Available in the Motley Crue book - Vol. 2 The Nineties

early ‘96
The March release date of Mötley Crüe’s Personality #9 album is pushed back one year, with mixing now due for completion by July. Nikki Sixx and Scott Humphrey write a song called Bang. Not totally happy with it, they forward a tape of it to friend Bryan Adams, who takes it into a London studio and sings his interpretation before sending it back. Nikki and Scott decide to keep their original chorus and use Bryan’s verse and some of his lyrics. The song’s name changes to Glitter.

Vince Neil moves to Las Vegas to live for a while to help him escape painful memories of his late daughter in his Malibu house. He also grows tired of altercations with his Pacific Coast Highway neighbour Greg Cassidy. They place each other under citizen’s arrest after Cassidy throws a rock through the windscreen of Vince’s white convertible Rolls Royce. Vince subsequently chases him and kicks down his front door. When the police arrive, Vince is sitting on top of him punching him in the face. Both of them are charged with vandalism. Vince had previously delivered a one-punch knockout to him in the front yard, after he said it was best that Skylar died because she would’ve ended up like him.

2/96
A reunited Mötley Crüe is rumoured to support the Kiss reunion tour. Nikki is emphatic with his no. The Crüe has Elektra issue a press release to underline that they haven’t been asked to open for Kiss and that work on their Personality #9 album would have precluded them from touring anyway.

Tommy Lee and Pam sue the building contractor renovating their home saying they’ll have to pay half-a-million dollars to undo his work on their dream home, which is also being readied for the birth of their first child.

3/96
Unhappy with his label because of a lack of album promotion and staff changes, Vince asks to be released from Warner Brothers records. He parts company, planning a summer tour without record label support. In Manhattan doing press for the tour, Vince and his manager Burt Stein come across new Mötley manager Allen Kovac in their hotel lobby. Kovac invites them to his room where he plants the seed in Vince’s mind that the original Mötley Crüe needs to get back together.

Recording continues on the new Mötley album with Scott Humphrey, who is unsatisfied with the guitar playing of Mick Mars. In time, he convinces Nikki and Tommy that Mick’s blues and classic rock style is outdated and holding them back. At night, Humphrey replaces Mick’s recorded riffs by adding loops and noise filters to them, and Mick is ‘brainwashed’ into believing he is not contributing anything to the band anymore. Nikki and Tommy try too hard to make a great album and they take it out on John Corabi by constantly changing stylistic direction and changing their minds about everything.

23/3/96
After the passing of his daughter Skylar last year, Vince is finally able to visit her grave and he decorates it with flowers and confetti on what would have been her fifth birthday.

29/3/96
Tommy and Pam have a ten-million-dollar lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court against Penthouse magazine and its executives, claiming photos about to be published of the couple engaged in explicit sexual and intimate relations came from a home-video of their five-day houseboat trip on Lake Mead last year that was stolen from their five-hundred-pound home safe as big as a fridge, hidden behind a carpeted wall. It was allegedly stolen by construction workers Guerin Alex Swing and Dominique and Troy Thompkins from Tommy’s home studio between last October and January. They seek the return of all copies of the video, plus general and special damages, and ten million dollars in exemplary and punitive damages. Along with the video tape, the safe contained the couple’s mementos, watches, jewellrey, cameras, knives, guns, ammunition, money, and pictures. Tommy’s Neve recording console was blocking the wall that hid the safe, so it must have taken a gang of guys to move it, as well as a few racks of outboard gear. There would also have been a crane required to lift it onto a flatbed truck.

29/4/96
The Barb Wire soundtrack is released on Polygram’s London Records featuring a remix titled Welcome To Planet Boom of Tommy’s original Planet Boom track on the Crüe’s Quaternary EP. Amongst the other artists featured on the soundtrack are Michael Hutchence from INXS, Gun, Shampoo, Die Cheerleader and Salt ‘n’ Pepa.

30/4/96
John signs a Second Amendment to his contract that waives all of his rights to back payment of compensation from Mötley Crüe, in exchange for future compensation of three thousand dollars per month, plus the payment of his trainer and vocal coach. Tired of the other band members changing their minds in terms of direction for the new album, he soon tells them he is fed up and just can’t do it anymore. He sarcastically remarks that he should be a guitar player instead of the singer, after coming up with some chords for Tommy’s new song Confessions one day. Although stepping down, he feels they have wanted him to quit for a long time now. He continues to work with them in the studio to get the album completed.

