In October 2021, Mötley Crüe / Sixx:A.M. bassist Nikki Sixx released his memoir, The First 21: How I Became Nikki Sixx.
On November 25, 2022, Rare Bird Lit will publish a premium limited edition of the New York Times bestseller, The First 21: How I Became Nikki Sixx. Available bundles include an exclusive deluxe gatefold vinyl audiobook with music and narration by Nikki Sixx. Pre-orders are open now at this location.
“Black” Premium Slipcase Edition Bundle — exclusively limited to 600 copies, including a premium debossed red-cover edition book hand-numbered and hand-stamped, slipcased in black Brillianta linen, foil stamped in silver with the iconic “XXI” typography, a red double-stamped Brillianta linen spine, and full-color text, photographs, and designs printed on choice uncoated Mohawk Via Felt art-book interior paper. This “Black” Premium Slipcase Edition Bundle also includes the gatefold edition of the abridged vinyl audiobook in white-black-red splatter vinyl (limited to 3,000 copies), limited edition Rare Bird/The First 21 tote bag, and other exclusive bonus items.
“Red” Premium Slipcase Edition Bundle — exclusively limited to 600 copies, including a premium debossed red-cover edition book hand-numbered and hand-stamped, slipcased in red Brillianta linen, foil stamped in silver with the iconic “XXI” typography, a red double-stamped Brillianta linen spine, and full-color text, photographs, and designs printed on choice uncoated Mohawk Via Felt art-book interior paper. This “Red” Premium Slipcase Edition Bundle also includes the gatefold edition of the abridged vinyl audiobook in white-black-red splatter vinyl (limited to 3,000 copies), limited edition Rare Bird/The First 21 tote bag, and other exclusive bonus items.
Premium Edition Bundle — exclusively limited to 1,800 copies, including a premium debossed red-cover edition book hand-numbered and hand-stamped, with a red double-stamped Brillianta linen spine, and full-color text, photographs, and designs printed on choice uncoated Mohawk Via Felt art-book interior paper. This Premium Edition Bundle also includes the gatefold edition of the abridged vinyl audiobook in white-black-red splatter vinyl (limited to 3,000 copies), limited edition Rare Bird/The First 21 tote bag, and other exclusive bonus items. (Pre-order through Rare Bird or at Experience Vinyl.)
Deluxe Trade Edition — a deluxe debossed white-cover edition book on Wibalin Finelinen with double-stamped black linen spine, a debossed white-cover slipcase on Wibalin Finelinen, including full-color text, photographs, and designs printed on premium uncoated art-book interior paper.
About The First 21:
Nikki Sixx is one of the most respected, recognizable, and entrepreneurial icons in the music industry. As the founder of Mötley Crüe, who is now in his twenty-first year of sobriety, Sixx is incredibly passionate about his craft and wonderfully open about his life in rock and roll, and as a person of the world. Born Franklin Carlton Feranna on December 11, 1958, young Frankie was abandoned by his father and partly raised by his mother, a woman who was ahead of her time but deeply troubled. Frankie ended up living with his grandparents, bouncing from farm to farm and state to state. He was an all-American kid—hunting, fishing, chasing girls, and playing football—but underneath it all, there was a burning desire for more, and that more was music. He eventually took a Greyhound bound for Hollywood.
In Los Angeles, Frank lived with his aunt and his uncle—the president of Capitol Records—for a short time. But there was no easy path to the top. He was soon on his own. There were dead-end jobs: dipping circuit boards, clerking at liquor and record stores, selling used light bulbs, and hustling to survive. But at night, Frank honed his craft, joining Sister, a band formed by fellow hard-rock veteran Blackie Lawless, and formed a group of his own: London, the precursor of Mötley Crüe. Turning down an offer to join Randy Rhoads’ band, Frank changed his name to Nikki London, Nikki Nine, and, finally, Nikki Sixx. Like Huck Finn with a stolen guitar, he had a vision: a group that combined punk, glam, and hard rock into the biggest, most theatrical and irresistible package the world had ever seen. With hard work, passion, and some luck, the vision manifested in reality—and this is a profound true story finding identity, of how Frank Feranna became Nikki Sixx. It's also a road map to the ways you can overcome anything, and achieve all of your goals, if only you put your mind to it.
