MOTLEY CRUE - "Sex, Drugs And Growing Old"

[Hit 'Em Hard]

MOTLEY CRUE - Sex, Drugs And Growing Old

The Seattle Times (seattletimes.nwsource.com) has issued the following report from Patrick MacDonald:



MOTLEY CRUE was one of the bands that was supposed to have been mortally wounded by the much better hard-rock band GUNS N’ ROSES in the late '80s, then finished off by Kurt Cobain and NIRVANA in the early '90s.



In the short glory days of grunge, Motley became a joke, a symbol of commercial rock's worst excesses — cheap, formulaic music and over-publicized hedonism.



But Motley Crue survived both those groups, as well as their own excesses, and rose from the dead earlier this year with a moderate hit single, ‘If I Die Tomorrow’. Now they're on a tour that emphasizes their legacy of showmanship, with a circus theme, complete with acrobats, stilt-walkers and, of course, girls, girls, girls nearly naked, naked, naked.



Now that corporate, commercial rock is back in a big, bland way, so is Crue , just in time for '80s nostalgia. The band, now in their 40s and 50s, will attract fans of the same age. There are a bunch of young groups on the bill, as well, to bring in younger ticket-buyers, who probably also want to see what Crue is all about.



Whenever the band plays the Seattle area, it's something of a homecoming for bassist/mastermind Nikki Sixx, who, as Frank Ferrana, graduated from Roosevelt High here. He played with a band called PIZZAZZ at the school's 1975 talent show and was in a local disco/dance band called SOPHISTAFUNK before he moved to Los Angeles and found his fortune.



Crue has always been more interesting because of its offstage antics than its music, which is why the band's 2001 autobiography, The Dirt, written with ace music journalist Neil Strauss, is such a jaw-dropping kick. Sixx's near-death heroin overdoses (he's been sober now, he says, for four years); singer Vince Neil's 1984 conviction for vehicular manslaughter after a drunk-driving accident killed his passenger, Razzle from the band HANOI ROCKS; and drummer Tommy Lee's infamous sex video with former wife Pamela Anderson are the stuff of legend, along with the drugs and groupies.



They're too old for that now, especially guitarist Mick Mars, who, at 54, has already had a hip replacement and suffers from a degenerative bone disease. Age is why the band leaves the stage four times during its two-and-a-half-hour show, letting the circus acts and girls, girls, girls take over, while the Crue rests and recuperates (Mars on a specially equipped bed).



The strongest support act is SUM 41, the brash young Canadian band known for the hits ‘Fat Lip’ and ‘In Too Deep’. Of course, the big news about the band is that lead singer Deryck Whibley is engaged to fellow Canadian rock star AVRIL LAVIGNE (who plays White River Aug. 8).



Also on the bill are two cute young bands inspired by '80s music, THE EXIES and SILVERTIDE.

[stephansv2002]

Wtf?

[Hit 'Em Hard]

I know...you've got to love critics take on things...

Not always fact filled, is it ?

[stephansv2002]

Critics are stupid....

[buckojackson]

You've got to keep in mind...most music critics, both in print on the many annoying and dull VH1 shows, are all dorks that used to get beat up in highschool for their lunch money. They write their opinions and present them as though it's the opinion of the majority. It's what they're hired to do. Ignore the BS

[AL PERCIVAL]

Originally Posted by Hit 'Em Hard

I know...you've got to love critics take on things...

Not always fact filled, is it ?

Rock Music beat critics are famous for this.

Remember this one?.....

"I hope the four guys who make up the group, whose names don't matter, are putting money away for their future, The near future, because these guys that call themselves KISS won't be around long."

***SEATTLE DAILY TIMES May 27, 1974 ***

[Hit 'Em Hard]

Originally Posted by aperciva

Rock Music beat critics are famous for this.

Remember this one?.....

"I hope the four guys who make up the group, whose names don't matter, are putting money away for their future, The near future, because these guys that call themselves KISS won't be around long."

***SEATTLE DAILY TIMES May 27, 1974 ***

Exactly...and meanwhile 32+ years later.

And what timing...I'm sitting here at work and Beth just came on the radio.... too funny.

[Chop Shop Custom Drums]

Saw them here this year... SOLD OUT in like 2 hours.... no opening act.... 16,000 seats.... There are few bands today that could do that....

[dale w miller]

to the defense of people who may agree with the writer, how many were there for nostalgia reasons?

sure they put them in the seats. what music have they put out since 1987 or so that has any relevance? unlike say Bob Dylan whose somewhat recent 1998's Time Out Mind was as powerful as any of his earlier stuff in the late 60's.

[Hit 'Em Hard]

Originally Posted by Chop Shop Custom Drums

Saw them here this year... SOLD OUT in like 2 hours.... no opening act.... 16,000 seats.... There are few bands today that could do that....

I know and it's really surprising to see. Recent ticket sales by the Crue and Leppard are averaging 10,000 seats sold. Five years or so back, both bands struggled to move half that at an average US venue.

Certainly looks like a lot of the surviving 80's hard rock acts (Crue, Leppard, Jovi, Maiden) have quietly joined the 70's classic hard rock acts like KISS, Priest, Queen, Aerosmith, Zep, Journey,Van Halen, etc... as premier nostalgia icons. I find that pretty cool.

We're seeing the last few years of that type of long standing successful classic band I'm afraid. Most bands today don't have that kind of fandom or duration ahead of them. I really don't see acts like Marilyn Manson, Creed, Slipnot, etc.. having massive reunion tours 15-20 years from now, you know ? Certainly not in 15,000 seaters at $75 - $100 per ticket as we've seen in recent years by the big 70's and 80's acts. It's just a different era and different type of fans... and the times have certainly changed and fans have certainly become more fickle and 'for the moment'...

[dudme]

Well, you gotta be around for a few years to build up a large enough fan base to be able to do the big reunion tours. What was the last band since 1990 that has been popular for more than ten years? Five years even?
Actually, what was the last band that stayed together that long?

On a realted note, I just got back from Orlando where I saw W.A.S.P. As always, Blackie puts on a great show.

[buckojackson]

sure they put them in the seats. what music have they put out since 1987 or so that has any relevance? unlike say Bob Dylan whose somewhat recent 1998's Time Out Mind was as powerful as any of his earlier stuff in the late 60's.

it is relevant. You're judging BD and MC by a certain set of standards. Bob Dylan's newest songs were relevant for one reason, and Motley's newer stuff is relevant for another reason. It's simply a different kind of music. You can't compare Bob Dylan and Motley Crue on the grounds of the type of music that made Bob Dylan famous. On the other side of the coin, MC made/makes music that is made for pure fun, and serves an entirely different purpose, typically, than BD's stuff.