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18/1/11
Vince Neil strikes a deal with prosecutors and will plead guilty to
his charge of Driving Under the Influence in eight days' time and spend
two weeks in a Las Vegas jail. He will surrender on February 15 and
will serve fifteen days in the Clark County Detention Center, followed
by another fifteen days of house arrest. This follows his failure of
three field sobriety tests with a blood-alcohol level almost three times
the legal limit when arrested in Last Vegas last June. In a statement,
Vince says, "I have recognized that you can't drink and drive at all.
I take full responsibility for my actions and will learn from this experience."
In a lawsuit filed in Illinois' Northern
District Court, Mötley Crüe and Live Nation are being sued by Ron Toma
who claims he owns the copyright to the famous photo of Vince's crotch
taken by Michael Pinter back in 1981 that was used on the cover of their
Too Fast For Love album. According to Toma, the Crüe and Live Nation
stole the image without permission and used it on some merchandise being
sold on their websites and he is asking a judge to block the band and
Live Nation from using the image without his permission.
26/1/11
Accompanied by his lawyers Richard Schonfeld and David Chesnoff, Vince
attends the Las Vegas Justice Court and pleads guilty to DUI and speeding
charges, following his drunken driving incident that took place in Las
Vegas last June. Temporary judge Gerry Zobrist, who takes his plea,
sentences Vince to fifteen days in the Clark County jail and fifteen
days on house arrest under terms of an agreed-upon plea deal that spared
him a trial on the misdemeanour driving under the influence charge.
Vince says nothing more than "guilty" to the charge against him and
is also fined $585, ordered to attend drunken driving abatement school,
and to view a victim impact video online.
27/1/11
The Detroit News reports that Vince is being pursued by federal authorities
for a tax debt of more than a million dollars. Vince and his wife Lia
were hit with a $740,171 lien for delinquent federal taxes last April,
while another $371,050 demand was filed against the them for income
taxes in December.
5/2/11
Vince celebrates his upcoming 50th birthday with a party at Blush boutique
nightclub inside the Wynn resort in Las Vegas. Vince's new girlfriend
Alicia Jacobs hosts the event, which is attended by Criss Angel, Flavor
Flav of Public Enemy and comedian Scott "Carrot Top" Thompson, among
others.
13/2/11
Nikki attends the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in
Los Angeles with his lady Courtney Bingham, a model and up-and-coming
film producer currently working on Underground Comedy starring Lindsay
Lohan and Michelle Rodriguez. The couple have been spending time together
for a while now, having attended the Call of Duty: Black Ops video game
launch party together at the start of last November. Following the awards
ceremony, they go to the EMI Records after-party at Milk Studios where
the likes of Lady Antebellum and Keith Urban celebrate their Grammy
wins.
14/2/11
Before going to jail in the morning, Vince has a romantic Valentine's
Day dinner with girlfriend Alicia Jacobs at Simon restaurant in the
Las Vegas hotel Palms Place. He tells Vegas Confidential that he taped
an episode of the TV show Dateline that featured life inside Clark County
Detention Center to help him prepare for his jail time in there, but
admits he's worried about "more of the unknowns than the knowns. Not
knowing what's going to happen." Vince plans on being a model prisoner
in hopes of having his fifteen-day sentence shortened, saying, "there
are things I can do that will help me get additional time off. I will
jump in and volunteer. You can ask the question 'what can I do to help
to get some credit?'" He'll be able to have visitors in jail, but only
via the jail's closed circuit TV system. He says the waiting has "been
tough. I'm definitely not looking forward to it."
16/2/11
To mark this month's one-year anniversary of his Sixx Sense radio show,
Nikki celebrates with a world premiere of his new Sixx: A.M. video for
Lies of the Beautiful People.
20/2/11
A third of the way through his fifteen-day jail term, Vince's girlfriend
Alicia Jacobs, entertainment reporter for KSNV-TV Channel 3, says she's
extremely concerned about his health because he's lost his appetite
and isn't sleeping because of kitchen duty that requires a 3:30am wakeup.
"He's not eating much other than peanut butter, Doritos and stuff like
that. He had a baloney sandwich one day. It's not optimal conditions,"
she says. Vince volunteered for jail duties in hopes it will reduce
his sentence. As a result, he's serving breakfast to his 4,000 fellow
inmates every morning starting at 4am, lunch at 10am and dinner at 4pm,
in addition to mopping and vacuuming floors and cleaning showers. He's
had visits from Jacobs and a chaplain, read a book titled Red Dragon
and has been recognised by many of the inmates.
