return to the forefront of popular rock artists. It was in this climate that I began collecting his music. My mother knew who Alice Cooper was. It was she that gave me Welcome to My Nightmare for Easter 1991. It was weird, and some things were decidedly un-rock…but I loved it! One thing I enjoyed about Alice Cooper’s music is that he constantly forced me to re-define my conceptions about what rock was.
I was still in highschool, and my mom was still doing my laundry for me. One night I was in bed, lights out, with music rocking me to sleep as it did every night. Welcome to My Nightmare was still fresh in my collection, and that’s what was playing when she entered my room that night with a basket of laundry. “The Black Widow” was mid-song. She missed all the cool Vincent Price stuff, which I’m sure she would have approved of. No, this is what she walked in to:
“He stares with a gleam, with a laugh so obscene,
At the virgins and the children he’s deflowered.”
“DID HE JUST SAY VIRGINS AND CHILDREN ARE DEFLOWERED?” asked my mother with a volume in her voice you rarely heard.
I mumbled something about Vincent Price and didn’t attempt to defend the lyrics. I said something about he’s singing about spiders and that’s all I could muster.
To her credit, nothing more was said, and when Alice Cooper came out with his new album Hey Stoopid that summer, she bought a copy for my birthday. Today, she knows the Coop is a man of high character, and approves of my selection!
RECORD STORE “WTF” TALES #1238: “Help Me Get My CD!”
I do not “share” files. If a random person emails and asks me to send them some music files, I will always say “no”. Except in this case. I didn’t know what else I could do to help this one angry customer.
The reasons I will not “share” files are many. For one, I have good relations to many of the artists and labels that you read about here. I enjoy being sent CDs for free. I don’t want that to end, so I do not “share” what I have. Besides, it’s not “sharing”, is it? I don’t own the songs. I don’t own the copyrights. They are not mine to give away. You can ask, but don’t expect anything from me except a lecture about “sharing”. In most cases, I paid good money for those songs. Why should I give away copies of what I bought? Just because I have managed to acquire a song or an album doesn’t entitle someone else to a copy. If you ask, I’ll say no.
Except in this one case.
A few years ago, I reviewed a new CD by a band I liked. I got it directly from the band’s lead singer. It was good; I gave it a positive review. The singer appreciated it and I moved on to another project.
About three months after reviewing the album, I received the lengthy email below from a loyal reader. I didn’t know this reader at all, and while I appreciated their patronage over the years, I found the email below rather baffling.
Hi Mike Ladano,
I’m a huge fan of your site and your influences on the sleaze/glam metal genre for years and years! Please don’t get offended, it’s not about you. It’s about the lead goof singer at [BAND]. I saw your review of his “attempt” to release all his band’s songs on [A CD]. And others’ reviews as well. I loved their music in the past. I was anxious to buy it period. One problem, [SINGER]. He’s a timewasting unreliable goof who will send you back random incoherent messages on Facebook (when you ask him over and over and over again to buy his CD), and actually try to discourage you from buying it! He then tells you he needs your home address to send an “invoice”. Then what happens? He continues to send random Facebook messages, trying to discourage your purchase and tells you “I find you asking me for my autograph on the item bizarre”. And then you never hear from this guy again. I tried to buy his CD for months now. I honestly don’t know how you and others who reviewed it were able to get the actual CD in your hands. Because this guy [SINGER] refuses to sell the fucking CD to you. He never sent me any “invoice” and he just disappeared forever. His “company” [DELETED] is a joke, just like his so called business acumen obviously. I am very disappointed in him and the [BAND], as I have no way to buy this CD. I can see why there are none available anywhere on Earth. This guy refuses to actually sell the CD to anyone. I even tried to login to Facebook with another account and the goof did the same thing to me again. Again, I am disappointed in [BAND] and I can now see why they never got signed to any major label deals. If [SINGER] was in charge of business for the band, they would (and did) go absolutely nowhere commercially. If you can help me get my [CD] compilation I would be very appreciative. Again, this is no attack on your awesome site and your own awesome personal reviews of amazing bands over the years. Thanks.
There have been CDs that have been difficult and annoying to acquire over the years (see: Scrap Metal, Helix). I don’t know of any singer from any bands who outright refused to sell a CD. There must be more to this story! Was the singer somehow offended by the request to have the CD signed? Many artists coordinate their sales via Facebook. I have bought discs from Evil Elvis and Mitch Lafon on Facebook. It’s usually a matter of payment, and making sure they have your mailing address. Never an issue!
I’m not sure how this customer wanted me to intervene. Did they want me to talk to the singer and say, “Hey, so-and-so wants you to send a CD, can you do that?” I’d rather not get involved, especially since this story probably has more details that I am not privy to. There has to be a reason why the singer was dismissive of the customer, if the story is indeed true. Was the customer talking to a scam artist on Facebook? Possibly.