5/96
Mick contributes the song Happenings Ten Years Time Ago to the Jeff Beck tribute album titled Jeffology: A Guitar Chronicle. The old Yardbirds song is sung by John Corabi and also features his former band-mates from The Scream in John Alderete and Bruce Bouillet.

Nikki works on a side project called 1958 with Dave Darling and Nikki’s mother-in-law Bree Darling, both from the band Boxing Ghandis. Alvino Bennet’s drumming for the album is completed in five hours. Bennet has previously worked with Bryan Ferry. The songs are recorded in twenty six days, producing a demo of seven songs with Nikki sharing lead vocal duties. His first-ever lead vocal work is on the track Stormy (Brown Eyes) – a song about his daughter. Nikki wrote ten songs in two days with Dave, then played, mixed and edited the recording, doing everything until the mastering stage. Other tracks recorded include a cover of the T-Rex song Planet Queen with Nikki on lead vocals, and another original titled Heaven Below. Song To Slit Your Wrists By is written at the height of Nikki’s depression following his separation from wife Brandi. He also writes a song called Killing Joke with Dave for submission to a production company for an Oliver Stone movie but John convinces him to keep the song instead. Nikki also has new tattoos across his knuckles, depicting his year of birth 1958 on his right hand and SIXX on his left.

5/6/96
The first child for Tommy and Pamela is born at 3:02am and named Brandon Thomas Lee, following Pam’s seventeen hour drug-free birth in the bathtub of their master bedroom of their Malibu home. Tommy pulls him out once his head comes through and then cuts his umbilical cord. Brandon weighs in at 7lbs 7oz (3.5kgs) and measures 20¾ inches. Half an hour after he’s born, Tommy feels inspired, so he goes downstairs and sits at his grand piano; he writes a song called Brandon. Tommy feels the song just flow out of him so effortlessly that it feels as though a higher power is creating it and he is just the vehicle. Three weeks after Brandon’s birth, he is slated for at least one appearance alongside his mum in the TV series Baywatch. He also has a drum kit at home next to his Dad’s for when he’s ready or able to pick up the sticks. Brandon is named after actor Marlon Brando. If they were to have a girl, Tommy wanted to call her China.

6/96
Vince hits the road on a co-headlining Ménage a Trois U.S. tour with Warrant and Slaughter. Former Ozzy Osbourne drummer Randy Castillo is behind the drum kit on the tour, after the firing of Vikki Foxx. According to bassist Robbie Crane, the firing came about after Vikki took equipment that didn’t belong to him, while Vikki insists he merely borrowed Vince’s keyboard and sampler to write, as he’d done before, and he intended to return them. Feeling like a scapegoat, he places the matter in his lawyer’s hands. Eric Singer, most recently the drummer in Kiss, was asked to replace Vikki for the tour but declined.

Several photo stills from the stolen home-video of Tommy and Pamela are published in this month’s issue of Penthouse magazine. The couple still has to deal with constant harassment from the paparazzi.

7/96
Pamela is said to be working on a new home-video movie called Tommyland. Footage for the movie was shot at Tommy’s thirty-third birthday circus party last October.

Vince’s outstanding lawsuit against Mötley Crüe for wrongful termination, as well as contending that as a Mötley co-founder he’s entitled to a percentage of monies generated by future projects, comes to a final stage when lawyers and managers of both parties arrange a meeting between Tommy, Nikki and Vince. It’s seen as an effort to finalise the lawsuit but management has every intention of getting the original line-up of the Crüe back together. They meet in a suite of the Hyatt hotel and Nikki wears a t-shirt with John written on it. After some initial aggravation between the band members who are ready to call it all off, their managers get their points across over the next couple of hours. Before they leave the suite, they schedule a time for Vince to come to the studio to hear the new songs for the album that is almost complete. They agree that their legal bills for Vince’s lawsuit are getting out of hand and by the end of the meeting Vince instructs his lawyer to do whatever he needs to get the band back together again.

10/7/96
On the Canadian TV show Fax, Vince states he’s been talking with Nikki about an album and a tour. Nikki publicly claims he has no idea what Vince is talking about. This comes as strong public rumours allege John has been sacked and Mötley will re-enter the studio with Vince as vocalist, after his current U.S. tour ends.