24/2/11
Details of the third annual Revolver Golden Gods awards show on April
20 are announced at a press conference at Club Nokia in downtown Los
Angeles. Mick Mars is on hand as Mötley Crüe is announced as this year's
recipient of the first-ever Ronnie James Dio Lifetime Achievement Award.
25/2/11
Vince is released from jail after serving ten days of a fifteen-day
sentence for his drunken driving conviction. He is given early jail
release after volunteering for kitchen duties, including 3:30am wakeup
calls to help serve 4am breakfasts to the four thousand inmates. His
girlfriend reports that after leaving Clark County Detention Center
Friday, he stopped off at McDonald's for two quarter pounders with cheese
and French fries. He is accompanied to his home by three officers who
explain the rules of house arrest with an ankle monitor for fifteen
days.
28/2/11
In an exclusive in-depth interview with Piers Morgan, Bret Michaels
confirms that for the first time ever Poison and Mötley Crüe will co-headline
a select date summer tour with special guests the New York Dolls, tentatively
titled Glam-A-Gedon. It will be a 25th anniversary tour for Poison,
while Motley will be celebrating their 30th anniversary. Although statements
have previously been made in the press by certain members of Mötley
Crüe vowing this tour would never happen, that is simply not the case.
When reporters recently asked Bret if there was any bad blood between
the bands, he laughed, "there may be some friendly competition but there
is no bad blood at all on my part. Nikki and I have spoken several times
on the phone recently and the conversations went great." Both Poison
and Mötley Crüe have a long history of hit songs, bigger than life stage
shows, no holds barred live energy not to mention the two bands combined
have sold over 100 million records and have over twenty four Top 40
hits between them. Later in the day, Mötley Crüe says, "CNN shot their
load early and let it leak. We’re confirming that Mötley Crüe is headlining
this summer with support from Poison and special guest New York Dolls."
2/3/11
Tommy tells Billboard.com that the upcoming Mötley tour is not Crüe
Fest because this time it's just three bands and not five or so. He
says the band is just starting to talk about its stage production and
that setlist decisions, including how to treat the 30th anniversary
of 1981's Too Fast For Love, will be made next month when the band members
begin rehearsals. As for new Crüe music, he says the group planned to
have something out this year but was sidetracked by various individual
projects, but trusts that being on the road will instigate some creativity
within the band. "When the four of us are together, which we will be
in the summer, that's usually when it goes down," he says. "We record
sound checks with new ideas. I always have a studio on my bus. So I
would imagine we'll start compiling ideas this summer. It's almost like
you've got to get away from home to start writing music." Tommy says
a home for new songs could be the film adaptation of The Dirt, which
is now back on track with Rob Zombie as its director, saying "That would
be a cool place to release some new music. It gives new reason for new
music. People aren't really buying records these days, so it seems like
a good place to maybe put something new from us." However Rob Zombie
says he's not directing the movie.
7/3/11
Mötley Crüe is announced as the recipient of the 2011 Elmer Valentine
Award for their contribution to the history of the Sunset Strip in Hollywood,
California. They will be honoured during an awards ceremony to be held
at the House of Blues on August 18 that kicks-off this year's three-day
Sunset Strip Music Festival. Tommy says, "It's an honour to be recognised
by the Sunset Strip Music Festival. It means a lot to us that we are
recognised for our contribution to this historic place." In addition
to the tribute event, the City of West Hollywood will also recognise
Mötley Crüe with a special day in their honour.
10/3/11
Nikki attends Canadian Music Week at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada where he shares a backstage look into the world
and mind of a rock star as he discusses his many ventures, including
a new book and album, both titled This Is Gonna Hurt.
15/3/11
Nikki blasts Facebook officials for their censorship, after they deleted
naked images from his profile page that he took of quirky models. He
says, "I started by posting one of the photos from my book, it was actually
an outtake - a way to give fans something that won't be in the book.
It was this girl, Farah; she's about 350 pounds and she saw her mother
kill herself and was put out on the streets for prostitution and she
ended up doing pornography. I was looking for a woman that would pose
nude that was extremely overweight; there's a bunch of messages behind
that. So I posted this nude picture of her and it was deleted by Facebook.
