Matthew Trippe fellow was simply an impostor who should be ignored. I wrote back to the Man
in the Iron Mask, asking for some evidence. Along came a series of letters crammed with
anecdotes about the band, song lyrics [some “uncensored” from the sanitized versions on the
albums], mail from fans, and - the Lamborghini traffic ticket:
Sixx’ application to enter the Temple of Set was reviewed by the Council of Nine at the
Temple's Conclave in Las Vegas at the end of October. On one hand there was sympathy for an
avowed Satanist, particularly one who had stuck to his guns under such adverse conditions. On
the other hand it seemed inadvisable to admit someone under indictment for armed robbery,
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bail jumping, and Smokey-and-the-Bandit car-chases at precisely the moment when Satanism
was being pilloried in the media for heavy metal horror and criminal activity. Ultimately it was
agreed that admissions to the Temple should be based solely on the sincerity and capability of
the aspirant, whether or not it might be convenient for the Temple in terms of public relations.
Nikki Sixx was admitted as a Setian I° on Halloween.
His ordeal in Florida, however, was only just beginning. Present in the audience at his trial on
August 13, he recalls, were Mötley Crüe producer Tom Werman, director Daniel “Doc” McGhee,
Ozzy Osbourne, and Brian Johnson [of the band AC/DC]. Sixx did not have an attorney and was
assigned public defender David Mourik, who told him that the prosecution had an ironclad case
and advised him to plead “no contest”.
Trusting Mourik’s advice, Sixx did so and was returned to jail - for another three months - to
await sentencing. In early November he was sentenced to pay a fine, six months' probation, and
2 years’ community control (a form of house arrest, which would restrict him to Florida). Since
the bookstore owner had testified that the robbery had occurred in order to support drug habits,
Sixx said, he was also ordered to attend a drug rehabilitation program.
What he did not yet know was that the establishment in question turned out to incorporate
intensive Christian-fundamentalist religious programming as well. The community control and
drug-rehabilitation sentence seemed odd to Sixx, who did not have a drug habit [nor, as a
successful rock musician with a sizable income, would he need to rob a bookstore in order to
support one]. And that wasn’t the trial’s only surprise, as he wrote to me:
This is weird. The dude who planned it was found “Not Guilty”. He's the one who robbed
the man. Jeff was in the car and got 3-1/2 years. I was blamed as the mastermind and I got 2-6
months. Strange as hell!
But anything, even a drug program, seemed better than the Collier County Jail, so Sixx
reported to the “New Life Center” of Fern House, Inc. in West Palm Beach. His initial joy at
being out of jail [“Beds - real beds! - TV, couches, pop & candy machines!”] soon changed to
apprehension when he began to realize what he had walked into. “It’s a church of God, and they
preach that you should accept God in your Will. Screw them! All you really need is faith in
yourself. They’re the types that want one to ask for forgiveness and to be ‘Born Again’. These
people are brainwashed. Rules here are strict: No playing rock music or wearing T-shirts that
invoke the Devil.” And:
They cut my hair! And I mean it is short. They cut all the black off and left me with only
short brown hair, and then denied me the right to dye it, saying: “It is the work of the Devil.”
A short haircut could perhaps be survived, if not enjoyed - but other, more ominous
developments began to be communicated by Sixx via phone calls during the following weeks: He
was forbidden to communicate with friends from his “former life”. He was forbidden to go into a
music store. Mail addressed to him was intercepted, confiscated, and/or destroyed. Even his
guitar was confiscated. Verbal abuse and intimidation by the staff became a daily routine. Even
his telephone calls to me were cut short abruptly by the staff after one or two minutes. It seemed
that a systematic effort was underway, first to cut off all of Sixx’ contact with anyone who had
known him as the insidious heavy metal Satanist, and then to work on him psychologically until
he had completely lost his identity and could be reprogramed into a good little Born-Again
Christian.
Increasingly concerned over Sixx’ plight, I asked Tom Traxinger, the Court Counselor who
had assigned Sixx to Fern House, to investigate. He did so - with the result that, after his query
had been fielded, Sixx called to say that he had been promptly hauled before one of the program
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directors, told that he would now be permanently restricted to the premises, that his phone
calls would henceforth be restricted as well, and that the slightest infraction would result in his
immediate return to jail. He was told that the the Temple of Set is “a sick, crazed cult” with
which he should have nothing more to do.
At this news I wrote to the head of Fern House, promising public exposure of the treatment
Sixx was receiving unless his human and civil rights were immediately and meticulously
respected. The result was (a) a phone call from the program director saying that he “didn’t take
lightly to threats”, and (b) Nikki Sixx being dumped at the West Palm Beach bus station at 8 PM
with $2 in his pocket and a warning that he had until 1 PM the following day to report to his
probation officer - 200 miles away in Naples!
