Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The Strange Case of Matthew John Trippe


Matthew John Trippe claims that in June 1983, Mötley Crüe's managers Doc McGhee and Doug Thaler decided to bring him in as the new Nikki Sixx after Nikki was unable to continue due to a serious car crash.

In January 1988, he filed a lawsuit against McGhee Enterprises, Inc. citing civil theft and other relief, claiming royalties that were never paid for songs he said he wrote. These included "Danger", "Knock 'Em Dead Kid", "Girls Girls Girls", "You're All I Need", "Dancing on Glass", and "Wild Side".

In March 1989, Mötley Crüe recorded a demo for Dr. Feelgood called "Say Yeah." The song's lyrics, written by Nikki Sixx, are supposedly about Trippe and the lawsuit. The track later turned up on Supersonic and Demonic Relics (1999).

On December 10, 1993, Matthew Trippe finally dropped his lawsuit.

The following is an interview from Chronological Crüe with Roger Hemond of Sixx Pack
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CC: Tell me how you hooked up with Matthew Trippe.

RH: Back in the summer of 1987, I had just moved to Florida. At the time I was trying to establish myself in the local music scene in Tampa. After making friends with some of the people at my new place of residence, The Abbey Apartments in Tampa, I began hearing a wide variety of rumours from a variety of people that a guy that used to live at the apartments claimed to have been used as a stand-in for Nikki Sixx while Frank Feranna [the real Nikki Sixx as per his birth name] was recovering from a car accident. Also that he had written music for a bunch of Mötley Crüe's music, and was planning to sue them for royalties. After hearing all these rumours, I was curious to say the least, and as time went on I met some people who knew Matthew Trippe. I urged these people to introduce me to this flake so I could once and for all dispel the curiosity. We made a few trips (pardon the pun) to Matt's house, but he was never home. More time passed and a gentleman by the name of Carl F came to my apartment looking for Matt. Someone had apparently told Carl that I knew how to get a hold of Matt, when I had only been to his house, never actually meeting him. Carl had met Matt while incarcerated (big surprise huh). Matt had told Carl his whole story about being used and abused by Doc [McGhee], Doug [Thaler], and the rest of the gang. That he was in Mötley Crüe until he got arrested in South Florida in 1986. He said that the band and management used his going to jail as an opportunity to slip Frankie back in the band and leave him for dead, in a jail cell, with no money, no way home, and no identity. WWHHHHAAAAA!!!

CC: So why was Carl looking for Matt?

RH: Carl happened to be very good, life long friends with a guy in Tampa who at the time was managing major professional wrestlers, owned a large night club, as well as dabbled in some things of an illegal nature, which was the reason Carl was incarcerated to begin with. Anyway, Carl convinced his friend, (who will remain nameless for my own protection) to invest in Matt. They hired a private investigator named Jerry Oglsbie, they hired lawyers, and planned to hire a band for Matt to record and possibly tour.

CC: What did you tell Carl when he showed at your apartment looking for Trippe then?

RH: I knew where Matt lived, but some of the things I heard were that people had actually made attempts on Matt's life as a result of his claims, so I didn't want to just tell this person I had never met or been where Matt lived, for fear that I might be jeopardizing his family. I was also very curious by this time and didn't want to wash myself from the situation by sending this guy on his way with directions to Matt's house. I told Carl that I would go over to Matt's house personally (who at this time I still had not met) with a note to get a hold of me, so I could relay the message that this Carl was looking for him with good news about having convinced his friend to invest in Matt's case.

CC: So was Matt home when you went there?

RH: Well a few days after that, another guy shows up at my apartment. This time a dorky, stuttering, slightly over weight gentleman, who held his cigarettes between his middle two fingers. I immediately recognized this guy as the person I had seen in pictures some people had of 'this guy going around saying he is Nikki Sixx.' It was Matt. He came into my home, went to my refrigerator, grabbed a beer, sat down at my dining room table, and put his feet up. After knowing him for less than 5 minutes, I was already less than impressed and pretty pissed off about his manners.

CC: Cheeky bugger hey! Why did he come to your apartment?

RH: I had already been in a band for about three months called Sircor. Matt told me all about having a management team, lawyers, private investigators, and also said he was getting a lot interest from some record labels, RoadRunner for one. He said I should audition for the guitarist position they needed to fill, so I did. They liked me. I suggested that Matt come and watch my band Sircor. He did and Sircor then became Sixx Pakk.

CC: Wow!

RH: We wrote and played for weeks, but the management didn't like some of the guys in Sircor, so they went looking for very marketable musicians to eventually replace everyone in the band except for Matt, of course, and myself. Lucky me!!!

CC: Yeh sure! Who else ended up joining Sixx Pakk and what was the band like?

RH: We actually had a hell of a band. We picked up Jim H, a David Lee Roth look-alike with an incredible voice, and Joe D, who is probably one of the best drummers I've ever seen, professional or otherwise. All we did was practice and write, and put up with this contemptuous, alcoholic moron, named Matt. We did have a lot of fun though, we had a great rehearsal facility, and some of our bills were being payed by management.

CC: What was the goal of the band at this stage?

RH: Management one day came to us and told us to start writing to record and tour. At the time, we were constantly being told by these guys that we were going to do a series of shows in Amsterdam, Japan or Great Britain. All kinds of things were being discussed, even a tour with Crimson Glory, who at the time was being managed by Warren Wyat, the same guy who managed Saigon Kick. So to a certain degree it was a roller coaster ride to hell... to an 18 year old future rock star. After a lot of meetings, none of the plans ever came to fruition.

CC: Did Sixx Pakk ever get a recording down?

RH: During this time [March/April 1988] we recorded a three song demo at Morrisound Studios in Tampa, where at the time, Juliet, a local band that Kevin Dubrow from Quiet Riot had taken under his wing, were in the next studio doing a mix down or something. When you are recording, you may end up spending a lot of time hanging around a television in the lounge waiting for other guys in the band to cut their parts. Such was the case at Morrisound and I can't tell you how funny it was to see Kevin, out in the lounge, relentlessly malign Matt and tease him saying things like, "Yeah and I was Lita Ford for two years in The Runaways." He really gave him hell. The stuff at Morrisound turned out pretty damn good though.

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.

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.

Related: Shout at the Beatle
Mötley Crüe Unveils Crüe Fest 2 Lineup

67 comments:

  1. I knew Matt Trippe very well.he lived in erie Pa as well as I did. he used to come over to my house and want me to show him how to play guitar. he had a real bad stuttering issue. anyways one day I was working at markhams music and in he walked with all kinds of tattoo's and big hair. I asked him what is up and he said dont call me mayy anymore I am nikki. he got all of his tatoo's at buddas body art in erie pa. anyways I was reading a karrang magazine and an artical about all this crap was in there and he named me as his guitar teacher and that I tought him how to play and read......BULLSHIT! I called MTV and talked to john Norris and he interviewed me... he also got in contact with Doc Macgee and doug Thaler and nikki's attorney......I have been a pro guitarist for well over 30 years and there is no way in hell matt could have gotten good enough to play with crue. nikki's attorney contacted me and I told him....put a bass amp and guitar amp in the court room....I will learn all the songs off the albums that matt supposidly wrote and he should be able to play them note for note along with being able to recite the words to his songs........needless to say it never went to court!

    ReplyDelete
  2. If Matt wasnt? then Who was?There was somebody who filled for The real Sixx,he was so out of it on drugs,And that second sixx is still in motley crue to this day..Who ever he is needs to come clean with the truth to us Crue fans...

    ReplyDelete
  3. THAT PIECE OF GARBAGE WAS IN MY F-ING HOME W/ HIS WIFE IN ORLANDO!!!! MY ROOMATE BROUGHT HIM HOME REALLY BELIEVING THAT HE WAS NS !!! I SAID NO WAY IS THIS NS AND PRETTY MUCH TOLD MY ROOMATE TO GET HIS DRUNK AS OUT OF OUR HOUSE BEFORE HE PUKES ON OUR CARPET!!!!!!!!! I SHOULD HAVE CALLED MTV RIGHT THEN AND THERE BUT UNFORTUNATLY I DIDN'T.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I HAD SOME TYPE OS OOPS SORRY I MEANT DRUNK ASS OUT OF MY HOUSE AND ALSO THAT GUY WAS A COMPLETE NOTTTTT HOT MESS!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I too was exposed to MJT back in the day. One of my kids brought him home one evening and sure enough, he was indeed a good talker. He stayed with us a few days going on and on about how he had written songs for the "Theater of Pain " album, was a replacement/stand in for Nikki Sixx and tell ya what, I did not know if he was telling the truth or not. He had a lot of photos of him and Vince backstage/on stage with and without make up. I do remember that he drove a 1971 Chevy Nova with really bad brakes and he seemed to never have any money. Later on though he got my son involved in the Temple of Set in Tampa in a round about way. He came home one day with a branded triangle on his chest as an initiate. MJT did some truly weird and off the wall things while he was in the area and then one day he was gone, never to be seen again. He was living in Fort Myers with his parents then. Strange dude!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Matt lived in Bonita Springs with me and a roommate. Awesome cook and kept a spotless house. He was a bit strange. I was never sure if he was Nikki Sixx's stand in or not. The guy was convincing. I spoke with his sister and she told me he believed he was NS but wasn't. She also said he knew everything about the ban and could not throw him off with questioning him...believeme, we tried. Very convincing...I'm sure something was true just don't know to what extent.