18/7/96
On tour in Milwaukee, Vince gets hit with something thrown from the crowd during his set, so he leaves the stage and doesn’t return. He ends many shows on the tour by walking off stage before the scheduled close.

29/7/96
At 12:30pm, Nikki rides through the front doors of the Hard Rock Café in Beverly Hills, California, on his first Harley Davison motorbike with his son Gunner sitting on the tank. The bike is one featured on the album cover and video of Mötley Crüe’s Girls, Girls, Girls. He donates the hog for display in the café. Another of his Harley’s was previously donated to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

8/8/96
The Vince Neil Band plays their final Carved in Stone show in Detroit, as the remaining dates are cancelled and the band falls apart. Recent shows have seen Warrant keyboardist Danny Wagner replace Robbie Crane on bass after he brawled with Vince and quit. The previous night, Vince fired his Production Manager and Sound Engineer as he was unhappy with their performance on the tour. After the incident, Robbie says, “The only thing I look down on him for is that he can’t handle his alcohol. I’m a drinker too, and I’ll drink my ass off, but I don’t get violent and I don’t take my problems out on other people. He does, and that’s not fair.” Robbie Crane is the last original band member from the Exposed album days to leave the Vince Neil Band.

9/8/96
In the Tommy and Pam ten-million-dollar invasion of privacy lawsuit against Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione, claiming Penthouse intends to sell copies of the videotape stolen from their home, Judge Ronald Sohigian denies their motion to bar Penthouse from distributing a videotape of them having sex. The judge writes in his ruling that while they have not consented to public or commercial use of the videotape, “the tape was, however, evidently made, in part, in settings which are not truly private” since the tape shows the couple having sex in a car on a public highway and in a boat on Lake Mead. The ruling adds frustration and stress to Tommy and Pam’s marriage, causing Tommy to drink more vodka, more regularly.

30/8/96
Nikki says heaps of tunes are ready for Mötley’s Personality #9 album with a chance of it being released as a double-album. A Christmas song and an EP are also possibilities as he promises lots of extra goodies to go with the new songs. Some new song titles are I Gotta Find Myself, Confessions, We Belong, Falling Up, 57 and She’s A Beauty that Nikki wrote for his 1958 project.

In the evening, Nikki meets Baywatch star Donna D’Errico, as a blind date arranged by Pamela Anderson. They leave the ocean-side Baywatch set where she plays the character Donna Marco, and they dine at the Opium Den before heading to The Dragonfly club. On the rebound from his marriage with Brandi, and cautious after a recent blind-date gone wrong, Nikki feels very nervous and embarrassed. After talking about their kids all night, towards the end of the date, Donna asks him what his name is. Back at his home afterwards, a lonely Nikki calls Donna and asks her to dinner the next night, surprised at how much he likes her and how well they get along.

31/8/96
Nikki takes his kids to the Malibu Fair in the morning before dropping them at Brandi’s house. He dines with Donna D’Errico at the Bambu restaurant in Malibu and finds he has a lot in common with her. Born in the small town of Colombus, Georgia, Donna gained international recognition when she appeared in Playboy magazine as Miss September 1995. She was discovered by a Playboy talent scout while grocery shopping in Las Vegas, where she owned and operated a limousine service. Nikki invites her to come back to his mansion afterwards and she stays the night.

1/9/96
After sleeping together for the first time, Nikki awakes and finds Donna smoking a cigarette on his verandah. She soon leaves and Nikki feels he has blown his chances of being with her again. He picks up his guitar and starts to write a song about their insecurities called Afraid Of This. He calls her after sleeping for a couple of hours and she apologises to him, saying she couldn’t remember what had happened the night before as she had drunk too much wine.

9/9/96
Vince's personal manager Burt Stein enters into an agreement with Mötley Crüe's management company Left Bank. The agreement states Stein is to receive one-sixth of the total of management commissions to be paid by Mötley Crüe for all income received by the band. Stein is entitled to his share of management commissions for so long as Vince is the lead singer of Mötley Crüe and Stein's written personal management agreement with Vince is in effect, plus for so long as Left Bank is entitled to receive their share both during and after the tenure of its management agreements with Mötley Crüe.

