Motley Pin-Ups #1

Here's some random pin-ups from Motley's glory days. These were collected and plastered on my teenage walls as I moved from place to place and thirty years later I've somehow been able to keep most of them. You'll see that many of the images at the Sleaze Patrol Files have that vintage look: I taped, tacked, puttied, stapled and pasted these pics to my various bedroom walls from about ages 9-16.

Motley had three members who were regarded as sex symbols (Sorry, Mick!) and so many of the magazines provided content specifically for the female fan. I would reluctantly put up some of these pics but only if I didn't have something cooler to take their place!

Motley in 1987. This photo session was a popular one and I have posters, 4 page pull-outs, centerfolds and stickers of it. After the gonzo glam of the Theatre Of Pain era, the above style was described as "street." Sure thing, guys!

More stylized "street" or semi-Glam Rock look for the Motleys in the Dr. Feelgood years. After a very glammy album artwork photo session of the boys in straight jackets they toned down their on and off stage clothes to the point where they just kinda looked like Rocker dudes. The other difference is the sleeves of tattoos! An extreme lifestyle choice in 1988-89, not so much in the tattooed 21st century.

Come the Decade Of Decadence release in late 1991, the Motley's looked more and more straight and relaxed (minus Tommy's brief run in with a shaved head) and were destined to enter new phase of music that would add experimentation to their groovin' heavy Rock . . .

Vince Part 7: Dr. Neil, 1988-1989

Vince was sober, recording Dr. Feelgood in Vancouver, Canada on the weekends, & apparently not getting along with his then wife, Sharise Ruddell. Sometime in perhaps mid 1988, Sharise talked to the folks at Blast! Magazine about her relationship with Vince, the making of Motley's new record & what she was getting herself up to as Mrs. Neil.

In May 1989, in the locker room after a charity baseball game, Coach Vince Neil talks to Gerri Miller of Metal Edge Magazine about the loss to Sam Kinison's team & updates her on the final stages of the recording of Dr. Feelgood.

Gerri Miller of Metal Edge once again gets the scoop on the new Motley record & Vince talks about everything including the new video, tour, acting & much more in this circa August 1989 article, 'Vince Neil On The Line':

Vince talks to Anne M. Raso at Powerline Magazine circa October-November 1989. He speaks at length about Motley's longevity, the scuffle-up at Moscow in August that saw them separating ways with manager Doc McGhee, the then European tour, the security necessary for big rock bands & an anecdote about an imposter who convinced a Las Vegas casino that he was the real Vince Neil & left a bill for 10 grand! The Crue would be jetting to gigs on their new private plane for the first time.

Vince's turn as an actor in some bigger budget movies is mentioned in all these interviews. He gets killed in Andrew 'Dice' Clay's The Adventures Of Ford Fairlane from 1990. He also voices regret that his scene in Police Academy Part 6 got cut from the final feature. Here's the trailer for the 'Dice' movie. Most of Vince's appearance is featured in the first 13 seconds!

Motley contributed 'Rock N' Roll Junkie' to the soundtrack. I actually bought this thing, I was such a Cruehead. I didn't know they were going to release it on Decade Of Decadence in 1991 but I couldn't have waited that long anyway. A fun & funky Motley B-Side!

We actually have about 6 minutes of Vince on the set of Police Academy 6 in late 1988. We see him in 'Hair & Make-up', going over his lines at his trailer & then being interviewed about Motley. Vince says they're taking holidays 1988 off & then pre-production with Bob Rock in January 1989 with recording starting February 1st. We even see the cut scene as the crew films it!

More Vinnie to come at The Sleaze Patrol Files!!

A WTF Motley Artifact: Crue & Arsenio Hall

Don't go looking for it on YouTube, it didn't happen. I think. Crueheads who may know better are going to have to let me know if this happened but I've never seen or heard anything about it except this notice from the TV Guide of my sleepy little town. 

Arsenio Hall was a very famous Night Talk Show host in the late 1980s to early 1990s & anybody who was anybody appeared on his show [Then President-hopeful Bill Clinton performed saxophone with the show's band (The Posse) & instantly appeared 90% cooler to the public]. I remember there being a mention of Motley & the rap band 2 Live Crew performing on the show together [more on that unlikely collaboration HERE] but the above advertised appearance is odd. We do know that the Motleys & Mr. Hall ran into each other in the years 1989-1990. Here's what Paul Miles' authoritative Chronological Crue has for the year 1989:

11/7/89
Nominees for the MTV Video Awards are announced by Vince and Arsenio Hall during a press conference at the Saxonlee Art Gallery in Los Angeles.