      Delete
  6. I have several letters from Matt Trippe/Nikki Sixx from 1984-85 from when he was incarcerated in Erie County Prison in PA and then extradited to Collier County in FL, then to a halfway house called the New Life Program. I visited him in prison in Erie also, and I always believed that he was Nikki Sixx as he said (I was 14-15 at the time). He called me twice also and we talked on the phone, while he was in FL at the New Life Program. He went to live with his dad and stepmom in Ft. Myers FL after that and we lost track of each other. By the time I contacted them again, his stepmom wouldn't admit that he lived there or that she even knew such a person. She was not very nice.
    All through high school, everyone called me a liar about this Nikki Sixx thing, then years later I saw where he had a law suit against the Crue. I bought a 3-CD recorded interview of him from 1988 when he was interviewed about this by a FL reporter named Steve Purcell (Pursell?) I recognized the voice on the recordings as that of the guy that I had met and spoken to on the phone. Definitely recognized the speech impairment (stuttering). Based on what I knew, the letters and conversations I had with him, the recorded interview and everything else....I'm still not ruling out the possibility that he is telling the truth! Supposedly he had death threats against him due to coming forward with his law suit. Doc Maghee had substantial control over a lot of the music industry (not to mention underworld connections) and he could make things happen or make things disappear. A lot of shady stuff goes on in other settings like high school sports, politics, churches, etc. and the behind-the-scenes drama is no different in Hollywood or the music industry, etc. It's not that far-fetched, and he explains a lot in the recorded interview that I have. I actually contact the reporter Steve Purcell and played part of the disc for him over the phone. He confirmed that was his voice interviewing Matthew Trippe---funny thing was, Mr. Purcell states HE did NOT record that interview. He suspects Matt's attorney recorded it.
    Every now and then I wonder what ever happened to Matt or if he is still in hiding, in a mental hospital or what lol...I'd really like to find him again and put some closure to this thing that made people label and judge ME for all these years! lol

    ReplyDelete
  7. hey nikki, matts still in ft myers recording music

    ReplyDelete
  8. I know Matt for the last 15 years, and i understand he has an alcohol problem, but if u ask me he is telling the truth about those lyrics, i have personal seen his work and i like it. there is something in common about alcoholics and children; they are very vulnerable to abuse, hard for them to defend them selves,
    basically they are at the mercy of their oppressors,
    and children dont lie, and the worst enemy of an alcoholic is they are not afraid to tell the truth. this kind of things happen more often that what u think i writte music i get drunk i get f--k
    I beilive Matt trippee claims, BIG FISH EATS little fish, Motley crack crew

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anyone who would be willing to share your personal knowledge of this case, and certainly anyone who may know Matthew Trippe,or best case scenario, if you are Matthew Trippe, I would be interested in interviewing you. Please respond to;
    Jeff Bassett
    jeffsbassett@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. I had never heard of this scandal I would like to read more about it. I was googling the names mentioned and found a Matthew J Trippe in Naples, FL. He also seems to have a Facebook account. Hope you get to interview him, I would like to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I grew up with Matt in Erie. I have a couple of stories, but here's one I can share: He stole the house keys from a friend and then came back when they were out of town and DESTROYED the house. Tens of thousands of dollars in damage. They were good friends before that but there was some slight that flipped a switch in him. Weird, weird dude.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I was a roadie (stage and some sound) for the Crue during the Shout and Theater tours. I can assure you that it was the real Nikki Sixx on stage every night not this clown. the imposter looks nothing like Nikki

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This was after the Shout At The Devil tour. Theatre Of Pain era

      Delete
    2. The guy said he was a roadie during the Shout and Theatre tours.

      Delete
  13. I HAD SOME TYPE OS OOPS SORRY I MEANT DRUNK ASS OUT OF MY HOUSE AND ALSO THAT GUY WAS A COMPLETE NOTTTTT HOT MESS!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I knew Matt in 1984. He had issues. He was into VERY young impressionable girls. Ones that would believe his shit. I got into a lot of trouble because of him. He worked at the Rooftop Restaurant on Bonita Beach, Fl. His parents lived in a nice neighborhood in Ft Myers. He was a joke. Said to be a satanist, and a fill in for Nikki Sixx. If was fill in for Nikki then why was he working at this restaurant? Why did he have to brainwash and seduce young teenage girls and get them to steal from their parents. Why was he not on tour? This was a big year for the Crue! He lived with some gay fat guy off of Rosemary Dr in Bonita Springs, FL and drove a piece of shit blue nova. He didn't have the tattoos then. He prayed on weak minded people, and well 13year old girls are weak minded and will believe almost anything, I did and so did a few of my friends.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lol...My roomate was the gay fat guy (he was a projectionist at the pavilion movie theatre)! He put an ad on some gay magazine and Matt responded! i wondered why he always has no money. I do believe he had some ties though. To much coincidence in these stories!

      Delete
  15. I remember matt he,is not telling the hole truth he was in a band called jeteye who now is the biggest under ground band in the world they are the hottest band maybe the best band that has ever been they only play about 10 times a year unanouced its unreal but true jeteye tried to help him clear his name years ago they would know the truth i saw pictures of him with jeteye so we need to track down jeteye lady gaga is buying there song so meow mtv had the interview lets find out truth Miss J

    ReplyDelete
  16. I am Jerry Rollins Oglesby, they call me J.R., I'm the Private Investigator that broke the case of the cloning of Nikki Sixx. He is emphatically the clone that replaced blue eyed Frank Ferrano AKA Nikki Sixx. GREEN EYED, Matthew John Trippe Is telling the truth. This case cost me my marriage, $12,000.00, 2200 hours of my time and in the end I saw some supernatural occurrences with Matthew Trippe that would cause your skin to crawl. He became a very close friend because Matthew Trippe is an autistic genius in a child like mind. I met him before the Theater of Pain album, which was released by the record company. I filed a copyright in the Library of Congress on his music that he wrote before the releasing of the album. I received two copyrights to the album from the Library of Congress. If you should be so brave assholes, investigate and see if any of you want to go up against me, as the signatory of those copyrights. It was worth it to go through my time with Matthew John Trippe. When I heard Matthew John Trippe, with my own ears talking to Doc McGee and Doug Thalar in a conference call in my office and heard their offer to a fraud, poser, imposter and faker.

