The Dirt on Netflix true story: What REALLY happened to Motley Crue – is it a true story?

A film adaptation began to percolate in 2006 but languished in development hell until Netflix picked up the rights in 2017. Now The Dirt’s release on the streaming giant has reinvigorated interest in Motley Crue’s outrageous rise to fame, and the antics they engaged in along the way. 

How much of The Dirt is true?

The movie version of The Dirt focusses on the first 15 years of Motley Crue’s career beginning in the early 1980s.

The movie concludes in 1995, with a postscript that reads: Motley Crue played together for another 20 years.

However, the movie does take some liberties with the chronology of Motley Crue’s story.

For example, at the start of Mötley Crüe’s Theatre of Pain tour, a sad looking Vince Neil is visited by his wife Sharise and their daughter but in real life, Neil wasn’t yet married to Sharise.

How did Tommy Lee and Nikki six meet?

In the film, the two bump into each other accidentally at a restaurant after Tommy saw Nikki’s band London perform.

Nikki goes on to tell Tommy London is breaking up, offering Tommy a chance to audition for a new band.

In the film, Tommy says his only experience drumming was in his high school marching band but, in reality, Tommy was already the drummer in a band named Suite 19.

Nikki had seen Suite 19 in concert and was impressed by them, so the encounter in the restaurant was a planned meeting to discuss putting together a new band.

How did Vince Neil join Motley Crue?

The movie shows the band first meeting Vince Neil at a backyard party where he sings Billy Squier’s My Kind of Lover.

In reality, My Kind of Lover had not even been released yet.

The first lead singer of Motley Crue wasn’t Vince, as the movie shows, but a man named O’Dean Peterson.

When Vince did eventually join Motley Crue, after the band followed him for several weeks to convince him, they did not jam to Live Wire as Nikki had yet to write the song.

Did Nikki Six call the police on his mother?

Yes, just as portrayed in the film, Nikki did call the cops on his mother during an argument.

Nikki described the relationship to Forbes, saying: “The most painful part of the film is my relationship with my mother and how I could never mend that.”

“There is a scene where she is calling me and I can’t pick up the phone.

I’m addicted to drugs but have huge animosity because she abandoned me.”

Did Motley Crue sign with Elektra Records in less than a minute?

No, in fact, Motley Crue was far more wary of Elektra Records’ rep Tom Zutaut (played by Pete Davidson) than the film lets on.

According to Rolling Stone, the band made Zutaut buy them free meals before they eventually decided to sign.

Did they throw a TV out of a hotel window?

Perhaps one of the band’s most infamous moments did in fact happen.

This took place in a hotel in Germany, and the furniture the band threw out the window landed on two brand new Mercedes-Benzes parked below.

Did Ozzy Osbourne snort a line of ants because there was no more cocaine?

Though we may never know for sure, Osburne has refuted the enduring rumour by saying: “Mötley Crüe say something about the fact that I snorted a line of ants one time

“I have got no, absolute no recollection of doing that.”

Was Vince Neil charged with vehicular manslaughter?

Yes, on December 8, 1984, Vince Neil was driving drunk and crashed the car, leaving his passenger Razzle, the 24-year-old Hanoi Rocks drummer, dead.

The occupants of the other car into which they smashed were seriously injured and suffered brain damage.

Did Tommy Lee really meet Heather Locklear the night of Vince’s car accident?

No. Tommy met actress Heather Locklear backstage at an REO Speedwagon concert where they were introduced by Tommy’s accountant.

However, it is true that he confused her with Heather Thomas from The Fall Guy.

Did Mick Mars really have a rare spinal condition?

Mars was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a form of arthritis, at age 17.

In the film, Mars has hip replacement surgery in 1996, but in real life, he had the surgery in 2004.

Did Tommy Lee really throw up on a stripper?

Yes, according to Rolling Stone the drummer did in fact vomit on a stripper.

Did Nikki Sixx really overdose on drugs and die for two minutes?

In 1987 Nikki Sixx overdosed on heroin and was declared legally dead on the way to the hospital but was brought back to life after two minutes.

Did Tommy Lee punch his fiancee in the face?

Yes, the horrific moment is true and foreshadows Lee’s later abuse conviction during his marriage to Pamela Anderson (Anderson was not featured in the film).

Do the band members regret some of the things that they did?

According to Six, they do. Speaking in a Build Series interview he said: “We wouldn’t do a movie like this if we were just only celebrating.

“There’s a lot to celebrate about the movie – the music is very important, the music that we made is still important.

“I just think that you have to be honest about decisions that we made and then how we got to where we’re at today.”

“Back then, every time we did something wrong, we sold more records and we got another pat on the back.

“We were like being trained to be dysfunctional.”

Despite the liberties taken with the truth, Nikki Six told Rolling Stone: “I think that they captured it really truthfully.

“Of my friends or my wives that have seen it, a lot of people cry at different parts of the movie.

“A lot of laughter, a lot of crying, a lot of shock.

“Honestly, I hate to say this, but I think they got every fu**ing thing perfect.”

The Dirt is now available to watch on Netflix.