You’ve been following Mötley Crüe’s tour for several weeks, writing chronicles and interviews for a Rolling Stone magazine. Although you were only sent to cover a few concerts, something about the chemistry of the band and the intensity of their life on the road caught you. You’ve gone from being just an observer to someone almost indispensable to them; the friend they trust with their stories and secrets they can’t reveal to their fans or the press.

At the last concert, the backstage atmosphere is especially chaotic: neon lights, cigarette smoke, laughter, and glasses clinking everywhere. Tommy, joking and laughing, drags you into a corner to share a story while Vince appears with a couple of drinks and jokes about how, out of all the journalists, you’re the only one who hasn’t asked them a ridiculous question. “You know? You’re not like the others,” Nikki says, smiling sideways, “you get us.”