    Matthew did not drop the case it was dismissed on a technicality in the statute of limitations in contract tort law. In Florida, the statute of limitations is 4 years on a contract tort. We sued in florida. In California, it is two years. They, the record label's attorney joined forces with Thalar and McGee Entertainment and contrived a viable statement that is a matter of record in Tampa Florida Circuit Court. I quote: "We are not saying that a contract was struck with Matthew Trippe but if it was signed, it would be signed in California, therefore the statute of limitations would have expired.” The case was dismissed. It is a matter of record ladies and gentleman. I spent 3 years proving that Matthew John Trippe is the one that cloned Frank Farrano alias Nikki Sixx for an injury that incapacitated him where he was not able to sign with the record company and Mick Mars discovered Matthew Trippe in California and he is the one that took Matthew John Trippe to Doug Thalar and boom, it happened, Matthew Trippe is the one that did all the tours, wrote the majority of the music and if you should read his interviews, you will see as I did on many occasions, doubt my intelligence as one of the greatest investigators that existed in our lifetime in those rock magazines, I read every tittle of each rag mag. and then it happened, I got this wild ass idea and started looking at body parts on both men and compared pictures of each man. Naturally, you would never guess in a million years that we have different everything and if we are blessed with two of anything, one is always smaller than the other, i.e. breast, one is smaller than the other, belly buttons, no two alike, toes no two alike etc. etc. You will see that Farrano has blue eyes with green contacts. Matthew Trippe has GREEN eyes and the NICKKI SIXX that gave those interviews has GREEN EYES.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jr oglesby, would you contact me , tonytreece4@yahoo.com
      I have been talking with.matt this past weekend.

      Delete
    2. Wow...I lived with Matt for a couple of months in Bonita Springs..I'm glad to know that he was who he claimed..he was a strange dude but give the man credit as you just did.

      Delete
  17. I had over six hours of proof that was subpoenaed by the opposition, thinking it would be a walk in the park with my deposition. Well it wasn’t and right after that deposition is when they decided to come clean without saying they committed any tort against an imposter.

    If I had not heard those two assholes on the phone, McGee and Thaler wanting Matthew Trippe, the weirdo, DRUNK, Pervert and anything else you Neanderthal fuck bugs can call him.
    They wanted him to join forces with them again to replace another with him.
    I have stayed silent for many years but after reading this tripe, the record must be set straight that Matthew John Trippe is the Nikki Sixx that helped bring the success that Motely Crue enjoyed at his expense in the eighties.

    Nikki my love, there is a song dedicated to you and it is about Matthew and you when you and him were on the dock in Fort Myers. He loved you very much and only you, him and me know what happened that day.

    Steve Purcell is a very honorable man and on that day in question, YES, he used a tape recorder. He wrote an exhaustive spread on Matthew John Trippe. Our interview lasted for over an hour. If you have this tape anonymous, I would advise you to stay anonymous because I was there. I was there in the interview and refused to disclose who I am and was at that time married with a family. The very reason was that Doug Thaler and Doc McGee were heavily involved with Manuel Noriegia of Panama and the TEXAS MAFIA. It’s a matter of public record, look it up or read about it in a request for the disclosure of information from the FBI, under the public information act. Hell Goggle it, every damn thing is goggled today.

    SIXX Pack, I was part of that management but you SIXX Pack made a critical error with alot of talent that could have went far but again, I saw that Matthew was tired and you asshole, you are a damn liar, I saw and watch you and the others write music and did riffs with Trippe but Matthew John Trippe wrote the lyrics that started this glam band that went no where, after they pushed Trippe out. I withdrew my support from managing and financing, after I had a heart to heart talk with Matthew. He decided not to do this anymore and did not want anything to do with performing ever again because he feared failure and ridicule.

    Matthew was fearless at times but deep inside he feared failure. He is a strange bird in his own rite and I believe very strongly that this should be the final note on this mystery of judging a man you don't know and never will because he is silent as I should be but I'm 63 years old and my last hooray is to write about my escapades as a person that has seen the world for what it is to us as the societal drones that are quick to judge but slow to forgive. I wrote a seven book series and Trippe is in there, at a glimpse you see what I have seen for over 40 years and in this Century, we will see the first and second coming of JESUS Christ.

    Listen up public, "What You Hear Believe Nothing and What You See Believe Only Half of What You Saw. What is isn't and what isn't is, until it isn't or is." Ladies and Gentleman, I quote my words on this today I live by this quote and I DECLARE THAT THIS CASE IS CLOSED!.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I was there relied to Paul Miles about this back in 2009: Sent: Friday, 19 December 2008 5:17 PM
    To: Contact@Paul-Miles.com
    Subject: Matthew John Trippe

