Weird Things You Didn't Know About Motley Crue

When it comes to taking a walk on the wild side of life, Mötley Crüe roar and beat their chests like they're the undisputed kings of the music jungle. Now, while the biggest controversies surrounding Mötley Crüe have been labored to the point in which several books can be written solely about their scandals, there's much more to uncover about the Hollywood hard rockers. Especially the unexpected — and quite frankly, weird — facts about the band.

For example: Are fans aware that the group's original guitarist — before Mick Mars — couldn't stand another member and left because of it? Also, it might be time to add another name to the list of stars who can't stand Nikki Sixx, because the randy bassist tried to hook up with the mother of one of his bandmates. If that's not enough, a security guard revealed he was paid extra to smack around the members of Mötley Crüe because their manager wanted to keep them in check.

Much like the band, these stories feature elements of danger, outrageousness, sex, and a whole lot of rock 'n' roll attitude. One thing's for certain, though: There's never a dull moment in the life and times of Mötley Crüe.

Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee knows how to hit the skins and cymbals. Not only does he drive the beat of the band's songs, but he also puts on a wicked performance to match, such as when he gets strapped-in to drum upside down during their live shows.

As Lee explained to Metal Edge in 1986, he received a paper drum set at the edge of five. Unlike a lot of musicians who received their rock 'n' rock education through the teachings and influence of an older sibling, Lee discovered music on his own and taught himself how to play. More surprisingly, though, his high school experience served an important role in his drumming development. "I played in a high school marching band, drum corps, a jazz band," he said. "I didn't have a big brother to turn me on to any happening music. I have a younger sister. I pretty much had to learn a lot and just listen to things and teach myself."

Lee received another opportunity to play with a marching band decades later when he filmed his reality series "Tommy Lee Goes to College" in the 2000s. Dressed in uniform, Lee formed a part of the University of Nebraska's drumline as they performed during a halftime show.

When anyone looks at the complete timeline of the whirlwind changes to Mötley Crüe's lineup, it proves difficult to keep track of everyone coming in and out of the band (or returning). Most fans consider Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx, and Mick Mars to be the definitive members, but the group's original axman left before the cup of tea got cold.

Guitarist Greg Leon was a bandmate of Tommy Lee in Suite 19. Leon departed that outfit to play for Quiet Riot and Dokken before rekindling his musical relationship with Lee. As Leon told Guitar World, he and Lee started to put together a band that would eventually become Mötley Crüe, so they sought out a bassist. They watched a show in which Nikki Sixx played with his band London and Lee gushed about Sixx — especially his appearance. However, Leon wasn't impressed with Sixx's bass-playing ability, so he and Lee reached an impasse.

"I was looking to put a great band together like Rainbow, Deep Purple or Humble Pie," Leon said. "Nikki Sixx simply was not capable. So I told Tommy, 'If this is the guy you want, I'm leaving.' Nikki was incapable of musically executing what I envisioned." In addition to this, Leon claimed he witnessed a session musician recording the bass for the Crüe's album, "Theater of Pain," while stating the producer alluded that Sixx wasn't good enough to record.

Mötley Crüe hosted the most infamous parties in rock history. These events resulted in the members bragging about all the frolicking and horizontal tangos they did with fans, foes, and other famous figures. A logical person would imagine there to be a code between bandmates — a rule of sorts that would suggest that relatives and/or significant others are off limits. Not in the case of the Crüe.

Appearing on "The Howard Stern Show" in 2005, Nikki Sixx addressed a story that he had tried to hook up with Tommy Lee's mother in the past. "What's wrong with that?" Sixx said. "She was Miss Greece." When pressed about when it happened, Sixx explained that he was in his early 20s and around about the time in which the band formed. Sixx couldn't remember if it was at a party held at the Lee household or their apartment, but he propositioned her. However, nothing happened.