So, I broke my own rule. Not knowing how to help this reader, I offered to send them the files.
Thank you to Marco D’Auria for inviting me for this special episode of the Contrarians! What are my Top Five Encounters when I was working at the Record Store? I mulled it over and told some stories. (I did mess up a couple minor details but nothing major.) This fun 35 minute video highlights some of the funniest highs and lows of working at a Record Store for 12 years! Many of these stories involve “live wire” customers! Some are about some really rare CDs that I scored back in the day.
Working in used CDs during the Golden Age of the CD was an experience not many people get to have. I am grateful that I am one of the few. I will never forget it. Please enjoy the show!
RECORD STORE TALES 1237: Good Times Don’t Get Better Than This
Do you ever have a song that you really like, so you show it to your friends, in hopes that some will also dig it? It’s nice when a song connects, but sometimes it is more memorable when it doesn’t. Many times people say “Sure, it’s OK, not for me though.” That’s easy to understand. We’re all different. What can really stick in the memory is any time a song you like elicits a violently negative reaction.
I’m thinking back to 2004. I was working one afternoon with my full-timer, Kevin. We rarely saw eye to eye on music. He was into…I don’t know, I guess you’d say he was into “Indi” music? He’ll hate me forever for not remembering anything about his musical tastes. I remember a band called Death Cab For Cutie and I’ll always associate that name with Kevin. What happened was, I was really enamored with the Helix documentary 30 Years Of Helix. A very slick and well made DVD, I watched it many times that summer. The end credits went to a Brian Vollmer solo song called “Good Times Don’t Get Better Than This”. It’s an upbeat acoustic song from the Vollmer solo album When Pigs Fly. I hadn’t played that album in ages and had forgotten all about the song, until I saw that DVD. The song was in my head; stuck in a good way.
I put the song on a mix CD, one of my “integrity mixes” (which my old co-worker Kam called generally “quite great”). One night I was playing the mix CD with Kevin, and asked him to listen to the Vollmer song. There is a whistling part at the end that just killed me.
It was a dark time in my life and to find music that made me feel good and positive was rare. Maybe that’s why Kevin just didn’t appreciate “Good Times Don’t Get Better Than This”. For me, it allowed me to envision myself camping outdoors, by the fire, with the best friends, and playing a great song. I hadn’t had that experience yet, but it seemed like a cool setting for a great song.
“What do you think? Great eh?” I asked him
“That…was not good,” he told me bluntly.
“You don’t like it at all?” I asked.
“No, that was a terrible song! It was so cheesey! It sounded like bad campfire rock!”
I was shocked at just how much he hated it. Genuinely shocked. Crushed, even? Maybe it was the campfire singalong quality, but that song was definitely not his thing. I really hoped he’d appreciate it but you can’t force people to like things that they just don’t like. After all, I didn’t like Death Cab For Cutie, and I definitely disliked that Franz Ferdinand they were always playing.
Funny these things that stick in our memories over 20 years later. I can’t remember a single song from a mix CD that he made for me in ages past, but I remember that one song he hated. Psychologists, have at it.
“Good Times Don’t Get Better Than This” lyrics
From When Pigs Fly (1999)
(Gadd, Palleschi, Vollmer, & Weir)
And I said hey! I can’t complain, I’m lucky to be here, With all my friends, good times, Don’t get better than this!
I’ve got a friend, His name his Ed, He accidentally lost his head, You’ll never see him with a frown, ‘Cause he’s positive the negative will never get him down.
And he says hey! I can’t complain, I’m lucky to be here, With all my friends, good times, Don’t get better than this!
And then there’s Joe! He sold his soul for rock and roll, The devil made him do it, Can’t you see? He ain’t gettin’ rich, uh-uh, But he gets around, And there’s a winkle on his face for every road that he’s been down.
And he says hey! I can’t complain, I’m lucky to be here, With all my friends, good times, Don’t get better than this, ah!
(Whistling)
And I said hey! I can’t complain, I’m lucky to be here, With all my friends, good times, Don’t get better than this! And I said hey! I can’t complain, uh-uh! I’m lucky to be here, With all my friends, good times, Don’t get better than this! Well they don’t get better than this!
I am a full time caregiver. It is my blessing, but it is also undeniably a taxing role. I love my beautiful epileptic, and I have come to know the signs when it comes to her health better than my own. I would not trade this role with anyone else, because I would not trust this role to anyone else. There was only ever one other person I trusted to take care of Jen, and that was her mom. Now the job falls solely upon me.