    Paul,

    http://members.ozemail.com.au/~cruekiss/sixxpakk.htm

    For some reason I decided to Google Matthew John Trippe and I found your article with Roger Hermond.
    I was in the thick of all this working with him, his Private Investigator Jerry Oglesbey and Attorney Tom Smith, to keep him in a band. Kerrang Magazine at the time was going to sponsor him with the Band Sixx PaKk but they had a falling out with his P.I. Matthew and I found a band playing at the Stadium Bar in Tampa one night called Jeti and the same thing happen before we were to have a meeting with Virgin Records. I spent five years with Matthew at the end he got what he wanted. The suite against Warner Brother Records was ruled he could bill himself as AKA Nikki Six but the status of limitations ran out for any royalties that the P.I. and Attorney was after. The last I heard he became a Christian and was playing Country Music but that was 10 years ago. I seen all the evidence and the key thing was Matthews feet and his belly button in the band photos that real sold it. I can remember the fight going on in the rock magazines calling his Attorney a Country Bunkin and the Frankie got more tattoos so they wouldn't be the same as Matthews'. It a shame that the power of the media will never give him his due. Mick Mars is the only one who can tell the true story and if you could hear him play and sing the music he wrote for them and play the studio tape at the same time, it was like stereo and genuine. I lost touch with Matthew years ago and I would like to hear from him again. Regardless what the Industry has to say about him, he is a good person with no more problems than the rest of us.
    Could you forward this to Roger Hemond I like to hear from Matthew again someday.

    This article really brought back some memories.

    Sincerely

    Steven Contrascere

    ReplyDelete
  19. I was going through my desk that I had put in my garage over 20 years ago and came across a few notes that I had pertaining to this story. And the reason I had the notes is because the story is ABSOLUTELY TRUE. I lived 3 houses down from MJT and we were friends until one night i came home and caught him breaking into my house. Anyway, about 3 months before that,after work one night I went to MJTs house and brought some beer, When I arrived at his house there was a Blue Mercedes in the driveway that I had never seen before. I walked into the house like many times before after work and Doc McGee was right there in the living room with some Husky Quiedo looking Italian guy, the guy said to me If i wanted to live then "you better go back to wherever you came from and pretend you were never here" I did leave and waited in the bushes next door and drank a few beers waiting until they left. When I went back to open the door it was locked and MJT would not answer for at least 15 minutes after I was banging. I asked him what in the hell was going on and he was crying and stuttering like I had never seen before. I went back to get the beer that I left in the bushes and when I came back the door was locked again and he just yelled through he door that he would call me tomorrow. Well that was the last I had seen him until I came home one night to find him in my house, he litteraly just vanished for 3 months until I found him in my house. He took off and that was the last I had seen of him. To this day I am freaked out about what happened, i don't know the details however I know for a FACT it was Doc Mcgee who was in his house.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow you all have a lot of comments and theories and stories. I find them all very fascinating. This story and Matt Trippe was brought to my attention a while back and after some research and a couple of conversations I found him worthy a show on my podcast. At this point in the game I chose not to drill the man about facts and details of the years as a stand in for Nikki Sixx or Motley Crue. I just give him a chance to let everyone know who he is and his life story. Then you can decide, we did get into those wild LA, Sex, Hair, 80's clubs days but I let him tell you his version. Yes he is a chain smoking alcoholic but the drugs seem to be out of his life and what is left was a man with an interesting story. If you have any questions for me of him leave them on the podcast comment section he wants to do another show where he just plays his music and thats fine with me. Fact or fiction this podcast is long be gives everyone a chance for them to decide on the man and his life. Enjoy Ryan podcast was done on 9/25/2012
    https://vimeo.com/50192934

    ReplyDelete
  21. Copy and past this link to watch the 3 hour podcast of Matt Trippe and all his impersonating days.

    https://vimeo.com/50192934

    Thanks Ryan

    ReplyDelete
  22. I do not know if the story is true or not. I love the Crue, however around the time of Theatre of Pain i had a photo from one of the rock mags showing Nikki in the black and white striped suit he was slightly pulling his pants down to show a tattoo of a pair of lips. In this photo Nikki's lower teeth were slightly crooked and did not match earlier photos of Sixx. Was Matt just hired for a photo shoot or is his story true? Who knows? However even though i'm a huge Crue fan i know they are not saints and this could have happened. Maybe it didn't, but i do know that whoever was in that picture was not really the same Nikki Sixx who was featured in photos from the Too Fast for Love era.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Nikki,

    I believe we talked about this in great length over the phone 10 years ago. I went to school in Erie then when Jarrod got us in contact.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Pt 1 :::I was 16 yrs old and a wild child so to say the least. My friends and I would hang out at the bowling alley next to the Abbey Apartments in Temple Terrace a small town in Tampa Florida when we meet Matt. He was eating at a pizza joint just set in front of the bowling alley. Well long story short we were punked out little 16 yr olds and dressed like little groupie sluts. My best friends mom was a good talker (she bartended, so that should tell ya something, I begged my best friends mom to convince Matt aka Nikki to come hang at my house. I was huge NIKKI fan, not just Motley Crue, but NIKKI. She didn't know what my mom would say cause my mom was not as relaxed as her but she took the chance. She id'ed him to make sure he was infact Nikki Sixx and he had all his info on him, ss card, dl...everything, the works. So me, my girlfriends and Nikki pilled up in my friends moms car and went to my house. My mom was SHOCKED when he came rambling through the door, this wild man who claimed he was Nikki Sixx but yet her 16 yr old daughters FAVORITE band member. I had Nikki posters all over my bedroom walls and some Crue posters as well as Ozzy. He ran to my room signed all my posters with him in it. I still have those posters to this day cause I was never sure if it was Nikki. He went in my fridge and freezer and found my panties in the freezer. Not to get off track, but I did that cause I was a HUGE Marilyn Monroe fan too and at the time I had read that Marilyn put her panties in the freezer so I started doing this to see what the big deal was.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Donna, my name is Chris. I used to live in river Ridge . Behind the abbey. I used to hang out with Tyson. I don't know you. Maybe I do. That was a long time ago. But that guy matt would walk around with a t-shirt saying he was the real nikki sixx. Then I seen him again when I lived in wildwood. Then he got jumped at the pit. Ahhhh, the good Ole days!