And I went, 'Oh, you can't put art on Facebook?' So then I posted another
photo that I shot of a guy who's transgender. So he had breasts, but
he's still a guy." That picture was also removed, and when he tried
to post another photo he had taken of a burn victim, Facebook staff
warned him to stop and gave him a final notice."
16/3/11
Vince splits with his girlfriend Alicia Jacobs. The TV reporter stood
by him through his recent incarceration but has now decided to move
on, saying, "Due to the decisions Vince continues to make, it is necessary
that I end our relationship of seven months. I wish him happiness and
good health."
21/3/11
Tommy is developing an investigative travel show for Syfy titled Culture
Shock With Tommy Lee. During the hour-long episodes produced by ITV
Studios America with Tommy and Carl Stubner as Executive Producers,
he will attempt to uncover rituals, symbols and other mysteries of secret
societies.
24/3/11
Vince storms into a Hal Sparks comedy show and screams obscenities at
his ex-girlfriend Alicia Jacobs and her two friends. Las Vegas police
say they are investigating a "disturbance" at the Las Vegas Hilton involving
Vince, after they were called by hotel security at 10:43pm. Vince leaves
the scene before the officers arrive, where Jacobs tells them that there
was a physical altercation between Vince and the group. Police launch
an inquiry into the situation and will determine whether criminal charges
will be filed against Vince, who isn't arrested.
The Dirt co-writer Neil Strauss says
the book’s movie screenwriter Rich Wilkes has a wish-list of stars that
he'd like to see act in the movie. Strauss says, "He told me who he'd
love to see in the film. Here's who he sees: Brad Pitt as David Lee
Roth, Jared Leto as Vince Neil, Jack Black or Phillip Seymour Hoffman
as Ozzy Osbourne... Justin Timberlake as their first manager, Sam Rockwell
as Mick Mars, Ashton Kutcher or Russell Brand as Tommy Lee. He's got
it all thought out. That would be amazing." He adds, "I really hope
they make it. I think it will be great. I think they're just scared
because it's obviously going to be a hard R (rated) movie. I think they're
worried they won't make enough money off it."
5/4/11
Vince is charged with domestic violence and disorderly conduct for allegedly
pushing his ex-girlfriend Alicia Jacobs with his finger and leaving
a bruise on her shoulder during an alleged confrontation between the
two at the Las Vegas Hilton. His lawyer David Chesnoff tells The Associated
Press that Vince will plead not guilty to the battery and disorderly
conduct charges, when scheduled to attend Las Vegas Justice Court on
May 2. Vince has denied touching her, previously telling Las Vegas Weekly,
"I never touched her! She's the one who followed me out into the casino
afterwards. I was with four hotel executives. They know it didn't happen."
He said he was considering filing charges himself, alleging that Jacobs
had left bloody marks on his arm.
11/4/11
Mick spends a long weekend writing and recording music with former Frank
Zappa band members Mike Keneally (on bass and synth) and Terry Bozzio
(on drums).
12/4/11
HarperCollins imprint William Morrow releases
This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography And Life Through The Distorted
Lens Of Nikki Sixx. The book is part photo, part journal - but all
Nikki Sixx. It is a collection of compelling snapshots and stories that
capture the rage, love, optimism, darkness, and determination that shape
his work. Told with the raw authenticity that defined his New York Times
bestseller The Heroin Diaries, This Is Gonna Hurt chronicles Nikki's
experience, from his early years filled with toxic waste to his success
with Mötley Crüe, his death from an overdose and rebirth to his addictions
to music, photography, and love. Love story, bad-ass rock tell-all,
social commentary, family memoir, This Is Gonna Hurt offers the compelling
insights of an artist and a man struggling to survive, connect, and
find a happy ending - a search that fuels Nikki’s being. "I want to
take you on the journey I am on, in real time," he writes. "If you don't
deal with your demons, they will deal with you, and it's gonna hurt."
The book includes more than two dozen of Nikki's images. He incorporates
the stories behind the pictures and how they came to be, including interviews
with the subjects so readers can see "what life is like for those whom
society has labelled as freaks." Nikki celebrates by commencing a book
signing tour at Barnes & Noble in Los Angeles.
18/4/11
Mötley Crüe decides to let the fans choose the band's setlist for their
forthcoming tour with Poison and New York Dolls. Fans can vote online
for their favourite fifteen songs to be heard on the tour.
