Nikki Sixx Plots Post-Motley Crue Life With Sixx:A.M. Albums, Tour

When Nikki Sixx calls into Rolling Stone, he’s gearing up for the kickoff of another round of North American dates as part of Mötley Crüe‘s extensive Final Tour farewell jaunt. And with the first show of this newest leg scheduled for Thursday night in Anchorage, Alaska, the bassist has important things on his mind. Like, for instance, how many clean socks he needs to pack for the road.

“Right now,” he tells Rolling Stone, “I have 12 pairs.”

When it’s pointed out that this run of shows stretches well into September, Sixx remains unruffled. “Well then, looks like it’s not gonna make it!”

The 56-year-old bassist remains in high spirits these days, even as he’s settling into the fact that Mötley Crüe’s final tour date, scheduled for New Year’s Eve at the Staples Center in the band’s hometown of Los Angeles, is rapidly approaching: “I looked at a calendar the other day, and I had January 2nd, [2016] marked off, because it’s my daughter’s birthday,” he says. “And I just stared at it and thought, Oh, I won’t be in Mötley Crüe anymore…”

Which is okay, he says, because even as the curtain comes down on the Crue, for Sixx, there will be no rest for the wicked. In February, the bassist will join up with his other band, Sixx:A.M., to begin rehearsals for a major tour — just one component in what will be a big year for the group. Along with the extensive live dates, encompassing two years of roadwork, the three-piece — which includes Guns N’ Roses guitarist DJ Ashba and singer James Michael — will release two full-length albums of new material in 2016.

“[Mötley Crüe fans] are gonna fucking lose their shit” – Nikki Sixx on new Sixx:A.M. albums

The pair of as-yet-untitled records, for which Sixx says the band has 24 finished songs, will serve as the follow-up to 2014’s well-received Modern Vintage. “They’ll be companion pieces, named Volume One and Volume Two, and they’ll come out with a little bit of space between them,” he says. “Because when a band releases a double album, a lot of times, about halfway through the second record, you say, ‘Sounds like they ran out of gas…’ So by putting them out separately we’ll give the fans time to absorb each one fully. They’ll get the first one. They’ll stream it. They’ll feel it. They’ll hear it live. And then it’ll be, ‘Here comes another one…’ “