      Delete
    2. Hey Donna, my name is Chris. I used to live in river Ridge . Behind the abbey. I used to hang out with Tyson. I don't know you. Maybe I do. That was a long time ago. But that guy matt would walk around with a t-shirt saying he was the real nikki sixx. Then I seen him again when I lived in wildwood. Then he got jumped at the pit. Ahhhh, the good Ole days!

      Delete
  25. pt 2:::Anyway, he pulled my panties out of the freezer and was running around the house with my frozen panties. Found a dead roach on the floor and ate the dead roach. My mom was freaking out but she was also talking to my best friends mom to make sure she checked his information before bringing him. It was a fun and memorable night, he didn't stay all that long. Couldn't sit down for the life of him, he was wired. Said he had leave and my best friends mom took him back to The Abbey, the apartments he lived in. We knew he lived in the Abbey but wasn't sure of what apartment cause my best friends mom dropped him off in the front area. We had several friends that lived in The Abbey, so we would go and chill at the pool, outside loitering (basically) and would hang out with older guys who could buy us our alcohol and weed and just go to their apartments and hang. Guys that would buy us the stuff but watched over us too, they were much older but NEVER took advantage of us, they just would let us use their pad to hang at. Anyway, we would cross between The Abbey and River Dell Rey apartments cause we knew Matt aka Nikki had friends in River Del Rey too. We would just walk around stoned and drunk and go to all our friends apartments and where on the hunt for Matt. Well we finally found him in a matter of days, hanging with one of the guys we hung with and of course he knew us from the first night. We hung out with Matt/Nikki quite a few times. We finally went to his apartment one night but his girlfriend at the time did not want little groupie teens hanging out over there so we always had to go elsewhere. His girlfriend at the time, her name was Maria and I believe that is the mother to his kid who came later on.(the one someone mentioned was pregnant at one point. I didn't know Maria when she was pregnant. She never hung out with us, we didn't like her and she didn't like us BUT YET, we got to party elsewhere with her beloved Nikki/Matt......lol There were several times Matt and I would compete who could drink the most Jack without a breath in between. Yes, I was 16 but I could put down straight Jack like a man could.Eventually he disappeared from the Abbey, I think it was mainly Marias idea to move away but no one ever knew. He did pull some disappearing acts throughout time as I have read on here. Noone ever heard from him again but he was deeply missed.I think that is the time she found out she was pregnant, but I am not sure. We had some fun times with this Matt/Nikki guy. We all seriously believed he was THE ORIGINAL NIKKI. I was the only one that was always for 25 yrs a bit doubtful but always had that hope. My best friends mom to this day insist he was the real deal and so does she. The story we had was that he was the original Nikki Sixx but their were some difference within the band and so Frank Ferrana replaced him. So we grew up thinking Frank Ferrana was "The Other Nikki" but not the "Real Nikki". Over say the past 15 yrs I have learned to REALLY LOVE LOVE LOVE the Frank Ferrana Nikki, which I truly believe now, is "THE ONLY NIKKI". After Reading "The Heroin Diaries", Motley Crue-The Dirt, I truly believe that Frank is the ONLY Nikki we ever had HOWEVER I know I was a wild child teen doing my Jack and weed, This Matt Trippe/Nikki sure did give me some of the most memorable years of my life and at times I do reflect back on those crazy days hanging with him at The Abbey and River Del Rey. It was all good times!! I believe he screwed A TON of people over but he sure gave me and my friends some good times and NEVER let anything bad happen to us in the process (such as being taken advantage of when we had to much or whatever) and between weed and Jack he never let us move any further as far as the drugs. Good times!!!!! Glad I stubbled on this blog, it kinda took me back.:)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Shut the Fuk up !

    ReplyDelete
  27. Jr oglesby, would you contact me about matt.
    tonytreece4@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  28. I dont know what to belive, but look at this pic on this page, Nikki with sunglass and all dressed in Purple... look´s like John Trippe Moore then Nikki SIxx.
    (
    http://rockhistory.altervista.org/motley-crue/?doing_wp_cron=1376844048.7606289386749267578125

    ReplyDelete
  29. Sorry it´s Picture number 6 on that page!

    Lasseboy

    ReplyDelete
  30. I still miss myself. I need another beer so, KEEP THEM COMMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  31. MATHEW TRIPPE passed away in September.