20/4/11
Mötley Crüe is the recipient of the first-ever Ronnie James Dio Lifetime
Achievement Award during the third annual Revolver Golden Gods awards
show at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles. The band is presented the
award by Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour. Vince says Dio is
one of his favourite singers and has been an influence on his life for
many, many years.
21/4/11
Nikki's new book This Is Gonna Hurt debuts at number four in the Hardcover
Advice & Misc section of the New York Times best seller list. It also
reaches number one on Amazon for its book and kindle editions.
22/4/11
As Mötley Crüe commences tour rehearsals, Nikki says, "The setlist is
100% exactly what you guys voted; we didn't even have to talk about
it. Pretty insane."
24/4/11
Pearl Drums welcomes Tommy back to its artist roster. After a lengthy
sabbatical from playing behind the Pearl name, Tommy will debut his
new Pearl kit on Motley's 2011 amphitheatre tour. During the all-new
live show, Tommy will play a custom built E-Pro Live electronic/acoustic
kit. First introduced from Pearl Drums back in January of 2010, it's
the first drum set in production that looks and sounds like a real drum
kit, but with a limitless sonic capability and the feel of an acoustic
kit.
26/4/11
Vince is represented by his attorney David Schonfeld at a hearing to
finalise his DUI case of last June. Vince has now completed all the
requirements of his sentence that ordered him to serve fifteen days
of jail time, fifteen days of house arrest, pay a $585 fine, attend
DUI school and attend a victim-impact panel online.
27/4/11
When asked by The Aquarian Weekly where his book is since everyone else
in Mötley Crüe has their own book out, Mick says, "It's on its way,
but I want the right liar! I had a couple guys come over and give me
a little ten-page thing on what they want to write about, and they didn't
know what they were writing about or what I'm about — get me a rock
'n' roll guy that knows about rock 'n' roll! I don't want to put out
something that's dumb! I want to put out something that's real and something
that people can relate to, like The Dirt was, and these people weren't
even close to it. You know, I took this guy out on tour with us to help
me write the book. And I wanted to show him what the road was about
and stuff and he sat in my bus and got drunk. I should've known what
was going on, so I just said to him, 'Get outta here!' Crazy bastard!"
1/5/11
At Bamboozle festival where they play a ten-song headlining set, Mötley
Crüe hosts a special gathering to reveal some details of their forthcoming
U.S. tour. The band's veteran production manager and set designer Robert
Long presents graphic renderings of the new set design, which he describes
as "a hard-hitting Crüe rendition of a rock'n'roll burlesque theatre."
According to Long, the entire stage will be enveloped in red velvet
drapery and a damask printed wall of guitar amps. The band's set list
will include tracks the band hasn't performed live together in almost
twenty years. Tommy's drum solo will feature a 360 drum rollercoaster
that is currently being built, which will launch him into multiple loops
while continuing to perform. It will be a dream come true for Tommy.
2/5/11
Nikki attracts a record-breaking attendance for his Sixx: A.M. book
and CD signing at Bookends in Ridgewood, New Jersey. The store's co-owner
Pat Boyer says, "After hosting more than eight hundred authors over
the past ten years here at Bookends including Hillary Clinton and Lance
Armstrong (and numerous other high profile people), we were astounded
that Nikki Sixx delivered one of our biggest and most successful signings
ever. What made it even more special was the dedication of Nikki's fans,
who started lining up at eight in the morning and kept him here till
midnight. People travelled from as far away as Europe and Canada, New
England and the Midwest. I’ve never seen an author so committed to making
a personal connection with each of the more than two thousand fans that
showed up."
Vince pleads not guilty through his attorneys
to a charge of battery constituting domestic violence for allegedly
striking his ex-girlfriend Alicia Jacobs in the chest with his finger.
He also pleads not guilty to another misdemeanour charge of disorderly
conduct for allegedly harassing her friends Patricia McCrone and John
Katsilometes. Vince is ordered to stay away from Jacobs and not to have
contact with her. Justice of the Peace Pro Tem Linda Norvell Marquis
sets Vince's trial for 8:30am on August 8 in Las Vegas Justice Court.
3/5/11
Sixx: A.M. releases their eleven-track album as a companion to Nikki's
new book, while lead single Lies of the Beautiful People sits in the
Top 5 on the rock radio charts. Some of the songs on the album are inspired
by the author's photographs; others inspired photographs of their own.
An unabridged downloadable audio book of This is Gonna Hurt read by
Nikki is also released, as he celebrates with an in-store appearance
in New York City.
