WI: Nikki Sixx died from his overdose?

In 1987, Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue was revived with two shots of adrenaline after a near-fatal overdose. This event inspired 'Kickstart My Heart' on the seminal Crue album Dr Feelgood.

But what if the paramedic was unable to revive him?

Would Motley Crue stay together? Sixx wrote most of the material.

Would this impact GN'R? Slash was present during his OD; he also was present during the OD of Jetboy bassist Todd Crew who wasn't so lucky - would this count against him?

How would this affect Glam Metal as a whole?
 
You have killed Glam Metal. Mötley Crüe was very popular in the 80s, not only because of their music but also because of the members' "sex, drugs and rock & roll" lifestyle. Nikki Sixx's death by overdose could kickstart, instead of his heart, an huge backlash against the genre as a whole. And, of course, we would not have Dr. Feelgood, that has probably been in OTL the most critically acclaimed album by Mötley Crüe.

That said, the fact that Nikki Sixx, a man that has tried every single drug ever made, looks like he's in his late 20s while being in his 50s, is astonishing. :eek:
 
You have killed Glam Metal. Mötley Crüe was very popular in the 80s, not only because of their music but also because of the members' "sex, drugs and rock & roll" lifestyle. Nikki Sixx's death by overdose could kickstart, instead of his heart, an huge backlash against the genre as a whole. And, of course, we would not have Dr. Feelgood, that has probably been in OTL the most critically acclaimed album by Mötley Crüe.

That said, the fact that Nikki Sixx, a man that has tried every single drug ever made, looks like he's in his late 20s while being in his 50s, is astonishing. :eek:

I love Glam Metal :eek: It can't die!!! Maybe it would go into hibernation...

BUT another band could fill the void. GN'R? Skid Row? Hell.. Circus of Power?
 
I love Glam Metal :eek: It can't die!!! Maybe it would go into hibernation...

BUT another band could fill the void. GN'R? Skid Row? Hell.. Circus of Power?

Nikki Sixx's death by overdose would have an even bigger impact on Glam Metal than the rise of Grunge did in OTL. I seriously doubt that, in the decade following Nikki Sixx's funeral, any band even remotely associated with the genre would find a place in the mainstream. The genre would die in the late 80s instead of doing so in the early 90s.
 
I think it would also be a kick in the ass for the Thrash scene, since Dave Mustaine of Megadeth was known for taking a LOT of drugs (as well as supporting the IRA, which nearly got him killed once). As well as that, Joey Belladonna of Anthrax and Metallica were alcoholic.
 
I agree with Neoteros; Sixx was (and is) Motley Crue, not only in terms of songwriting, but also in terms of marketing and overall vision for the band.

GN'R's Appetite for Destruction has been out for six months and has already been to #1, so even though Sixx's death would affect GN'R (I think they were touring together at or around the time), I don't think it would change the overall trajectory. Slash is still going to be an off-again, on-again heroin junkie, and Axl is still going to be Axl. (In other words: watching Sixx almost die IOTL didn't really change anyone's consuming habits -- even Sixx's! -- so I can't see that it would make much of a difference if he actually did die.)

In his autobiography, Slash describes Motley Crue as "the only glam band we had any respect for," so I could see Tommy Lee and Vince Neil either in the post-Slash GN'R or (alternatively) in Slash's Snakepit.

I think glam metal as a whole is going to solider on; after all, Poison released Look What the Cat Dragged In in '86, Cinderella released their debut album, etc., so you still have those hits. What I think changes is the OTL's 'Sunset Strip' mythology as the birthplace of glam metal; ITTL, that scene is more likely to remain largely underground instead of being thrust into the spotlight. (GN'R never really considered themselves a Strip band; their first big tour was in Seattle, of all places.)
 
Oh Andrew T... I KNEW you was going to post :p

But maybe Nikki Sixx's demise would bring about the death of Glam but not Sleaze.

Sleaze is harder hitting Rock N' Roll influenced by AC/DC, Rolling Stones & Aersmith. Maybe GN'R could pave the way for bands like Vain, Circus of Power and Alleycat Scratch because Glam wouldn't pose much of a threat.

It would be a good rival for Thrash!
 
A lot of bands who were strung out would definitely decide to go clean so "what happened to nikki wont happen to us". Also, Aerosmith might be even bigger in this timeline since they WON their battle against drug addiction. We'd also see a lot of anti-drug songs as well, with many "dedicated" to nikki.
 

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I think glam metal as a whole is going to solider on; after all, Poison released Look What the Cat Dragged In in '86, Cinderella released their debut album, etc., so you still have those hits. What I think changes is the OTL's 'Sunset Strip' mythology as the birthplace of glam metal; ITTL, that scene is more likely to remain largely underground instead of being thrust into the spotlight. (GN'R never really considered themselves a Strip band; their first big tour was in Seattle, of all places.)

I think it was Duff McKagan who said he left Seattle for Hollywood because you could, "Get to the top in Seattle and still be nowhere." :D

More seriously, I think Hysteria had been released but I'm not sure if Sixx's overdose would have taken place before or after they released "Pour Some Sugar On Me" as a single, which was what really broke the album. If Behind the Music is anything to go by, Def Leppard were pretty heavily into drugs and booze at the time, but they looked clean.

I wonder how the Music Music Peace Festival would be affected. It was organised to highlight the drug problems in the USSR in 1989.
 

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Maybe this could butterfly away the death of Steve Clark? :D

Phil Collen went teetotal in the late-eighties, and it's been suggested that the loss of his drinking buddy, somebody who could keep an eye on him and help to curb his worst excesses, might have exacerbated Steve's alcoholism (granted, it's Steve's ex-girlfriend who made this argument).

Maybe Nikki Sixx's fatal overdose would compel Phil to try even harder to persuade Steve to moderate his drinking?
 

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Maybe Poison would become more popular; they were closest to Mötley Crüe aesthetically and they'd already had a hit single ("Talk Dirty To Me") and an album that had sold pretty well.
 
Oops forget them :p but seriously, I could see Southern Rock getting a look in... Ugly Kid Joe and the like. They had similar Hard Rock stylings but they fitted in with Gen X of the 90's.
 
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