    R.I.P. MATTHEW TRIPPE

    ReplyDelete
  32. In all of this no one ever asks, what would be the point?
    If the management wanted to replace Nikki then they go get another guy, if they needed a temporary replacement they go get a session guy. The band didn't need to get a clone. Look at the publicity that Def Leppard got with Rick Allen's injury at around the same time, if Nikki was incapacitated then why not spin the story that way. Sure would have been easier.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Matt was my friend and neighbor
    Matt passed away on Dec. 1st 2014
    at nch hospital here in Naples, FL
    with all that has been said and some quite vicious, Matt was a truly wonderful man with great qualities, yes he had issues, but his kind heart and his willingness to help anyone in need was in the forefront with him.
    i will miss him dearly, and our times when he would come over with his dog Hammie,who was his life, so our dogs could play.
    let Matt Rest in Peace

    ReplyDelete
  34. I won't leave my identity for personal / safety reasons which may make people doubt my comments.
    I worked for Doc McGee during the Motley Crüe debacle and can state definitively that Matt Trippe was employed by the agency during this time. I do not know if he wrote the songs he claims he'd I'd but I know he attended writing and recording sessions I also know he was 'let go' due to an arrest and that his calls etc were refused by the agency from that point onwards.
    Maybe not that interesting but absolutely true I assure you.

    ReplyDelete
  35. If you go around saying you filled in for a member of a well known band even back in the 80's without any proof, nobody would listen. There was a fake Peter Criss and a fake guitarist of Great white that made the news and that lasted for 5 minutes before put in the trash. Trippe's story has lasted thru the years.

    Matt probably filled in for a show or part of a show. He probably didn't even play and just told to fake he was playing, since Motley sometimes uses recorded guitars, bass, and vocals even to this day. I'm sure one of the band guys will mention something truthfully about it in a few years, maybe not in the mainstream media, but if you talk to them one on one you'll get the truth.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Motley’s manager was friends with the mafia. Do you really think members of motley Crüe are gonna come out and say that Matt briefly replaced Nikki? The mafia motto is ‘one slip of the tongue and you’re in deep shit’

      Delete
  36. Hoping this finds you all doing well.

    I haven't had time to read all of these comments, I found this thread looking for Jerry O for some journalists who are looking for photos for a MJT piece they are working on.

    After reading JO's comment about who wrote the Sixx Pakk music, I felt obliged to contribute. The 3 songs that Sixx Pakk recorded at Morrisound studios in Tampa, Lifetime, Back for the Kill, and Passion Lies, the only Sixx PAkk songs ever promoted anywhere, were written by myself, Jim Harris and Joe Dixon. Matthew Trippe did not write or otherwise contribute in any way, a single note or syllable to that work and anyone who says he did, is a bald-faced liar. He wrote some riffs and words of his own, but they were too incomplete and often too incoherent to develop in to songs.

    And JO never "managed" any band I was ever in.

    We sacrificed a lot in those days for that situation, we worked constantly to make it work, and Matt worked almost as constantly to undermine everyone else's effort and expense. It defies logic that any of us in the group of people involved, who invested and supplied so many resources, money and hard work would secretly want to "push him out".

    I know the guys in Jeteye, they were never Sixx Pakk.

    The interview with CC I did was a long time ago, I may have been a little harsh, but none of it is lies.

    Generally, I liked Matt. Generally, I think he had a good heart and tried to be decent. I tried to be his friend for a long time and generally, we were friends, but he made it very difficult... often.

    Sixx Pakk was poised to do a lot on an international level and most likely would have, if not for the erratic, manic extremes of Matt's personality and behavior.

    If anyone deserves credit for managing Sixx Pakk its Carl Fisher, may he rest in peace and as for the "lot of talent" that fueled Sixx Pakk, it was Joe, Jim and myself and we are still making great music today as Thrown Alive.

    http://www.thrownalive.com/

    My apologies to those decent folk here who I know to have been Matt's friends.


    In Love and Music,

    The REAL Roger Hemond

    ReplyDelete
  37. Many call Matt Trippe an alcoholic,an insane person, a fraud among many other things. However I knew Matt Trippe when he lived in Hernando florida and he was ( AKA Nikki Sixx). I drove him to his private investigator Jerry and his lawyer Tom every time he had to go. I have all the court papers to show. Matt Trippe did not file a lawsuit for money but for recognition of who he once was and that was AKA Nikki Sixx. Yes he may have been rude and crude but once you got to know him he had a heart of gold. I often remember taken him to his favorite restaurant in Inverness Florida where he loved his pineapple pizza and his Killigan Beer. I had a pet shop at the time and Matt was always there to help me. it is true he was an alcoholic crude and rude but he was ( AKA Nikki Sixx). He also wrote the words to many of Motley Crue's songs such as girls, girls girls. which I have papers to prove this. So I ask that the bashing of this man stop and to let him rest in peace.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Well Linda Seidel, show the papers that would prove he wrote Motley's songs. Everytime someone says they have proof and others asks for proof, there's always an excuse not to show it.
    So Linda prove your not a quack and show those papers!