4/5/11
On the sixtieth birthday of Mick Mars, Nikki is in Washington, DC where
he meets President Obama who tells him that Sixx: A.M.'s music has inspired
him.
7/5/11
Vince hosts the 15th annual Skylar Neil Memorial Golf Tournament at
Lost Canyons Golf Club in Simi Valley, California. All of the proceeds
from the event again benefit his Skylar Neil Foundation, created in
memory of his young daughter Skylar, who succumbed to a long battle
with cancer in 1995.
11/5/11
Sixx: A.M.'s album This Is Gonna Hurt sells thirty thousand copies in
the United States in its first week of release to land at number ten
on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD hits number one on Billboard's Hard
Rock Album chart.
14/5/11
Mötley commences their run of seven shows in South America with their
first-ever concert in Chile. In front of more than ten thousand fans,
the band plays a set of sixteen hits at Movistar Arena in Santiago.
Buckcherry joins them as the tour support.
30/5/11
John Corabi says he is putting the finishing touches on his acoustic
album that will include "old songs, new songs and just a sample of things
to come." He is scheduled to hit the road acoustically across North
America this summer as the support act for Cinderella.
7/6/11
Mötley Crüe kicks-off their North American summer tour with Poison and
the New York Dolls in Dallas, Texas. The highlight of the sold-out show
with huge production is "The 360": Tommy's rollercoaster drum solo that
fulfils his long-term dream. With his drum kit attached to a giant circular
structure at the back of the stage with video footage project through
the middle, a strapped-in Tommy plays while the whole kit goes multiple
vertical loops. He selects an audience member named Terry to take a
ride with him as he drums along to Love Rollercoaster by Red Hot Chili
Peppers. Tommy says, "This idea came about from when I was a kid going
to concerts. Whenever the drummer started his drum solo, I wondered
why people would leave to go get a beer, buy a t-shirt, restroom, whatever.
I wanted to show people what happens behind the drum-set, so I decided
to expose it all by flipping the drums vertical, upside-down, making
them disappear and fly over the audiences heads. Mötley Crüe brings
you on a thrill ride, jump on the 360! By the way, it's really fucking
difficult playing while on this ride!" The production also features
new background dancers Annalisia Simone and Allison Kyler who also assist
with some backing vocals. A new version of Smokin' In The Boys Room
is played that features an intro and outro of Gary Glitter's Rock'n'Roll
and encouraging the audience to shout Hey!
8/6/11
Mick tells the Dallas Observer that he recently jammed with jazz legend
George Benson and they bonded over a common-love of Wes Montgomery.
The session so affected Mick that he's considering releasing a solo
effort of R&B, soul, and blues songs. It will happen "if and when I
find the right people," he says, adding, "I found the right drummer,
and I've asked Macy Gray if she'd like to guest on it. It's not going
to be anything like Mötley Crüe."
Talking about the band's self-titled Mötley Crüe album from 1994 while
reflecting on each Crüe album over the last thirty years, Vince says,
"They made it with singer John Corabi, who's a really nice guy. But
to this day I haven't heard it."
14/6/11
During their hometown concert at the Hollywood Bowl, Cee Lo Green joins
Mötley Crüe on stage for a mash-up rendition of Don't Go Away Mad and
his Grammy Award-winning song Forget You, aka Fuck You! The band continues
to play the mash-up version through their tour.
14/7/11
Vince joins Warrant on stage in Connecticut to sing a rendition of Led
Zeppelin's classic Rock And Roll.
Tommy uses a computer at his New York
City hotel to find that New York Rangers center Brad Richards was still
logged into his Twitter account on it. Tommy does the right things and
informs the ice hockey star of his goof and logs him out of his account.
22/7/11
Black Veil Brides singer Andy Biersack says he recently worked on a
song with Mick for his forthcoming solo album. He says, "Mick Mars is
one of the greatest songwriters I've ever met in my life and had the
pleasure to work with. I can't wait to hear his full album. In terms
of this record, he's really worked with the heavy hitters in the rock
and metal industry. So to be a part of that is a great honour and I
can't wait to hear the completed record."
27/7/11
A federal investigation is underway after pictures are published of
Tommy and Bret Michaels holding and firing guns with several law enforcement
officers at the Rowan County Peace Officers Association in Rowan County,
North Carolina. Local television station WSOCTV brings it to the attention
of local police because according to the North Carolina's Felony Firearms
Act, it is against the law "for any person who has been convicted of
a felony to purchase, own, possess, or have in his custody, care, or
control any firearm." The pair had taken time off from their co-headlining
US tour to visit the shooting range in North Carolina on July 11.