Seizures come in a variety of flavours. Some are simple “zone outs” or absence seizures. Some involve the more stereotypical convulsions. The worst ones involve serious falls and injuries. The ones I have grown to hate the most are what I call “wandering seizures” or “zombie seizures”. In a trance-like state, Jen will wander around the apartment, trying to find an exit. Sometimes she collides with furniture or tries to walk through a wall. In these cases I find myself trying to keep her from injury and guide her back to the bed. This is often impossible. When Jen is in one of these seizure states, she can be all but unstoppable. Even if I am physically blocking her path, she can still manage to unlock and partially open doors in an attempt to get out. She is very strong. In one of those seizure states, she is also very determined. It can take an hour for her to come out of it. That is a long time to keep watch, keep guard, and try to physically keep someone safe.
This week was a bad one. On Saturday, as usual, I struggled with sleep. I wanted to wake up early and get to work on my many creative projects. And so, I did. I was up before 5:00 AM. By 2:00 PM, I needed to crash for a nap. Jen snuggled me to sleep for a bit and then went to go watch the sports coverage on TV. About an hour later, I groggily woke, not fully rested but at least better than before. I heard a banging on the bedroom window and I knew immediately what it was. Most people would be scared shitless. “Who is banging maniacally on my bedroom window?” For me, experience told me what had happened, and a look out the blinds confirmed it. Jen was stuck outside, in the mud and snow wearing just socks on her feet. Her hair was a mess and it was clear she had a zombie seizure. It took what seemed like forever to find a pair of pants and my keys. (I need the keys to get back in.) I threw on some Crocs and ran outside. Jen had already wandered the full length of the parking lot, all the way to the road. A few neighbors were watching – I ignored them, ran to Jen and spun her around 180 degrees.
“What’s going on?” she asked, but I didn’t say much.
“Getting you back inside.”
“To the car?” she asked as we walked past our vehicle.
“No, to bed. Come on, let’s go,” I nudged.
We even have bells attached to our door, so that if Jen walks out unexpectedly, I can hear the door open. Unfortunately this doesn’t help if I am asleep. You can only prepare so much. You can only safeguard so much.
We slowly got ourselves inside, got the socks off, and got her into bed. It felt like forever. I have no idea how long it really took.
I was physically exhausted and sore after only those few minutes of activity. A neighbor knocked on the door to return a blanket that Jen had dropped in the snow. I spotted two cop cars outside, so I knew someone had called 911. Strange that it was two cops and no ambulance.
It often takes me a solid 24 hours to recover from a zombie seizure experience. It takes Jen about the same. Sometimes I feel like a zombie at work, when it happens on a work night.
She’s OK. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be in that state. She won’t remember any of it. I will remember it all. Someone has to. Someone has to accurately tell the neurologist what happened when we see him again. It’s my job to make sure.
RECORD STORE TALES #1235: Revisiting Trillion Dollar Treats
Three years ago, I wanted to replace my old Technics tape deck. The belts were worn out and I don’t have the skill to replace them. I headed over to Max the Axe’s Garage Sale, AKA “Trillion Dollar Treats” and bought a Kenwood. That Kenwood lasted a couple years, but started to act up and crackle when playing tapes recently. I decided to go back to Trillion Dollar Treats and see what Maxie had for sale this time. Max collects old tech, and he had three decks for me to look at.
Unfortunately, Max, our rock star superhero, is recovering from an augmentation. His brand new titanium hip is causing him some pain, but we still managed to find a good tape deck in the collection. Max also had some “not for sale” goodies that I just had to take pictures of, for the memories.
The new tape deck was the mission. I own several things on tape that don’t exist on CD (though as reissues become more comprehensive, that list gets shorter every year). I want to be able to play and archive my cassettes (and any new ones that I buy) without crackle. As time goes on, there are fewer and fewer tracks that only exist on cassette, but I also seem to acquire more tapes as the years go on. I still like the option to play them, and archive the tracks digitally.
Max had several decks, including a rack-mounted one, but I made my choice after only one quick demo. I picked the Onkyo pictured below, and it does indeed sound great. I am considering putting a Helix rarity that I own online, that has now been archived in better quality. Of course, the issue there is, if I put it online, it’s no longer a rarity, is it? Still, my Helix tape sounds better now than in the past 35 years of playing on other decks.
After purchasing my new deck, for which Max threw in two sealed Maxell blank tapes, I had a look around Trillion Dollar Treats to see what else Max had in his collection. While not for sale, the below items tickled my fancy enough to share with you.
NEW! As seen on TV! Curl-A-Dog hot dog slicer. Because who doesn’t need this? Bonus 20 hot dog recipes, in case you’re cooking impaired.
Alterego Voice Decoder! Three different vocal effects for you to use: “Monster”, “Alien” and just an amplification. Masks pictured but not included.
Light-Up Shoelaces! For those who thought my Croclights were cool.
Electric Plane Launcher. From Middlesex University! I do wish I was better at folding paper airplanes. Maybe that is a new hobby I should look into this summer. This can launch them up to four meters! But the warning states, this is NOT a toy.
