Nikki Sixx

The Honest to Goodness Actual True Story of WhereThe Name
“ NIKKI SIXX “ Came From.

Somewhere late in the year 1975, having just returned from a few years in a band In San Francisco known as the “ JUSTICE BROTHERS “ with a young SAMMY HAGAR, I started a band called “ SQUEEZE “ in the Southern California area . Squeeze played frequentlyIn such places as “ Eros Bogarts “ in San Bernardino, “ Ichabods “ in Fullerton, The “ Gasser “ [ later renamed “ Squeeze’s Place “] in Riverside, and other places named “ Jaws “ and the “ Cuckoos Nest “ in Costa Mesa. We certainly were not your typical “ top 40 “ type band, But more of a group that specialized in “ Arena Rock “ type material of bands like LED ZEPPELIN, ALICE COOPER, KISS, and QUEEN, mixed with the fusion style of JEFF BECK as well as The “ funk “ of classic soul music and groups like TOWER OF POWER.

Somewhere in that year I began to feel that my real name “ Jeff Nicholson “ wasn’t quite “ rock star “ sounding enough for me. Since my last name was Nicholson, my first decision Was to call myself “NIKI OLSON”… However, after awhile I wasn’t all that convinced . Then I discovered that the drummer in ELTON JOHN’S band name was “NIGEL OLSEN”, So……..back to the old drawing board . I liked the “NIKI” part , so I began to search for Another last name . One day, while driving in Newport Beach , I happened to pull behind A Mercedes Benz , and on the back of that car’s license plate were the words “ NIKI 6 “ . I thought…..” cool , no rock star has ever had a number for a last name that I’m aware of “. So on that fateful day in 1975 I became a guy known as “ NIKI SYXX “ spelling it with One “ K “ and a “ Y “, [ unlike the eventual spelling of the name “ Nikki Sixx “ by the guy In MOTLEY CRUE ].

Shortly thereafter I started dating a girl named Beth Salvatore , and one night she Happened to ask me… “where did you get the name ‘ Niki Syxx ‘ ???” . I told her that I got it off a Mercedes Benz in Newport Beach . Her response to me was rather “mystical” to say the least . She said, “That was my mothers car !!… ‘Niki’ was her first name, and the number ‘6’ represented the number of people in our family !”

Soon there after in Squeeze’s history, a girl named Annette Diehl came into the picture . She took many pictures of the band, and even did an article in a Fullerton newspaper dated Friday July 30, 1976 . She later moved to Los Angeles, changing her name to “Angie Saxon”, as she wanted to be a lead singer in a rock band . She soon became involved with a bass player by the name of Frank Feranna . She told me years later ( when I ask her how this guy Frank ended up choosing this name for himself ) that one day he opened one of her photo albums and saw pictures of my band Squeeze . My pictures all identified me as “Niki Syxx” . She told me he was simply fascinated by the name … and I believe she told me he even sort of chanted the name for a time . Finally he asked her what I was doing at the time ( 1979ish ) and I think she told him I was in a surf band ( which would have been Jon and the Nightriders ), and may have told him I had become a Christian and didn’t think I was still using the name . Soon there after he decided to use the name, only spelling it differently ( Nikki Sixx ) . He officially legalized the name as his own in November 1980 .

Now in Motley Crue’s book entitled “ The Dirt”, Frank stated that I was Angie’s boyfriend, some “surfer” from Indiana . Well … sort of true . I did have a brief fling with Angie … but for the record, I have never surfed in my life ( especially not in Indiana !! hahaha ), and only once in my life even ever visited the state !! How the “Indiana” thing transpired, I don’t know . I guess the “surfer” part came from the fact that I was in a surf band . Nikki has also stated in their book that over the years there were a few “nutcases” claiming to be the “original” Niki Syxx . One in particular he mentions during their “Girls Girls Girls” tour was some religious fanatic spoutin’ off all sorts of strangeness at him . Let me say publicly that that guy was not me !!… no way !! I have NEVER harassed Nikki in any way shape or form . I have no idea who those people were . People were always saying to him that they had seen him in Jon and the Nightriders, which poses one problem … I am left handed … and Nikki Sixx in Motley Crue is right handed . So somebody wasn’t paying much attention to this little fact .

In any case, again setting the record straight, I have NEVER met Nikki Sixx, Nor was I ever really bothered by him using the name . It was simply a persona I had made up once upon a time and ironically gave up about the same time he decided to use it . I publicly acknowledge that he is truly the REAL Nikki Sixx for all intents and purposes . He is more “Nikki Sixx” than I ever was !! … and he is the one who truly made the name popular . He is certainly the rightful owner of that name both legally and spiritually .

I lay no claim to the name because it was just a part of my past . I DO acknowledge however that I did indeed become a Christian in 1979, and that I did write a track entitled “ Confessions of a Rocker “ that was distributed all over the world during those years . I also toured across the United States for a time doing rock seminars at various churches, but I NEVER ever denounced or slammed him personally , or branded his style of music as being “satanic”… contrary to what some may have said over the years . Honestly, I don’t believe that a “style” of music is “satanic“, nor have I ever believed it !!…………… but that whole topic is certainly a whole other discussion .

So for the record, in closing , I think it’s a shame that Nikki has for all these years thought that I was probably very mad at him ... And its just not the case . I must say that I would like to meet this guy someday … I just think it should probably happen !!…… so to quote an old “War” song … “Why can’t we be friends??”……………… and THAT is the real story of the name “Niki Syxx”.