3/8/11
Tommy rejects an offer to be on the next series of Dancing with the
Stars, tweeting, "I’ve never hit the pass button so quick."
4/8/11
John Corabi says he has finished recording an acoustic album to be simply
titled John Corabi Unplugged. The album is soon to be mixed and mastered
before being available by the end of August. Fans can expect two versions
of the Mötley Crüe hit Hooligan's Holiday, described by John as, “One
is a stripped down version with all-acoustic guitar and bass (we didn’t
use any drums). It has congas, shakers, tambourines, all that stuff
and it’s my voice with three or four part harmonies. I did another version
with pretty much the same layout (same chords and same arrangement),
but we did it with drums, band.” There’s also a stripped-back version
of the Crüe’s Loveshine, and a song by one of his first bands Angora,
which was originally produced by Steve Vai in demo form. There are five
or six new songs including If I Had A Dime, Crash, and If I Never Get
To Say Goodbye. Other songs from his catalogue include Love (I Don’t
Need You Anymore) from his Union days, Man In The Moon, Father Mother
Son and Never Loved Her Anyway by The Scream. Although Corabi only made
one album and an EP with Mötley Crüe in the years he was the band’s
front man, he remains positive about the experience. “I had an amazing
time doing that record. I have no regrets about that thing at all. Still
to this day, I meet people like Sevendust, Staind and all the guys in
my son's band, that fucking love that record. It was heavy, but had
melody. Our playing was great and I'm very proud of that thing. I'm
proud of the fact that a lot of people think that's the best work Mötley
has ever done and that it's a classic record that has stood the test
of time."
Kickstart My Heart features in the trailer
of the upcoming action-comedy film 30 Minutes or Less, starting Jessie
Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari. The film is scheduled to open on August 12.
8/11/11
Vince’s bench trial in the Las Vegas Justice Court for a misdemeanour
charge of battery constituting domestic violence (for allegedly poking
his ex-girlfriend Alicia Jacobs in the chest with his finger at the
Las Vegas Hilton in March this year) is delayed for three months, after
of his attorneys Saraliene Smith Durret asks the court for an emergency
continuance for an unspecified reason. Justice of the Peace Melissa
Saragosa does not object, grants the request, and resets the court date
for 8:30 am on November 7.
17/11/11
Sixx: A.M. premieres their new video
clip for the title track of their album This Is Gonna Hurt.
18/11/11
The City of West Hollywood recognises Mötley Crüe with a special day
in their honour. The band receives the 2011 Elmer Valentine Award for
their contribution to the history of the Sunset Strip in Hollywood,
California, presented as part of a roast by comedian and actor Dane
Cook. Other to say a few words about the band's antics are Ray Manzarek
of The Doors, author Neil Strauss, and New York Dolls front man David
Johansen. They are honoured during the awards ceremony at the House
of Blues that kicks-off this year's three-day Sunset Strip Music Festival.
20/11/11
Mötley headlines the fourth annual Sunset Strip Music Festival with
a concert performance on Sunset Boulevard that's blocked off between
San Vicente and Doheny Drive. Attended by around seventeen thousand
fans, it's a full-circle performance for the band as it takes them back
to the famous strip where they lived and started Mötley Crüe thirty
years ago. During the drum solo that took two months to have logistics
approved for the outdoor show, Tommy straps in electronic music producer
and performer deadmau5 to his 360 rollercoaster kit, who plays four
consecutive nights at the Palladium in Los Angeles this week with Tommy
and DJ Aero supporting on these shows as well as many others on his
Meowingtons Hax tour of North America.
21/11/11
Vince is honoured with a Lifetime Achievement In Rock 'N' Roll award
as part of the Vegas Rocks! Magazine Awards in the main showroom of
the Las Vegas Hilton.
22/8/10
Nikki attends a special private preview of God Bless Ozzy Osbourne,
the feature-length documentary about the life of the legendary heavy
metal singer produced by his son Jack. The event in Hollywood benefits
the Musicares Map Fund and is also attended by Robert Trujillo, Zakk
Wylde, Rudy Sarzo, Chris Jericho, and Steve-O.
25/8/11
Nikki is the guest at The Annenberg Space for Photography's IRIS Nights
lecture series for their exhibition Beauty Culture.
