CC:
Who wrote the songs for Sixx Pakk? Did Matthew Trippe prove his supposed
song writing abilities?
RH: I had written the music to two of the three songs, and Jim H the vocalist wrote the words to all of them as well as the music to the one I didn't write. The frustrating part was we had to tell the press and everyone else that Matt had written all of it, in order to strengthen his claim. Under protest, I quickly had all of the music copywritten, giving credit to the rightful authors, THEN I agreed to tell people that Matt had written the music. Kind of sucks huh?
CC: Sure.
RH: On the bright side, Lifetime, one of the three demo songs, was put on an automated phone line that Kerrang! Magazine had set up so you could call and "listen to the new Nikki Sixx music". It got pretty good reviews, so at least I got that satisfaction.
CC: So what came of the demo? Did Sixx Pakk release an album in the end?
RH: No. Matt took a f*ck you attitude every where he went. Even to meetings with the management. He once broke an $800 Hamer bass they had bought him in half because he wasn't getting his way. He would occasionally pawn some of our practice gear to buy beer or pay for diapers to get his wife off his back. We'd show up to jam and the mixing board would be gone, or the PA amp. Eventually the people who were paying for all of this got a little sick of it, and pulled the plug, leaving us with no backing and no reason to be tied to Matt and his problems. So Joe, Jim, and I formed a band called Blind Sight. The three of us were very tight as a group. We picked up another bass player and a second guitarist and became a very good all original band, and recorded a lot.
CC: Excellent! Did you keep in touch with Matt over the years?
RH: I can count the times I've seen Matt since then on one hand, and it's probably been nine years since the last time.
CC: What was the deal with his suit against Mötley? It was all a scam right?
RH: He could at times be very convincing and to this day, I don't know whether or not anything he said was true. I have seen copyright forms processed by the Library of Congress that had every member of Mötley Crüe's full real name, aka name, and social security number, with the exception of Nikki Sixx. All it said was Nikki Sixx and gave a social security number, which I swear to God was the same number on Matthew John Trippe's social security card which I was holding in my other hand. I'll tell you one thing, if I were going to try to pull what Matt alleges Thayer/McGhee did, I would probably pick someone a lot like Matt to do it with, because nobody would believe him completely - he was a lunatic! A variety of photos seemed to show differences in facial features through those years for Nikki Sixx. That could be attributed to any number of things though I guess. Matt was at the time that I knew him, a member of the Temple of Set, which is a pretty exclusive organisation. I find it a little strange that they would allow some weird-guy-nobody with no money to be a member, but I guess it could happen.
CC: What about his Nikki Sixx tattoos then?
RH: He had all of the tatts through the Theatre of Pain years. They were not cheaply done and there were several. He had a wife, a brand new baby boy, and no money - so I have no idea how he would have paid for them.
CC: So this is perhaps a case for Mulder & Scully [from the X-Files] in your mind then?
RH: He looked a lot like Nikki Sixx. Maybe a little heavier but the facial features were very similar. There are some things that leave considerable doubt as well, like the fact that he didn't 'remember' some of the music he had written. He was NOT a virtuoso bassist! But weirder shit has happened in this country by far.
CC: Are you still playing guitar today?
RH: Yes I still play frequently. I've got a Marshall 120 watt half stack that I love annoying my wife with. No immediate plan to join in on the rock star rat race again though.
CC: Awesome. Thanks for your time Roger. It was great to catch up and gain your insight. All the best!
RH: Cool. You rule Paul! NEXT • 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5
RH: I had written the music to two of the three songs, and Jim H the vocalist wrote the words to all of them as well as the music to the one I didn't write. The frustrating part was we had to tell the press and everyone else that Matt had written all of it, in order to strengthen his claim. Under protest, I quickly had all of the music copywritten, giving credit to the rightful authors, THEN I agreed to tell people that Matt had written the music. Kind of sucks huh?
CC: Sure.
RH: On the bright side, Lifetime, one of the three demo songs, was put on an automated phone line that Kerrang! Magazine had set up so you could call and "listen to the new Nikki Sixx music". It got pretty good reviews, so at least I got that satisfaction.
CC: So what came of the demo? Did Sixx Pakk release an album in the end?
RH: No. Matt took a f*ck you attitude every where he went. Even to meetings with the management. He once broke an $800 Hamer bass they had bought him in half because he wasn't getting his way. He would occasionally pawn some of our practice gear to buy beer or pay for diapers to get his wife off his back. We'd show up to jam and the mixing board would be gone, or the PA amp. Eventually the people who were paying for all of this got a little sick of it, and pulled the plug, leaving us with no backing and no reason to be tied to Matt and his problems. So Joe, Jim, and I formed a band called Blind Sight. The three of us were very tight as a group. We picked up another bass player and a second guitarist and became a very good all original band, and recorded a lot.
CC: Excellent! Did you keep in touch with Matt over the years?
RH: I can count the times I've seen Matt since then on one hand, and it's probably been nine years since the last time.
CC: What was the deal with his suit against Mötley? It was all a scam right?
RH: He could at times be very convincing and to this day, I don't know whether or not anything he said was true. I have seen copyright forms processed by the Library of Congress that had every member of Mötley Crüe's full real name, aka name, and social security number, with the exception of Nikki Sixx. All it said was Nikki Sixx and gave a social security number, which I swear to God was the same number on Matthew John Trippe's social security card which I was holding in my other hand. I'll tell you one thing, if I were going to try to pull what Matt alleges Thayer/McGhee did, I would probably pick someone a lot like Matt to do it with, because nobody would believe him completely - he was a lunatic! A variety of photos seemed to show differences in facial features through those years for Nikki Sixx. That could be attributed to any number of things though I guess. Matt was at the time that I knew him, a member of the Temple of Set, which is a pretty exclusive organisation. I find it a little strange that they would allow some weird-guy-nobody with no money to be a member, but I guess it could happen.
CC: What about his Nikki Sixx tattoos then?
RH: He had all of the tatts through the Theatre of Pain years. They were not cheaply done and there were several. He had a wife, a brand new baby boy, and no money - so I have no idea how he would have paid for them.
CC: So this is perhaps a case for Mulder & Scully [from the X-Files] in your mind then?
RH: He looked a lot like Nikki Sixx. Maybe a little heavier but the facial features were very similar. There are some things that leave considerable doubt as well, like the fact that he didn't 'remember' some of the music he had written. He was NOT a virtuoso bassist! But weirder shit has happened in this country by far.
CC: Are you still playing guitar today?
RH: Yes I still play frequently. I've got a Marshall 120 watt half stack that I love annoying my wife with. No immediate plan to join in on the rock star rat race again though.
CC: Awesome. Thanks for your time Roger. It was great to catch up and gain your insight. All the best!
RH: Cool. You rule Paul! NEXT • 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5
| The Mojo Seafish pioneered the concept of Live Stock in Tampa Bay. As BlindSight, TMJSF had the idea for an outdoor Rock & Roll show at Festival Park and presented it to 98 Rock in Tampa but were turneddown... MORE | Behind The Mojo Seafish is a true rock and roll drama that has involved success, scandal and heart break. The Mojo Seafish was formed at the core of a major music industry "who dunnit" but now enjoy a chemistry that ...MORE | The Mojo Seafish are among Tampa Bay's most talented acts.The musicianship and absolute compatibility have led to material that has been blowing minds for over a decade... MORE |