Sixx called Temple of Set Priest Roger Whitaker from the bus station, and Whitaker offered
to wire him funds for transportation. Sixx, however, was able to obtain emergency travel funds
from Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee and complete the journey in time.
Lodged with friends in Naples, Sixx thought his troubles at an end. He began to speak about
forming a new band, of returning to his musical career.
It seems that the vested interests behind Mötley Crüe thought otherwise. With the original
Nikki Sixx safely out of circulation in jail or a religious-deprogramming/ drug-rehabilitation
program, the replacement Sixx could continue to perform with the band until fans had grown
completely accustomed to him. But the house of cards was beginning to tremble. Sixx’ ex-
manager told him that Elektra was beginning to receive mail and phone calls from confused fans
voicing suspicion about Ferraro. Sixx added that he was called by Doc McGhee, who said that if
he continued to assert his identity, the company would prosecute him for fraud and see that he
was returned to jail.
Then Sixx’ ex-manager called the family with whom he was staying, warning them that he
was schizophrenic and quite possibly a physical danger to them. She phoned Priest Whitaker,
first saying that she was just a housewife who had never worked as Sixx’ manager, then relaying
the same warnings about prosecution of Sixx should he refuse to cooperate in the Ferraro
substitution. Priest Whitaker recommended an attorney to aid Sixx in a legal claim for his name,
musical accomplishments, and royalties. Sixx responded that Gene Simmons of KISS had
advised him against confronting Elektra until he had first made his plight known to his many
fans and rallied popular support behind him.
/> So the Man in the Iron Mask remains today in Naples, Florida on probation and under
“community control”, while the current “Nikki Sixx” works on a fourth album with the other
three members of Mötley Crüe. Through the kind interest of Paul Kantner, he has been referred
to a skilled attorney specializing in the music business, who hopefully will see fit to take his case.
What exactly is going on here? Part of the answer comes from Adept Demon O’Brien, who
reports from contacts in the music business that, due to the Neil disaster and the whopping $2
million fine it entailed, Mötley Crüe is in dire financial straits. One speculates that corporate
interests advanced this sum on condition that the group adhere to puritan standards of personal
behavior henceforth, the idea being that the Crüe was still a good bet as a moneymaker but that
any more adverse publicity could destroy it permanently.
If it were ever contemplated in 1984 that Sixx’ armed-robbery charge could be survived, that
option probably went out the window at the end of the year when the Neil accident occurred.
It does seem peculiar that Sixx, who just drove the robber to his destination, not knowing
that a robbery would occur, would be advised to plead “no contest” to an armed robbery felony
charge and be found guilty - while the actual perpetrator was found “not guilty”. It also seems
peculiar that the executives behind Mötley Crüe would not have provided Sixx with privately-
retained legal counsel to fight for his innocence.
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Then there is the nature of Sixx’ sentence, which appears tailor-made to keep him (a) stuck in
Florida and (b) out of circulation in “community control” (house arrest) preceded by a “religious
deprogramming” operation which, if it had been allowed to control Sixx totally without external
attention, might have succeeded in destroying or seriously damaging his unique artistic and
Satanic personality.
If Sixx had received his just due “behind the scenes”, with Elektra sending him regular
royalties for his musical work, it could at least be assumed that the best was being made of a
situation which, if known publicly, might have resulted in the total ruin of the band. However the
attempt to "erase" Sixx seems to have extended into monetary matters as well. Sixx states that he
has seen no money from Warner’s/Elektra at all since the beginning of 1985, and that checks
from them in late 1984 were in the form of intermittent “pocket money” payments. On calling
Elektra in New York in mid-85, he was told to “be patient”, and later that his earnings were being
placed in an “escrow account”. He says that Mick Mars alerted him to the odd fact that the
Florida state envelope containing the letter about this escrow account was actually postmarked
in Los Angeles.
So it looks as though a deliberate decision were made to disconnect Matthew Trippe from his
identity as Nikki Sixx, both publicly and - insofar as possible - psychologically. It is not known
exactly who made such a decision. Whether or not the other three original members of Mötley
Crüe anticipated the ordeal Sixx would endure as a consequence, the longer the Ferraro
replacement persisted, the more they were trapped into continuing with it. Even Ferraro himself,
whether or not he believed the replacement a temporary stand-in, is now stuck in the stage
persona - which, in the long run, will probably prove as unfortunate for him as for Sixx - since,
no matter how talented he may be, he is replacing another. Mars and Lee, at least, seem to have
enough concern and affection for their old friend that they have stayed in occasional touch with
him and on at least one occasion helped him with funds.