According to Sixx, it didn't bother the Mötley Crüe drummer at all. In fact, he joked that Lee calls him "Dad" now. Howard Stern's producer Gary Dell'Abate asked if it was true what Lee's father said about the incident in "The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band," where it was claimed that if Sixx could convince Lee's mother to hook up with him, he deserved it. Sixx said, "That part is true, yeah."

In the genre of hard rock and heavy metal, there are countless examples of concerts that devolved into chaos. Considering Mötley Crüe's notoriety and penchant for scandal, is anyone surprised that one of their gigs made the headlines for all the wrong reasons? In this instance, though, it's more about the head-scratching nature of what happened and how no one saw the potential for disaster from the get-go.

During a 1990 concert in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Vince Neil was alleged to have taken a cowbell from the stage and flung it. (Obviously, no one told Mötley Crüe that every song needs more cowbell in it.) Reportedly, the cowbell struck security guard Mark Elrod in his head. Elrod claimed that he experienced headaches and dizziness from the blow, forcing him to miss days of work and seek medical treatment.

Elrod sued the band for $25,000 and an undisclosed amount for punitive damages for what he alleged to be "willful and wanton misconduct," according to the Los Angeles Times.

While the average music fan might not know of the name of Doc McGhee off the bat, he remains a legendary industry figure behind the scenes. As a manager, he worked with acts like KISS and Mötley Crüe. However, the latter gave him more than a few headaches and extra gray hairs because of their nonstop antics at the peak of their popularity. So, for the tour of their 1983 album, "Shout at the Devil," McGhee hired Fred Saunders as tour security and offered him an incentive if the Crüe got out of hand: McGhee would pay Saunders extra money if he smacked around the band when they got out of control.

"I hit Mötley," Saunders said, unsurprisingly, in the book "The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star" by Nikki Sixx and Ian Gittins. "I once broke Tommy's nose in Indiana, I broke Nikki's ribs and I beat the s*** out of Vince many times, because ... Well, because he's an a**hole. I think I even hit poor Mick once. That was just to complete the set." Despite slugging the band per McGhee's instruction, Saunders added that he and Sixx became good friends.

In promotion of their 1987 album, "Girls, Girls, Girls," Mötley Crüe jetted out to Japan for a few shows. For Doc McGhee, it wasn't a fun experience to travel to a country and experience its rich culture and offerings, because he had to babysit the troublesome band of misfits. As McGhee told The Guardian in 2001, the tour started off on the wrong foot as Tommy Lee was found with marijuana, but the promoter managed to get him off the hook.

It wouldn't be the only incident of note, as McGhee described a bullet train ride from hell after a show. According to McGhee, Lee and Nikki Sixx started causing mischief the moment they stepped on the train. However, matters took a bloodier turn, after Sixx flung a bottle of Jack Daniel's that hit the back of a man's head and busted him wide open.

McGhee added: "When we pulled into the Tokyo station, there were hundreds of policemen running alongside the car. 'Hey Nikki,' I said. 'Your fan club's here.' And he was so whacked out that he didn't realize they'd sent the riot squad after him. He thought it was an adoring Japanese public." McGhee explained how he had to sit at the police station filling out the paperwork and Sixx was finally released in the morning.

When discussing the moments that destroyed Mötley Crüe's reputation, it's possible to flip to any page and select one of the many salacious events mentioned in "The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band," which was co-written by the band and Neil Strauss. The group held nothing back, boasting about their romps, stomps, and endless array of seedy behavior.

In one chapter, Vince Neil wrote about the time in which they were partying and living it up together. One of the tales Neil recalled was how there used to be a lady who would visit them on a regular basis. She owned a Jaguar XJS, which also happened to be Tommy Lee's favorite car. According to Neil, she made a deal with Lee that she would let him drive her car if they had sexual intercourse.