We have a pic of the great meeting, above.

In September 1990 Motley performed Don't Go Away Mad at the MTV Video Music Awards, hosted by Mr. Hall. Here he is introducing the boys:

Motley became more famous in the Dr. Feelgood years; Hard Rock had hit the mainstream & with Tommy married to the famous Heather Locklear, the Crue had a certain presence & legitimacy they hadn't had prior. Vince was the most public Motley face & there are many pics of Vinnie hanging with some big stars like Sylvester Stallone.
If any of you Crueheads know anything about this Arsenio Hall appearance, please let me know in the comments section, thanks!

Classic Rock Magazine Polls #3: 1989-1990

Motley's two & a half year hiatus from releasing new music meant that a whole lotta upstarts jumped into the limelight. By 1989, bands like Warrant & Skid Row & Poison came to define what has become popularly known as 'Hair Metal'. Motley were always a Glam band in the mold of 1970s pioneers like Alice Cooper, New York Dolls & Kiss, but with the emergence of 1980s Hard Rock, Glam got a new look and a new cast of characters. In those two & a half years, a highly successful breed of bands would emerge & threaten to topple the Crue from atop the Hard Rock heap.

 In 1989 Hard Rock was still big business & Motley released Dr. Feelgood unto a world which had already heard Guns N' Roses, Cinderella, Poison, Skid Row, Warrant &, in a different vein, Metallica (as can be seen by their placing in many of the poll categories). And although songs like 'Dr. Feelgood' & 'Kickstart My Heart' are powerful examples of 1980s Hard Rock at its finest, the Crue were not offering anything overly revolutionary or new. In a way, it was the first time in their career they could be said to have been overt followers of trends in Hard Rock. 

Despite this tough competition, Motley fares out well in this Circus Magazine poll for the year 1989 (published in the February 1990 edition), winning the coveted top spots: 'Band Of The Year' & 'Album Of The Year' for Dr. Feelgood. Vince hadn't won the 'Lead Vocalist Of The Year' for two polls running but was happy to comment on Motley's other wins in the article above. He talks about the band's success despite not much radio or video play & remarks how the band's audience has expanded to include younger & more general Rock fans (a trend that two years later would make Metallica the world's biggest Rock band). Vince congratulates Skid Row on their success & once again remarks on the different nature of Motley & Bon Jovi.

Sharon Liveten catches up with Nikki while the Crue are rollin' on the Feelgood tour in 1989-90. The Sixxster is in high spirits & discusses the bass guitar (he won 'Best Bassist') & laughs that the band also won 'Comeback Of The Year', insisting the Crue were assured of their success with Dr. Feelgood all along. Tommy also won 'Best Drummer' (again) but we do not get a feature on the Motley basher.

Circus printed a chart of all the Reader's Poll winners from 1984 to 1989 & Motley's dominance & popularity in those years is surprising. They certainly were not as successful or as popular as bands like Bon Jovi, Def Leppard or AC/DC, so why were they the darlings of so many of these teeny-bopper Metal & Hard Rock magazines? Was there something more personal & intense about the Motleys?

 

Tommy & Nikki sound politely impressed when Metal Edge Magazine Editor Gerri Miller presents them with plaques for their wins in the 1990 Reader's Choice Awards. The duo often won in their respective categories, a testament to their talent (Tommy) & their popularity. MORE Magazine Poll Awards to come at the Sleaze Patrol Files!!

Crue Cards & the Motley Universe in Early 1991

At Paul Miles' Chronological Crue we see this entry for January of 1991:

16/1/91
Dr. Feelgood becomes Mötley’s highest selling album, now reaching quadruple-Platinum status. Brokum release a series of trading cards called RockCards, featuring Mötley Crüe and other popular hard rock bands.

The Motleys had wrapped up their successful Dr. Feelgood tour in the Fall of 1990. In early 1991 Nikki had his first son, Gunner, with his then wife Brandi Brandt. [At the time of this writing (Sept 2014), Brandi Brandt has been convicted of charges of smuggling cocaine & has been sentenced to  prison time.] Motley also won an American Music Award in January 1991:

Tommy played drums on pop singer Richard Marx's tune 'Streets Of Pain' after the two met at an L. A. Kings game in February:

The boys were nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the Grammys in February but lost to then Rock Critic darlings, Living Colour [go to 5:40]: