I got Crue shirts from record stores, carnivals, traveling vendors, department stores, mail order and other kids. I have no memory where the above THEATRE OF PAIN era shirt came from but I know I got it from another fan, some time in the 1980s.
As
the years passed I kept most of my childhood Motley collection but I
did lose a few vintage Crue tees like the DR. FEELGOOD one above
captured in an old family movie.
These hearty rags survived. I got the GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS shirt in 1987 and it's in pretty good shape.
More old, moldy and stinky Crue shirts to come at The Sleaze Patrol Files!!
Local record stores and even Canadian department stores like Towers and Zellers would sometime sell Crue posters in the 1980s. The 1991 Decade of Decadence era poster above show the Crue following the current trend of alternative, faux-punk, pre-grunge style. This was possibly their last big photo session before they would disband the original lineup in February, 1992.
The
Theatre Of Pain era is a controversial and bitter-sweet one for old-school Crue
fans. It was the end of their intense, two record debut explosion as a
blood-thirsty metal-pop band. Theatre happened after that all crashed
and burned with Vince's vehicular manslaughter charge. This was when the
Crue got complicated and the music suffered. The band actually changed
from here on in. They became more of a Hard Rock act in a classic 70s
mold with a 1980s update.
The Theatre Of Pain style is so particular to 1985-1986. Glam Metal was born with Theatre no matter if others did it first: it was Motley's about-face in style that spoke to other Rock bands and you soon saw the emergence of a whole genre of music called Glam Metal and, later, Hair Metal. I got two copies of the poster above and below. This 1930s gangster session and theme was one of the more colourful and effective themed shoots. Every album or "look" has a series of photo sessions that Crueheads identify with the era. I remember when some of these images were first released to the public and I still closely identify these albums and years with the pin-ups and posters of the same eras.
This second copy of the poster has some Hostess Chips Motley stickers from 1987 decorating the bottom left-hand side.
Even more vintage Crue posters to come at the Sleaze Patrol Files!!
I've been inactive for years now but I still have more vintage Crue articles and images and collectibles to share and perhaps the Netflix movie of "The Dirt" will create more interest in the Crue in the oncoming years. I hope to post more in 2019.
Vintage Motley Posters #1 can be seen HERE
