The First 21
The New York Times Bestseller
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The First 21
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Narrated by:
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Nikki Sixx
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By:
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Nikki Sixx
About this listen
The New York Times best seller
Nikki Sixx is one of the most respected, recognisable and entrepreneurial icons in the music industry. As the founder of Mötley Crüe who is now in his 21st year of sobriety, Sixx is incredibly passionate about his craft and wonderfully open about his life in rock and roll and as a person of the world.
Born Franklin Carlton Feranna on December 11, 1958, young Frankie was abandoned by his father and partly raised by his mother, a woman who was ahead of her time in some ways and deeply troubled in others. Frankie ended up living with his grandparents, bouncing from farm to farm and state to state. He was an all-American kid-hunting, fishing, chasing girls and playing football - but underneath it all, there was a burning desire for more, and that more was music. He eventually took a Greyhound bound for Hollywood.
In Los Angeles, Frank lived with his aunt and his uncle - the president of Capitol Records. But there was no short path to the top. He was soon on his own. There were dead-end jobs: dipping circuit boards, clerking at liquor and record stores, selling used light bulbs and hustling to survive. But at night, Frank honed his craft, joining Sister, a band formed by fellow hard-rock veteran Blackie Lawless, and formed a group of his own: London, the precursor of Mötley Crüe. Turning down an offer to join Randy Rhoads' band, Frank changed his name to Nikki London, Nikki Nine and, finally, Nikki Sixx. Like Huck Finn with a stolen guitar, he had a vision: a group that combined punk, glam and hard rock into the biggest, most theatrical and irresistible package the world had ever seen.
With hard work, passion and some luck, the vision manifested in reality - and this is a profound true story finding identity, of how Frank Feranna became Nikki Sixx. And it's a road map to the ways you can overcome anything and achieve all of your goals, if only you put your mind to it.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2021 Nikki Sixx (P)2021 Hachette Audio UKListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The First 21
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- papapownall
- 11-11-21
Frankie died just the other night
Mötley Crüe's book The Dirt was written in 2002 at a time when the members of the band weren't talking to each other and contains some of the most shocking confessions of the excesses of life in a rock band ever. Now a little older and a little wiser, Nikki Sixx spent his lockdown year in the mountains of Wisconsin to contemplate the first 21 years of his life and how he morphed from Frankie Feranna Jr to the iconic rock star that he is today. I have always had a soft spot for Mötley Crüe having paid an eye watering amount for an import copy of their debut album Too Fast For Love on Leathür Records in 1981 (I lent it to someone and never got it back!) and have followed them ever since.
Son of an Italian immigrant, we hear how young Frankie had a passion for rock music from an early age and spent his teenage years in bands with Blackie Lawless (later of WASP) and Nigel Benjamin (formerly of Mott the Hoople). We can only imagine what it would have been if Sweet front man and glam rock legend Brain Connolly had agreed to join the young Sixx in one of his formative bands. Nikki Sixx is shameless in admitting that much of rock music is stolen and even admits stealing his stage name from a girlfriend's former boyfriend who, bizarrely, is now a born again Christian. It was perhaps the never say die attitude that resulted in Frankie Feranna breaking through to the big time. Young Frankie may well have died when he turned 21 and answered the call to join Mötley Crüe, with his four string knife and his streetwise pride. The boy was a man before his time.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- lakelandgirl
- 02-01-22
Better than expected
I wasn't sure if this was for me but I thoroughly enjoyed it and was surprised how quickly I finished it. Nikki Sixx was easy to listen to and I will now look for his other books.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Craig
- 09-01-22
Fantastic
incredible story, motivational and relatable, we are all human and walk down different paths simply by the choices we make, buy this book and you will u destiny what I mean......Enjoy
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nikki
- 14-07-22
Brilliant you say?
As a lifelong Mötley Crüe fan this was a must read, as were the Heroin Diaries and The Dirt.
Brilliantly written, brilliantly read both by a quite brilliant man.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MattWarren
- 11-10-23
Something New
I thought I’d read all there was to know about Nikki from other books and years of Kerrang! etc. back in the day. But… this book is a joy to listen to - as a ‘wannabe’ musician since the 80s it’s inspirational and interesting and nice that Nikki remembered and gave credit to those he met and worked with on the way. Great tips for songwriters and a tale of triumph in the face of adversity - but, I doubt Nikki would see it that way, its just his life and all he knew. Personally, well worth a listen or read. Great song at the end too.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr Sammy Lee
- 16-02-22
Inspirational early years of sir Sixx
A good dude with a sincere passion for music and creativity, this is a really inspiring story of pre Motley Nikki and brings out a very humble, human side to sixx's personality. I enjoyed it very much.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- scott ryder
- 10-07-23
Brilliantly Told
Great Story very interesting never got board once brilliantly written.
Its nice to hear how someone you’ve admired most of your life became who they became highly recommended.
Audible version is even better as Nikki narrates.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- P R Baker
- 09-11-22
Listen to the dirt book instead
I'm a Motley Crue fan, but I can quickly sum up the limited additional info you will get from reading this.
1 - His biological father is now mentioned as this creative artist/architect who split up with his Mum.
The story about phoning him and being told "I have no son" and then changing his
name to Nikki Sixx has been dropped.
2 - His Uncle worked at Capitol records, but chose not to sign Motley Crue.
3 - London (his former band) seemed to bigger locally in LA than I imagined. The ex Mott the Hoople singer Nigel Benjamin
had a vocal range across all the octaves. He didn't seem that keen on Nigel Benjamin, who quit when they weren't going to make it. He thought of having the ex Sweet singer to replace him.
The rest is all in the book "The dirt", so save yourself the time reading this
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