In graphic and offensive detail, Neil described how he and Nikki Sixx walked in on Lee and the lady in the middle of the deed. After they were done, Lee stood up, got dressed, smiled, and went to drive the Jaguar. Reportedly, this wasn't just a one-time deal.

In 2011, Mötley Crüe appeared on CNN to chat to Piers Morgan. The host asked them to discuss an average day during their wild years. Vince Neil explained how they would wake up in the afternoon and instantly seek out a bottle of Jack Daniel's. It wasn't only to drink, though, as they would use it as a replacement for milk, pouring it into their cereal.

That isn't the weirdest thing they did with Jack Daniel's either, as Morgan asked them to clarify the rumor they used it in an IV. Nikki Sixx gestured to himself and Tommy Lee, saying: "Dumb and dumber." He explained how they only did it once and never again.

For Lee, though, he realized something was wrong with what they did, as he told Morgan: "At that point — for me, personally — I went, 'Okay, wait a second. We could have just easily drank this. This has gone way too far.'"

Artists create from a personal place, embodying the age-old adage "write what you know." In music, it isn't unusual for musicians to write lyrics about their own personal relationships — heck, Taylor Swift built a more than solid career out of this — but writing about a bandmate's relationship? That sounds, well, weird.

Trust Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx to have done this, though. "Without You" — which is off the 1989 album, "Dr. Feelgood" — remains one of the band's most memorable ballads. In a 2009 chat with Rolling Stone, Sixx explained what served as the inspiration for this lovey dovey song. "That was a very simple idea for a song, which I had written a lyric about Heather Locklear and Tommy [Lee]," Sixx said. "They were coming over to my place all the time. I thought to myself one day, 'Without You' coming from Tommy's perspective, life would not be the same. It was a good relationship at that time. It was sort of a romantic moment."

While there's nothing wrong with appreciating a couple being in love, wouldn't it have made more sense for Lee to write about the relationship from his own perspective here?

Adam Shankman's "Rock of Ages" tanked at the box office, making only $59.4 million from a $75 million budget. The musical film also didn't receive a lot of love from critics and fans, being more miss than hit. Nonetheless, it featured a host of classic rock songs, such as Twisted Sister's "I Wanna Rock," Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," and Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me." At one point, Mötley Crüe was approached for their music to feature in both the Broadway musical and "Rock of Ages" movie.

Speaking to Rolling Stone in 2014, Nikki Sixx disclosed why the group turned down the advances. "I specifically am not one to embrace that era of music," he said. "I don't think we are era-specific. 'Rock of Ages' offered us so much money. They offered us points. They offered us a percentage. We said no. It was a piece of s*** movie that has nothing to do with what we believe in."

Considering how "Rock of Ages" isn't considered a success by any form of metric, this proved to be a dodged bullet for the band. That said, Sixx's statement about Mötley Crüe not fitting into that era's music is peculiar since most pundits and fans would argue otherwise.

Holding the rights to an artist's music catalog means a lot — both in terms of revenue and the ability to license music. Back in the day, many musicians signed deals with record labels and regretted it later, fighting for years or decades to regain the rights to their catalog. Mötley Crüe experienced this, too, when they signed with Elektra Records in the early '80s, so their manager Allen Kovac brokered a deal to regain the rights in the '90s. Consequently, this made the news that the Crüe sold its rights in 2021 even weirder.

According to Variety, the band sold their music catalog — which included everything from their first album, "Too Fast for Love," up until "Saints of Los Angeles" — to BMG for a reported (and disputed) figure of $150 million. At one stage, it was believed the rights would go to Hipgnosis Songs, but BMG secured the deal in the end.

In a statement about the deal, Mötley Crüe said: "It feels amazing to be collaborating with our new partners at BMG. Their extensive track record of success in rock made them the perfect home to continue preserving and growing our musical legacy, ensuring we always stay at the top."

Want to find out more about Mötley Crüe? Embrace the juicy drama and check out the truth about Nikki Sixx's feud with Metallica.

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