To merely expose the situation before the public eye might do damage that would help no
one. Any corporate backers would promptly write off Mötley Crüe as a loss. Mars, Lee, and Neil
would be disgraced for appearing to have cooperated in the abandonment and suppression of
their old comrade. Ferraro would appear to have exploited Sixx’ misfortunes and have deceived
Sixx fans. And the real Nikki Sixx, after receiving an initial burst of publicity and sympathy,
would remain saddled with a felony conviction and denied any royalties deserved from
Warner’s/Elektra.
A better solution might be for an out-of-court, private settlement to secure for Sixx the past/
present/future royalties he deserves, as well as the right to publicly assert the name Nikki Sixx as
soon as the probation/community control is lifted. Alexandre Dumas’ story suggests a magically-
appropriate end to the whole story, wherein - by advance agreement - Ferraro slips quietly out of
the Nikki Sixx role and the real one just as quietly slips back into it!
A move should also be made to throw out the felony conviction, if in fact Sixx were not a
knowing participant in the robbery and did nothing more than drive the perpetrators to the
scene, then flee it in panic. He could presumably be criticized for poor taste in choosing friends,
and penalized for fleeing the scene of a crime with the perpetrator - but that is a far cry from a
felony conviction for armed robbery on his record, which will haunt and cripple him throughout
his life.
Like Milton’s Satan, Nikki Sixx attained great heights only to fall to the lowest depths. The
issue is now whether, also like Satan, he will be able to rise again to a greater dignity than before:
a dignity born of the ordeals he has undergone and survived - loss of fame, wealth, freedom, the
near-loss of his very personality and name. If teenaged fans once cheered him as a symbol of
adolescent Sturm und Drang, people of all ages may now cheer him as one of those very
uncommon, very noble individuals who would risk all, endure all - rather than refuse to Be.
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* * * * *
Shortly after the first contact from this mysterious individual, I asked Temple of Set Adept
Demon O’Brien, a music industry professional and close personal friend of KISS’ Gene Simmons,
if she could verify his story. O’Brien telephoned me on January 4, 1986 to say that she had just
met with Simmons in Knoxville, Tennessee, where KISS was doing a concert, and that he had
confirmed to her that Matthew Trippe was indeed the original Nikki Sixx - but that, since KISS
was also signed with Elektra, he would not say anything publicly about it. With this confirmation
[and the traffic ticket], I decided to run the Runes story.
Subsequently both the American Rolling Stone (June 1988) and the British Kerrang! (March
1988) and New Musical Express (January 1988) ran major stories on the Sixx/Trippe
controversy. A lawsuit initiated by Trippe was dismissed for not falling within the statute of
limitations. Warner’s/Elektra and the four current members of Mötley Crüe have steadfastly
maintained that there is no truth whatever to Trippe’s account of events. He himself, in Internet
interviews, continues to assert it to this day.
The Nine Unknown
- by -
Nikki Sixx II°
May XXII ÆS
In the Eye of Set
There lurks a mysterious,
Invisible Force:
The Council of Nine.
They gather and frown
At the Christians’ cross
In mourning for man
And for his mind’s l
oss.
Then, in a final flash of glory,
Set
Shalt thou come
To grace the night.
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14: The Abased Eighties II:
A Tree in the North
The threat of your destruction grows as a tree in the north; its branches reach to cover
the Earth with misery and despair; it consumes being night and day; it slays as the
scorpion; it poisons the very air with its stench. This is the doom whose triumph would
destroy you as would the rupture of the Earth itself. Then this one growth would nourish
thousands, even as a foulness of heart perverts the mind. And then woe, woe, woe, woe,
woe, woe, yes, woe to the Earth, for its foulness will be great. Heed well the warning of this
Word.
- Tenth Part of the Word of Set
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s it was fun to be first a Satanist and later a Setian in
America.
As recounted in my Church of Satan history, Satanists were generally regarded as the most
colorful, exciting, and amusing extreme of what was popularly called the “Occult Revival”
movement. Both Anton LaVey’s original Central Grotto in San Francisco and the various local
Grottos that sprang up around the country became something akin to fashion statements in their
locales. They were exciting to join or visit; their rituals and ceremonies could be counted upon to
be spooky, spectacular, scary, and slapstick. A local Satanist, or better yet Priest or Priestess of
the Church, was a guaranteed draw for any kind of lecture, seminar, media talk show, or
Halloween party.
Even conventional churches, which one would think would be horrified at such a sinister
competitor in their midst, often found themselves enjoying the novelty in spite of themselves.
After all, it gave them something tangible to righteously denounce. It got them into show biz too,
because local television and radio stations quickly figured out that the best debate opponent for a
professional Satanist was a professional Christian.
And Hollywood happily fanned the flames. From Rosemary’s Baby in 1966 to The Exorcist in
1974, showdowns between the Devil and God were big box-office.
The Temple of Set I Page 23