Nikki Sixx to do radio show

By John Benson

Taking radio to the “Wild Side” is the goal behind Motley Cr ºe bassist Nikki Sixx’s new syndicated radio show “Sixx Sense,” which begins airing at 7 p.m. Monday on WNCD-FM 93.3 in Youngstown.

Known as one of rock ’n’ roll’s bad boys, who technically once died of a heroin overdose before being revived, Sixx aims to entertain rock listeners from a Los Angeles studio with pop-culture celebrity interviews, new music and tales from his rock-star life.

Joining him in-studio weeknights will be co-host Kerri Kasem, daughter of legendary disc jockey Casey Kasem. The Vindicator talked to Sixx last week.

Q. Aside from touring commitments with Motley Cr ºe or side project Sixx: A.M, not to mention your interests in writing books and designing clothes, how will you fit a radio show into your already-busy schedule?

A. It is time-consuming. But the good news is that you can do radio from anywhere you are. So as a traveling musician or other ventures that I’m in, when it does take me out of Los Angeles, I can take the show with me, which I’m excited about. The show is recorded throughout the day and chopped together. So I’m able to really have the time to put together the show the way I feel, and the team feels, is the best way to put it together. At this point, it’s not live, and there will be live elements in the future. But the ability to work and put it together in a really tight format, I’m very excited about that.

Q. Was hosting a radio show something you always had on a to-do list?

A. I never really sat there and said this is what I want to do. When the opportunity came, it made so much sense. When I first fell in love with radio, I was a kid. Since that moment, radio has always caught my attention, and that’s how I first got turned on to all of the bands I loved. The first time I ever heard Motley Cr ºe on the radio and heard them say, “That’s a new band out of Los Angeles called Motley Cr ºe,” I was just like sitting there with my jaw hanging open. I heard the song a thousand times. I wrote the song, so why would it be that exciting for me? It’s because it was coming through the radio.

Q. Your fascination with radio aside, what makes you think “Sixx Sense” will work?

A. This isn’t a money gig. If somebody said you’re doing radio for the money, you’d have to laugh. I’m doing it because I love it. And I love the opportunity to do something and put 100 percent into it and share my experiences. I think it’s going to be successful because of the passion and my life experience. I mean I know David Lee Roth had a show, and I never heard it. I’m a big fan of David Lee Roth. I know Alice [Cooper] has a show, and I’ve been on it. I’m a fan of Alice. I can’t really speak for other people. I can just speak for what we have in our team and what we’re doing on a multitude of levels.

Q. Finally, looking ahead to the first week, what can fans expect to hear when listening to “Sixx Sense?”

A. Ozzy [Ozzy Osbourne] is [this] week. And we have Dog the Bounty Hunter. Everybody that comes across the desk I’m able to say yes or no to, and that’s a really great feeling. So Ozzy is cool. We love his music. We love his personality. We want to support him. Dog the Bounty Hunter is completely white trash and off the rails. We love him. We’re really into taking people from all walks of life because I think that gives the show a balance, instead of being just musicians or gossipy.