    The real Nikki Sixx says he was a fraud:
    https://www.facebook.com/sixxsense/posts/10152036834457703

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://www.the600club.com/topic39159-1.html

      Scroll down to the cloning of nikki sixx written in 1985

      Delete
  39. He's NOT dead ! He now lives in Waco TX. Started a religious organization and lives at some compound.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Now this is interesting. Could you comment any further on this info? More of the Temple of Set type of thing, or is it a christian organization? How did you come across him? Did he tell you the Nikki Sixx story? Please elaborate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://www.the600club.com/topic39159-1.html

      Scroll down to the cloning of nikki sixx written in 1985

      Delete
  41. I knew Matthew Trippe between 1973 and 1983. I'll just say this he was one strange person. He and his family lived in the same neighborhood as I. It was a rather affluent / preppy area, and actually quite idyllic. I think Matthew had a difficult time socially as he did not hang out with friends his own age rather he hung out with little kids six to eight years younger than he was. Broke into a house and went berserk and caused a great deal of damage. Which he still seems proud of to this day. It also didn't appear that he was exercising any real level of intelligence by walking around talking to himself, quoting that freak Anton LeVey, and hanging out with little children. The latter would most certainly be reason for concern in the world we live in now. As for his claim, I can not completely discount it as I am quite familiar with the music industry and many of the unsavory characters it attracts. I also lived in L.A., Hollywood to be accurate and have family in Laurel Canyon. One of the bands I was in (1983-1986) played Doug Weston's Troubadour and the Whiskey...Many nasty acts are perpetrated in the name of the "Bottom Line".....oh well, I guess he received his fifteen minutes.

    ReplyDelete
  42. I must admit the '80s were an incredible time to have lived in L.A. I wouldn't have traded it for the world.

    ReplyDelete
  43. I remember this years ago reading Kerrang.
    As much as i don't want to believe it I do however think it's true in part. not so much writing the songs but playing live and photo sessions for definite. look at the pictures..they are the truth.
    It'll come out years later..make for another film no doubt.
    The Strange case of motley Crue

    ReplyDelete
  44. http://www.the600club.com/topic39159-1.html

    Scroll down to the cloning of nikki sixx written in 1985

    ReplyDelete
  45. I first stated noticing the difference in Nikki's face back in 1989. All of sudden his face is like being "streched" and his jaw looks bigger. Since then I always maintained there are 2 Nikkis in MC. Recently this thing reappered in my head and I found out about Trippe. So it wasn't my imagination after all.Nikki Sixx are two guys with different shapes of teeth with different colours; and with different voices - it's so strange people can't see these things they're so obvious. And if Trippe's words were just lunatic ramblings then why were his stuff (Facebook account etc) taken down the net?

    ReplyDelete
  46. In a world full of fake people with fake boobs and fake butts and fake eyelashes, why is it so strange if there's a fake Nikki Sixx ? Anything is possible.. "There's only one Nikki" they chanted.. lol pathetic bimbos .. what planet do they live on!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Fred Bear: What is that? An alternate reality?

    ReplyDelete
  48. Look at Frankie Ferrano's social media accounts. Most of "his" pics from the SATD & TOP era aren't even from his own collections, they're either taken from Google or sent by people (they "tagged" him).. a rock star who's into photography in a big way couldn't be bothered to save his own pictures on his heyday?? Somehow the pages of the years 1983-1985 seem to disappear from his life! LOL you're a clown Frankie

    ReplyDelete
  49. Ralph A Wellman, email me
    Jeff Bassett

    ReplyDelete
  50. Has anyone noticed very recently that every Google image and Youtube video search on this topic has been altered that show photos/videos of Nikki Sixx with the square jaw and is as tall now as Tommy Lee.
    Even more intriguing is the videos of so-called Matt Trippe Era in the Crue, looks that kill, smokin in the boys room, too young to fall in love, home sweet home, now somewhow show a taller Nikki than i remember. It seems Google has altered all video of Matt Trippe as Nikki Sixx, to now show a tall Nikki Sixx with "Frank Ferrano" facial features. Even the interviews from Uncensored are altered!!
    Hard to find any Matt Nikki content now.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Being a huge Crue fan in the UK, I remember the Kerrang interview years ago and was captivated by the idea alone.. am amazed nobody has followed this story up with a TV documentary with comparisons, interviews, etc, etc. It's fairly obvious from THE DIRT that selective parts of 'history' has been omitted or by-passed.. I think JRO's comments on here are sincere and why would he go to such lengths if there was no smoke?? PLEASE someone make a documentary!! I've read every comment (with exception to some of the idiots) and it's apparent that Matt was received in different ways but even years later I still believe there's a story here...

    ReplyDelete
  52. A true psychopath he was. I ran away to be with him. Stayed with this couple for a short time. I would witness his devil worshiping and laugh, he didn’t much like that. Anyways, I got caught and was taken back home and he was able to stay with me and my family. He had manipulated and poured his sick behavior onto me and tried with my family, his stay was not long as my mom walked in the house just as he was going to hit me. Cops were called and he was taken to Tampa was not to return to Naples. Back then could get away with that guess he came back glad I didn’t see him again. On the bright side he prepared me for an even crazier psychopath then him. No , he was not the fill in for Nikki Sixx he was plain and simple a mental case.

    ReplyDelete
  53. So would any of you guys have any info on who might have raped Janie Lane? Doc Mcvee and Nikki sixx have been mentioned. Bobbie brown wont spill the beans but everyone is on the hunt so any info from any of you would be appreciated. check out bitchute Jamie d lux for more details about it. Thank you

    ReplyDelete