Michael Sweet
If you’ve picked up this book in hopes of reading stories about me hiding in a closet shooting up heroin, buying prostitutes with all my earnings or beating the crap out of a club owner because he looked at me funny, you should probably read the Motley Crue book instead, because you won’t find that here. I’m not better than they are, but my story is different. I’m not an angel, either, and I think you’ll find some pretty eye-opening stories, and I hope—whether you know my music or not—you’ll find them enlightening or at least entertaining.
It wasn't a dig a Motley Crue - it was simply a comparison to a book he had already read.
When he was asked about it by Music Enthusiast Magazine, it didn't come across like William Clark was trying to make any digs either. Clark asked "Was it important for you to focus on the reflective and positive stories from your career instead of heavily comprising your autobiography of tales from the darker moments?"
Sweet responded that it was, but it was more about wanting to be honest - about the good times and the bad. "Is it as controversial as Motley Crue? No, but I think half of what we hear about Motley Crue is B.S. anyway, like when you hear stories about Nikki Sixx dying three times and whatnot. It’s like, how stretched is that? I don’t know, man! (laughs) Nothing against Nikki Sixx."
Michael, at that point, went on to make sure that it was clear that he wasn't trying to sling mud on the Crue or anyone else. He said, "I hope that doesn’t come across as me being a jerk, but I guess the big point I’m trying to make here is my book… these are good or bad, boring or exciting, these are the true stories of my life. I guess that’s what I meant by the statement, you know? You’re probably not going to find in my book what you might find in a Motley Crue book, and that’s a good thing! (laughs)" And Clark agreed!
Nikki's response wasn't in agreement at all. He posted on his Facebook, "Non addicts talking sh*t about people who have fought for their live's to beat their addiction…..#MichaelSweet #OhHeHasABookForSale? #GodBlessTheChildrenOfTheBeast #SobrietyRocks #Sad"
Michael Sweet could have used that post to start a social media war with Sixx and the publicity would have probably added a great deal to his book sales. But he didn't do that at all. Michael, being the class act that he is, apologized on his own Facebook instead, saying, "I meant no disrespect to @NikkiSixx or @MotleyCrue and certainly not to addicts or recovering addicts. I was simply trying to convey the importance of not believing everything you hear (rumors) and giving my own opinion of some of the over-embellishments (in my opinion) that some autobiographies seem to portray. I've never even met Nikki before and I have nothing bad to say about him. I do believe that my words were taken out of context but then again, that happens to all of us from time to time." (and then he went on to repost the paragraph from his book.
To Nikki's credit, according to Loudwire, he accepted Sweet's apology on his own Facebook, saying, "Apology accepted … Addiction is a hard thing to understand, especially for people who have never lived through it … Good luck with your book Michael." But that post appears to have been removed.
