Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx recently threw his own name into a debate about musicians who don't get their due respect.
In reply to a tweet asking: "Who is the most underrated bass player ever?" Sixx replied, "Me."
Sixx, who started Mötley Crüe and served as the band's chief songwriter for most its career, hasn't often looked for extra credit as an instrumentalist.
"As a bass player I basically stick to a lot of the [chord] root notes," Sixx told Billy Sheehan on an episode of his My Favorite Riff YouTube series in 2017. "It's kind of one of my jobs."
He has also suggested in the past — as Guitar World pointed out — that his band's '80s antics likely detracted from the instrumental performances of its individual members.
But all of Mötley Crüe's flash rarely sought to bring attention to Sixx as a bassist. He was content writing music and lyrics and doing the invaluable work of keeping the band together on the downbeats.
"Song is king for me, so as long as the song is soaring, I'm in my pocket, and then I figure out what I can do to make the song better," he told For Bass Players Only in 2015.
Sixx seemingly renewed his enthusiasm for bass and for guitar a few years ago. During his My Favorite Riff series, he would welcome young and older players he admired to his studio to discuss techniques, trick and gear they were exploring.
You can watch the Sheehan episode via the link above!
Photo: Getty Images