26/8/11
Tommy DJ Aero team with deadmau5's mau5trap label to debut their new
singles Static and LFO Tool via mau5trap's Meowingtons Hax compilation
on sale now via Beatport. A corresponding video for Static is released,
which features Tommy and Aero along with mau5trap label head deadmau5,
artist SOFI and other friends.
8/9/11
Mick spends the day writing in his studio with former Marilyn Manson
bassist Twiggy Ramirez.
15/9/11
Mick spends time in the studio working on a song with James Durbin for
the twenty-two-year-old's album. Durbin was one of the finalists on
the last season of American Idol and just inked a deal with Wind-Up
Records for the release of his solo album.
21/9/11
Nikki and Tommy say the band will not play its first-ever show in Indonesia
on October 8 at Pantai Karnival in Ancol, North Jakarta, contrary to
advertising by the promoter. Nikki says, "We had looked into the show
but had to pass, sorry" while Tommy says, "promoter issues led to the
concert being scrapped."
29/9/11
After a great show in Osaka, Nikki gets a skull tattooed on his middle
finger by Ben Her at Chopstick Tattoo.
19/10/11
Nikki undergoes surgery on his knee to relieve his overwhelming pain,
after getting some insights from Paul Stanley on his experience of the
process. Enjoying a break from the road, he has also recently been preparing
his black and white photography for framing and hanging in his home,
as well as going through cases of awards he has won over the years to
celebrate some and auction others for charity.
3/11/11
Nikki says, "I will be releasing at least one new book next year. There
are many new avenues to use in the publishing world that directly reach
readers. I look forward to telling you more later."
7/11/11
In the Las Vegas Justice Court, Vince pleads guilty to misdemeanour
disorderly conduct through his defence attorney David Chesnoff and pays
a $1000 fine. The plea avoids a more serious charge of battery constituting
domestic violence stemming from a confrontation at a casino where he
was accused of striking his ex-girlfriend Alicia Jacobs in the chest
with his finger.
14/11/11
Mötley Crüe re-releases a limited quantity of its albums from the 1980s
in the U.K. via Eleven Seven Music, having regained the rights to all
its songs after a long absence in that marketplace. Their first five
albums are released as vinyl-replica CDs with a sixteen-page booklet,
a CD with a five-page booklet and on 180-gram vinyl in a four-color
gatefold sleeve.
15/11/11
Robin Leach of the Las Vegas Sun, reports that Mötley will become the
first hard rock band to sign a short-term residency in Las Vegas, when
they play a nearly month-long series of three-and four-night concerts
a week at the Hard Rock Hotel starting at the end of February.
22/11/11
A deluxe collector's hardcover edition of The Dirt: Confessions Of The
World’s Most Notorious Rock Band is be released via It Books, an imprint
of HarperCollins Publishers. In time for the band's 30th anniversary,
the book comes complete with a dazzling new effects-laden cover and
all-new extra material from the band inside.
27/11/11
Nikki says he is working on his next book and is hoping to release it
somewhere between May-June 2012. A further book in the works will be
out in 2013. He says, "Neither book is like anything I have done before
(I guess you can say the same thing about The Heroin Diaries and This
Is Gonna Hurt too). I pride myself on not writing the same book over
and over and also not using a ghost writer. Of course it takes longer,
but raw honesty through words is what I am driven to publish. After
I get it all out on paper I use a trusted editor to help me carve it
into a palatable experience."
30/11/11
Tommy’s former assistant Michael Anthony Sullivan files a lawsuit in
the Los Angeles Superior Court against him and his company Mayhem Touring,
claiming that he was underpaid while being overworked. The suit says
he worked as Tommy's "procurer, Man Friday, chauffeur, guide, bookkeeper,
attendant, door-keeper, agent, butler, valet, attendant, cook, shopper,
nanny, bodyguard, maid, nurse and nursemaid" from January 2005 to March
2011, and that he was on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including
"long periods of time during which Sullivan was required seven days
a week, without a single day off." It also claims that Sullivan's schedule
was normally 80 to 100-hour work weeks when he was on the road with
Tommy and despite such long hours, he never received overtime compensation
for his extra work. Moreover, Sullivan claims Tommy made improper deductions
from his pay, including $1,000 a month for rent when he had Sullivan
move into his home to better serve him and his family, even during the
last six months of his employment when he was no longer living at the
house. Sullivan further alleges Tommy trash-talked him throughout the
industry, engaging in "a campaign of disparagement" and "defamatory
comments" that "have damaged Sullivan's reputation and have interfered
with Sullivan's existing and potential employment opportunities" claiming
to have lost two tour-manager positions with the bands Godsmack and
Bush because of Tommy's alleged smear campaign. Sullivan is seeking
"no less than $50,000" (the amount he says that he's out because of
the lost work) plus punitive damages "in an amount sufficient to punish
Lee and make an example of him."
