Netflix’s The Dirt was surprisingly well-received by rock n roll loyalists even though fans initially had some issues with the film’s casting. The film based on the collective Motley Crue autobiography titled The Dirt: Confessions Of The World’s Most Notorious Rock Band stayed true to the spirit of the book, in most aspects and only took a few liberties.
The band members have also revealed that the film which had been stuck in development for a decade was released on Netflix because most production companies had tried to sanitize some of the events and mellow down some of the more graphic elements. Here are some of the things shown in The Dirt which may seem crazy but are actually true:
Nikki Six Really Did Die For Two Minutes
In the film, shortly after Nikki’s wedding to Heather Locklear, he overdoses on heroin and is declared dead. He is brought back to life by a paramedic who’s a huge Motley Crue fan, with the help of two shots of adrenaline.
In 1987 Nikki was actually declared legally dead for two minutes on the way to the hospital after a heroin overdose and the medics had to administer adrenaline into his heart. In The Dirt, Nikki convinces the band to go to rehab following this incident.
The Opening Scene Totally Happened… Probably More Than Once
The Dirt’s explicit opening scene startled many first-time viewers since it featured the lead vocalist of the band, Tommy Lee pleasuring a woman in the middle of a raunchy, drug-fueled bash in his apartment. According to the real-life Nikki Six the opening is based on truth.
And considering Motley Crue’s reputation, sex, drugs and rock n roll were natural aspects of their lifestyle, so it should come as no shock. Nikki also revealed during the release of the film, that a certain CEO of a production house had refused to make the film if the opening scene wasn't removed, which was why they approached Netflix who agreed to keep it intact.
Tommy Really Punched His Fiancee
Tommy’s abuse of his former wife Pamela Anderson is no secret but in the film Tommy is also shown physically assaulting another woman who was briefly his fiancee. Though she is called Roxie in the film, in real life her name was Honey.
In The Dirt Tommy’s mom called her a groupie and they get into a very heated argument following which Tommy punched her in the face. In reality, though Tommy did punch his fiancee in the face, it was after a fight in the limo where she had been repeatedly abusing Tommy’s mom.
The Death Of Vince’s Daughter
In The Dirt, Vince comes from a world tour to discover that his wrestler wife Sharise has left him with their daughter Skylar. A few months later Skylar died of stomach cancer at the age of four.
This tragedy is based on truth; Vince’s daughter really did die of cancer at that tender age, but by then Vince had already separated from his wife. In fact, Vince has talked quite a bit about how difficult it was for him to cope with his daughter’s death.
Mick Mars’s Ailment
In The Dirt, Mick Mars suffers from ankylosing spondylitis which is a type of arthritis and can cause long-term damage to one’s spine. In real-life too, Mars was diagnosed with the condition when he was just seventeen.
In fact, Mick even talked to Game of Thrones star Iwan Rheon, who plays him in the film that the condition makes one feel like their spine has turned into slow-drying concrete. The one inaccuracy in the movie is the year he got it fixed. In real life he got a hip replacement surgery around 2004, whereas in the film he receives it around 1996.
Tommy Vomiting On A Stripper
In the film, Tommy Lee gets drunk at a strip club, grabs a stash of notes from one of his bandmates, moves to the stage and starts making it rain on the stripper, until he throws up on one of them.
This is based on a true incident, when Tommy had actually vomited on a stripper in the eighties. The makers reportedly got a real-life stripper for this scene and she suggested that Machine Gun Kelly who plays Tommy actually vomit on her.
Vince Neil’s Car Crash
This incident has actually been truthfully depicted in the film. In 1984, Vince Neil was driving drunk and had an accident which led to the death of a twenty-something drummer.
Neil and Razzle were on their way home from a liquor store and their car collided with an oncoming vehicle. Neil's blood alcohol level reportedly 0.17, which is above California's then-legal limit of 0.10. He spent 19 days in prison, and got five years probation and also had to pay $2.6 million in restitution.
The Fire In The Hotel Room
Almost every rockstar has probably started a fire in a hotel room at some point, and the Motley Crue was no different. In the film the boys are shows setting a fire inside a hotel room, as shown in the film.
The autobiography also reveals that while the band was in Switzerland, Vince and Tommy bought flare guns which they had fired inside their room, which ricocheted and set fire to their bed. In a separate incident, Nikki Sixx also used hairspray and lighters to kill the cockroaches in their apartment.
Ozzy Snorting Ants
In the film, rock god Ozzy Osbourne is seen snorting ants during Motley Crue’s first national tour. This really did happen when Ozzy was touring with the band and also shared a bus.
Vince Neil confirmed that Ozzy and Nikki were trying to outdo each other with their antics, so when Nikki snorted some ants, Ozzy did the same. And although band members have confirmed the story, Ozzy himself claims that he has no memory of something like this happening.
The TV Throwing Incident
The TV throwing incident was perhaps one of the most famous moments in rock and roll history, and the film stayed true to what had actually happened.
When the band was in Germany and the boys were hanging out in Dio keyboard player Claude Schnell’s hotel room, they threw his TV along with some furniture outside the hotel room window, because they thought it would be funny. These items reportedly smashed two brand-new Mercedes vehicles that were parked on the road.