Golf Selfie Clip. I know Max does enjoy golfing, but now I expect selfies when his hip heals up.
Best of all… the Flying Bat. Only takes 2 AA batteries. I would like to see this baby take on my drone.
Even though all of these things are totally awesome and hilarious, Max did dig up one more thing that is not for sale… yet.
In storage, Max found an old reel to reel tape, a master recording of six songs. It weathered the elements over the decades by remaining sealed in plastic. The tape contains Max the Axe recordings, including versions of songs that we have never heard before, along with some familiar classics: “Please Please”, “Magnum P.I.”, “6 Gun”, “Why Do You Talk” and “401”.
The tape appeared to be in good shape, but later that day, Max acquired a working reel to reel player, just to hear them and hopefully do a transfer. Ultimately we hope these songs will be mastered for release.
It was a great morning spent with Max the Axe at Trillion Dollar Treats. Stay tuned as there should be more music coming in the months ahead, from Max the Swingin’ Axe! Stay tuned, for if we are lucky, more music is coming soon.
RECORD STORE TALES #1233: Mötley Imposter – Inside Scoop!
On December 12, 2025 5:54 pm, I received the email that could shake the very foundations of Motley Crue.
I jest, of course. I debated whether to post this or not, but ultimately decided to release it to the public. I have removed the sender’s name for privacy, but I have not edited their text in any way.
This follows up an article I wrote in 2022 called “Mötley Imposter”. It is the story of Matthew Trippe,who claimed to have replaced Nikki Sixx in Motley Crue at one point in the mid-80s. Though it follows that story, the email I received is about four different bass players, not Trippe!
According to Trippe’s tale, he was hired to “be” the new Nikki, but was fired when the “real” Nikki returned to the band. The year was 1988 and Trippe (reported in some articles as Matthew Von Trippe, getting his middle name John wrong) was featured in an issue of Kerrang. Matthew’s claim was that the real Sixx had a dibilitating car accident in 1982, and so a lookalike (Trippe) was hired to play bass and write music with the band, with no one in the audience being any the wiser. Trippe had tattoos similar to Nikki, and dyed his hair black. The real Nikki Sixx was having his own issues, but being replaced in the Crue was not one of them. Kerrang broke the story in March of ’88, with lawsuits a-flyin’. Trippe wanted compensation for what he claimed were two or three years in Motley Crue.
The lawsuits went nowhere because there was only ever one real Nikki Sixx, but the story has gone on to have a life of its own. Trippe did go down in history as the subject of a Motley Crue song called “Say Yeah”, which is better than he probably deserved. We covered the story on YouTube with Canadian author Brent Jensen, but that was not the last I heard about Matthew John Trippe.
The unedited email I received is below. Apparently the real Nikki Sixx died in 1981 and was replaced by four other bassists in succession. The current Nikki started in 1987. Dig in below…and try not to think too hard!
hello Mike, im emailing you in regards about NIKKI SIXX, The Sixx in Motley Crue today since 1987 -present is not the original Nikki Sixx, the original sixx was Killed in a barfight in 1981, in los angeles , He was replaced by a guy named Pat Searle or sears, who isnt a good bass player but a poser. then Pat had a car accident in 1983 after the US Festival , he was replaced by other understudies which was 3 others , the first 2 of them was from Blackie Lawless previous bands SISTER AND CIRCUS CIRCUS, One is a guitar player named Randy Schatz & A bass player named Joey Palermo , they both have been friends with motley crue since the early days and the other guy is from Vince Neils former band rock candy ,he was the bass player whos tall and skinny and looks like a rock star before the 80s glam look..the guy from Rock Candy definitely was in motley crue as nikki sixx i have photos to prove it.. I dont know his name and his name isnt Joe Marks because Joe Marks has been accounted for in recent years.. the others are ghosts.the bass player from vinces former band rock candy is on google images ..he married Brandy Brandt,see his pictures without make up .,hes also in the Don”t go away mad video” hes the Sixx with the pony tail walking with tommy and mick. im not trying to dog nikki sixx or expose there secrets but the truth must come out sometime..matthew trippe was not in motley crue..he was an obsessed fan with mental issues who kind of stalked the band on tour during those days.,he did get some things right about this present nikki sixx has blue eyes not green..ive seen nikki sixx with green eyes and black or brown eyes in color pictures and it was not nikki sixx. i hope this information helps..None really cares about this information anyway..but is just food for thought. i also have pictures of these guys before motley and during motley . They all got let go becuase the Sixx we see today got stated back in the band in the late early or late 90s to play live because he sucked at playing bass and couldnt keep his time. i hope this helps..and the all probably signed NDAs too. im sure they didnt make alot of money playing that role of nikki sixx..
As for Trippe, who died in 2014, he never came clean about his ruse. He did go down in history as the subject of a Motley Crue song called “Say Yeah”, which is better than he probably deserved!
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