Crue Clippings #1 - Nikki In Hustler Magazine, c. 1990

I got this clipping (and many more) from a school friend.
"Hey Mick, look what I found in one of my dad's porn mags!"

Motley Pin-Ups #2

Here are some more random Motley pin-ups and images from my childhood collection. Check out the wear and tear on a few of these, ha ha. In the 1980s, Motley Crue pictures from magazines would sometimes pass into several hands before they found a home in fans like me or, more often, thrown in the garbage!
Here's Pin-Ups Part 1

 

Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars in Guitar Magazine, January 1990

"The bass player claims he's really just a songwriter. The guitarist can only solo on one chord. Both say they ought to practice more often, but then admit too much practice could lead the band to ruination. They wouldn't be motley anymore. But, wait a minute: the guitarist spends his off hours composing classical themes for cello and violin. The bass player is about to release a book of poetry. What is going on here?" 

John Stix's Guitar Magazine interview with Nikki and Mick is one of the most detailed accounts from the 1980s of the Motley string men as working, creative musicians. Both frankly admit their limitations while showing a deep awareness of their talents and how they approached their roles in one of the world's then biggest Rock bands.  

Mick speaks of creating out-of-character Rock instrumental music with a combination of his Blues Rock sensibilities and Classical music touches. He also talks in depth about key and position preference and reveals he is not overly comfortable in E or A which is surprising as they are often the most native, popular keys and positions for Blues Rock players.

Nikki discusses a book of poetry and lyrics he was planning on publishing but never saw the light of day. The book was to be a mix of Motley lyrics with as many new songs and poems and was later titled "An Education In Rebellion."  

Among the more fascinating details in this interview is Nikki's walk-through of Motley's songwriting process. From writing on acoustic guitars to Mick's electric guitar additions to having Vince mumble melody ideas, Nikki lays out the process which yielded such classics as "Don't Go Away Mad" and "Dr. Feelgood". This is the type of information that was not often asked of or offered from the Crue and it is a welcomed change.

Mick says he will soon be working on a solo record . . . which, in 2020, is still unreleased but has been teased and may be released in the next few years. He ends the interview by admitting that though perhaps more accomplished players may criticize his technique, they know his sound which is original and recognizable. Amen, Mr. Mars.

Guitar Magazine offered guitar and bass transcriptions for "Dr. Feelgood" and the back cover of the edition has a Kramer Guitars ad that features Nikki and Mick among Rock cohorts who had taken part in the Moscow Music Peace Festival months prior in August, 1989, around when this interview would have taken place. 

School Notebook Crue Art and 2019's "The Dirt"

Going through some boxes at my folks' place recently I stumbled upon these old English and Math class notebook duo-tangs from the early 1990s. Tagging your school books with your favourite bands was a busy pastime for us old-school Metal Heads. I'm glad I went to public school where no one told me I couldn't graffiti my books! Looks like I was listening to Faith No More and Nazareth at the time, too. 

While we're here we thought we'd share the trailer for the Crue bio coming to Netflix on March 22nd, 2019. "The Dirt" is based on the 2001 Motley autobiography of the same same. Looks a little on the cheap side but hope it's entertaining.

They wrote three new tunes and covered Madonna's "Like A Virgin" for the soundtrack. They've released the tune "The Dirt." It's actually not as bad as I expected and grows on you.

Tommy Lee Part 5: The Dr. Feelgood Drum Solo

As far as awesome concert spectacles go Tommy Lee was not likely to top the spinning drum set stunt from the Crue’s 1987 tour. He sure came close though with the Dr. Feelgood drum solo of 1989-1990: on a track, suspended over the heads of the audience, Tommy & attached drum set would make their way around the arena while he played along with snatches of some of his favorite Rock songs.

The solo culminated with Tommy taking a long bungee jump off his drum set, dangling just above the audience. One night, a miscommunication with his roadie almost resulted in Mr. Lee cracking his noggin’ open like a cocoanut.

(from Chronological Crue)

‘7/4/90
At the end of his flying drum solo in New Haven, Connecticut, Tommy descends as usual on his bungee rope but has a feeling his roadie will not pull the brake on it in time. He panics and lets go of the rope to reach his foot strap, turning him upside down. When the rope’s brake is pulled on his twenty-foot plummet, Tommy’s head cracks into the head of a person in the audience, before he hits the ground head-first and blacks out. He gets taken to hospital for observation of his concussion, which not only signals the end of this show, but forces the cancellation of another show.’

Just as the 1987 drum solo was featured in the video for ‘Wild Side,’ Motley made sure those of us who didn’t see them on their massive Dr. Feelgood tour at least got a peek of Tommy’s latest trick.

Sleaze Patrol TV: Much Music ‘Decade Of Decadence’ Special, 1991

I recorded as much Crue video as I could with only Much Music, Musique Plus, basic cable &, once in a while, a friend’s satellite MTV. They was slim pickins but what I do have I’m going to try uploading to YouTube. Apparently I’m having international viewing problems with my first upload: Much Music’s 40 minute Decade Of Decadence special from 1991.

The Much Music special aired during the channel’s hard rock & heavy metal weekly program ‘The Pepsi Power Hour’ & gathered together most of whatever they & M Plus had for Motley footage in celebration of the Crue’s 10 year anniversary. The Shout era interview has become almost notorious on YouTube in the last 5 years . . . an early glimpse of Nikki Sixx spinning the sleaze philosophy (on what I think may have been from a Canadian music television show called ‘The New Music’). There’s stuff from the Motley boys passing through Canada on their Theatre, Girls & Dr. Feelgood tours (with some cool video from a Dr. Feelgood era show) & of course the obligatory music videos.

Much Music used to be the kind of channel where you were likely to hear everything from pop music to thrash, to adult contemporary, to everything under the sun. It was my radio. It has become a teeny-bopper channel with young, ‘hip’ hosts & there is less & less music video content . . . but of course music videos are not what they used to be. Part of Motley Crue’s legend is steeped in the video age they came out of. Those early vids from the the first 3 albums especially were essential to their fame.

You may get the impression that the interviewers at Much & et al. were not the biggest Crue fans & maybe even are humouring the boys in these interviews. They do seem to like the Crue as well tho’. One thing I’ve noticed about these so-called wild men of Rock: they’re pretty nice guys. Crue always seem real forthcoming & polite in all their interviews, rarely are they pissed, even when they’re asked the same stupid questions over & over.

Only Mr. Mars is not represented in an interview segment. Mick came around the Much studios soon after for a Decade Of Decadence (the official album & video releases) publicity junket with Nikki. I have various clips from that interview & I’ll leave this post with the last part of the Much Music special & the Nikki & Mick clip.

More sleaze files on the way . . .

EDITED TO ADD:

Some of these videos were blocked because I kept in too much music & they claimed copyright so I edited the whole thing down to just the talking & interviews.

Motley Scrapbook #1

(click images to enlarge & READ)

I began collecting Motley stuff probably around 1985. I had been a fan already for a year or more but could never get my kid hands on Crue posters. I stole a Circus mag from a local convenience store that had Shout At the Devil-era pictures (my favourite) but then someone stole it from me. An older cousin finally gave me some of his old Crue posters & I began getting magazines & would trade stuff of other bands to friends for their Crue stuff. With some I would trade Metallica posters, or pin-ups, with another, Crue for Poison or Skid row & so on. I became so notorious for my love of Motley Crue in school that people would collect Crue pics or articles or media clipping for me & would bring them to me at school. I never amassed a major collection but what I have is very me-specific & holds a lot of memories from my youth.

I started my first Crue scrapbook in the late ‘80s. I tried to date some of the pics & I see now I was often off but you get the idea.

There are carnival stickers, an ad for a show in Toronto, some great rare Too Fast For Love era pics, a Circus Magazine Poll Winners page with all of Crue’s wins, chip bag stickers, Crue chart standings from my local newspaper, an ad from a Hustler mag, a cool news clipping about Vince & Tommy saving the day at a crime scene & lotsa other little tidbits.

This is the kind of stuff that you just don’t get anymore.