A native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, drummer Nikki Stix grew up with best friends Bob and Doug McKenzie. Nikki spent his teen years waist deep in strange brew, poutine, and something that rhymes with poutine. His first drum solo was on accident, when he was pushed down the stairs by his biological, deadbeat father Neal Peart. Years later, Peart would go on to steal this falling-down-the-stairs rhythm approach for Rush’s hit song YYZ.
In 1982, Gephen Records was assembling a new rock band originally called Jer-Knee, later renamed Hair Metal Radio following a lawsuit. They traveled to Saskatoon to audition a guitar player for the new band. They asked the guy to play a solo, suggesting the “National Anthem, you know, like Jimi Hendrix”. Sadly, he tore into O Canada, horrifying the record company. However, according to the A&R guy, drummer Nikki Stix (who’d been brought in along with some bass player named Geddy to back up the potential guitar player during the audition) “didn’t suck too badly, and will probably work cheap”… so Nikki was signed to a contract. Not wanting to waste airfare on a drummer, he and his drum kit were promptly shipped down to Los Angeles in a container marked “Remaindered Pemican – Not for Human Consumption” which is why his drum throne still smells a bit like dried cranberries and beef jerky.
Nikki’s business managers from the firm of Illgot and Gaines recommended that he attempt to cash in on the “Music for Television” side of the industry. Nikki invested his entire advance from HMR’s first record into a studio specializing in the programming of bodily-function sound effects for several sitcoms including “It Takes Two”, “One of the Boys” and “Report to Murphy”. Sadly, the programs were all so terrible they never made it into a second season, much less syndication, and Nikki lost everything. Since 1984 he’s been living behind the warehouse Jizzy uses to store his collection of antique dollhouses.
Not much else is known about Nikki Stix. He prefers to keep his aura and mystique buried deep under a heavy musk that emanates from his persistently moist drum throne. It is said that his drums were crafted by the Canadian Gods themselves, but a brief internet search reveals that “The Canadian Gods” is the name of a second-hand thrift store specializing in hockey equipment and bail bonds.