1/12/11
Via the television show Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN, the band announces
Mötley Crüe in Sin City - a run of twelve shows over three weeks at
The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel commencing February 3. The Crüe is
the first hard rock band to sign a short-term residency in Las Vegas.
5/12/11
The day before the Crüe commences their co-headlining UK tour with Def
Leppard and Steel Panther, they re-release their Greatest Hits in the
U.K. via Eleven Seven Music in CD, deluxe CD, 180-gram vinyl and DVD
formats.
Sixx: A.M. releases a digital EP of seven
acoustically re-worked songs from their first two albums. Titled 7,
the track-listing is Lies Of The Beautiful People, This Is Gonna Hurt,
Life Is Beautiful, Help Is On The Way, Sure Feels Right, Pray For Me,
and Accidents Can Happen. James Michael says, "A couple of months ago,
I asked all of you what songs from The Heroin Diaries soundtrack and
This Is Gonna Hurt you would want to hear stripped down, pulled apart
and reconstructed from a different perspective. Your response was amazing
and passionate; as a result 7 was born. This was an incredible experience
for the three of us because it caused us to explore way beyond the initial
creations and rediscover the songs in a light that you helped us find."
14/12/11
Mötley plays the last of their six shows with a sold-out show at London's
Wembley Arena. Holidaying with their ladies in tow, Nikki heads to South
Africa and Tommy heads to Italy.
20/12/11
After returning from a vacation on his yacht in the Bahamas, Vince says
he is seriously contemplating leaving Mötley Crüe after their Las Vegas
residency in February. He says, "It's not definite, but I am thinking
seriously about it. This is all about me thinking about the second half
of my life, thinking about my future, and that future might not include
Mötley Crüe after Vegas. There are so many opportunities that are in
front of me that I'm really excited about. I just don't want to look
back later in life and regret that I didn't pursue them. I'm just not
sure I can give these opportunities the time and effort I'll need to
and continue with the band. It's been a great ride, and I've enjoyed
every second of it, but being out here relaxing in this beautiful place
has given me the chance to reflect on what direction I want the rest
of my life to take. I'm really giving it a lot of thought."
21/12/11
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Nikki says, "This is the beginning
of what will be the biggest probably four to five years of the band's
career. We're negotiating with a couple of other extremely huge bands
on doing a co-headline tour, something that's never happened before.
There's new music in the future. The wheels are in motion for getting
the Mötley Crüe movie made now. We finally got everything in order the
way it needs to be done, and that's going to happen. We have sort of
an agreement with a production company, directors, etc, to right now
just keep it amongst ourselves. So once we have everything really together,
we're going to let everybody know. But trust me, when I say the wheels
are in motion they're definitely in motion." When asked if the band
was planning on retiring in the not-too-distant future, Nikki says,
"The band sat down and had a powwow as brothers and friends and guys
who've been doing this for over thirty years, and we said, 'When is
it time?' We've always said since we were kids we didn't want to hobble
into the sunset. So after the movie, at some point - whether it's within
a year or a few years - we're probably going to have that conversation
about maybe it's time, maybe it's time to go out on top. If I'm watching
my favourite boxer and he's just won the heavyweight championship of
the world and he retires it kind of makes the guy a legend. I always
respected Led Zeppelin, and I'd rather Mötley Crüe be thought of as
that type of band rather than a band that's just going through the motions.
We're really proud of what we've done, whether critics like us or not,
whether we've won Grammys or not, whether any of that stuff. We're proud
that we did it on our own terms."
22/12/11
John Corabi says, "I can honestly say, that barring the second coming
of Christ, Mötley has no intentions of ever asking me back, nor would
I go back, if they did ask. What's done is done! I love those guys,
and wish them the best, but I'm looking towards the future with my new
record, and band."
31/12/11
Tommy spends his New Year's Eve in New Zealand as he DJs at Earthtonz
Music Festival in Queenstown.
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