This Is Gonna Hurt is music, photography, and life through the distorted lens of Nikki Sixx, bassist for heavy metal rock band Mötley Crüe’s and the New York Times bestselling author of The Heroin Diaries. A combination of powerful prose and dramatic photographs, This Is Gonna Hurt is an arresting, deeply personal look through the eyes of a real rock star at a stark, post-addiction world.

This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography, and Life Through the Distorted Lens of Nikki Sixx is part photo, part journal—but all Nikki Sixx. It is a collection of compelling photography and stories that capture the rage, love, optimism, darkness, and determination that shape his work. Combining the raw authenticity that defined his New York Times bestseller, The Heroin Diaries, with a photographic journey, This Is Gonna Hurt chronicles Sixx's experiences—from his early years filled with toxic waste, to his success with Mötley Crüe, to his overdose and eventual rebirth through music, photography, and love.