13/9/96
On Friday the Thirteenth, Mötley Crüe’s manager Allen Kovac informs John at Nikki’s home studio that he is fired as the Crüe’s vocalist, sure that the record company will not promote a release from the band unless it’s the original line-up. This further paves the way for Vince to reunite as the singer of Mötley Crüe. At this stage, fourteen to fifteen songs are ready for the new album; eleven of which John has co-written.

15/9/96
Tommy, Nikki, Mick and Vince meet at Nikki’s home studio as arranged at their recent meeting at the Hyatt hotel. Vince begins to re-sing the Personality #9 songs already written, after they remove John’s vocal tracks. Vince and Nikki get along really well while Tommy isn’t as keen about Vince’s return. At the end of the day Tommy goes to John’s house and takes him out for some Japanese dinner and he cries, realising John’s days in the band are numbered, but vows to try and keep him on as a rhythm guitarist.

Mick sees producer Scott Humphrey as ‘The Great Invalidator’ since every new part Mick comes up with he rejects outright without giving any reason. Not a musician himself, Humphrey makes Mick look bad to his other producers in Nikki and Tommy. He even tells Tommy that he is a better guitarist than Mick, while having Nikki play some of Mick’s guitar parts instead.

17/9/96
John meets with Crüe management and is told he will have six or seven songs on the new record and he will be able to make more money being out of the band than in the band. He is asked to continue his presence in the studio to help them finish the record, to which he agrees, since they say they are unable to get the required work out of Mick. He comes into the studio about three days a week where they have him re-work Mick’s guitar parts, unbeknown to Mick who gets furious with the producers when he finds out. Mick is at the point where he is ready to quit the band, and thinks he might get a blues band together with John, who is also asked to show Vince his vocals on the songs as they are re-recorded, acting as his vocal coach. Vince and John have a few beers together in Nikki’s studio the first time they meet each other and they get along really well with no hard feelings towards one another. The home studio is rearranged by putting Nikki’s equipment in an upstairs room above his garage, with Tommy’s recording equipment downstairs in Nikki’s bedroom.

24/9/96
Elektra allows Nikki to release his 1958 debut album. Atlantic records, the label Dave Darling is signed to, is persuaded by the band to also allow its release.

Mick performs a guest solo with George Lynch on the song XYZ for the new Rush tribute CD Working Man but the track unfortunately isn’t included in the final release.

29/9/96
Celebrating his sister’s wedding the following day, Tommy and some friends party at Hollywood’s Viper Room, the Johnny Depp-owned nightclub where River Phoenix spent his last hours. Tommy scuffles with a video cameraman, Henry Trappler of Paparazzi TV, as he films Tommy and Pam leaving the club, shining his bright light in their faces and hassling them by saying, “It’s two o’clock in the morning. Why aren’t you home with your child?” Pamela starts abusing him and Tommy grabs his camera and throws him out of the way. Trappler files a misdemeanour battery report against Tommy, claiming he was assaulted by Tommy, suffering a fractured rib and pelvis when Tommy knocked him to the ground. Tommy says he was just pushing the camera away. While Tommy was being restrained a policeman sprays a quick shot of mace into Tommy's face from about a foot away.

30/9/96
Tommy’s sister Athena Bass marries Scorpions drummer James Kottak in a ceremony at Tommy’s Malibu home with a few friends and family members.

10/96
John realises his services aren’t required in Mötley anymore as they stop calling him in to the studio. Nikki suggests he could work with his friend of six years, former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick, so he introduces John to him at a party. John recalls his former wife Valerie occasionally cut Bruce’s hair.

Mick's frustration with Scott Humphrey continues and he tells the band that this is the last album with them as he can’t handle working with them anymore. He lets off steam most days by going shooting with John after returning from Nikki’s studio.

14/10/96
Unable to secure a record deal, 1958 decide to make their songs available on bootleg CD via the official Mötley Crüe website.

John is devastated when his girlfriend of three years Robin, leaves him. He finds out that she has married a video director four days after she left him. Madly in love with her, John had previously asked Robin to marry him. John has now recently lost his mother, band and girlfriend. In a state of despair, he even pulled a gun out of the glove box of his brand new sports car he had bought weeks before, and stuck the gun in his mouth. He moves into Mick’s guest house again.

22/10/96
Tommy and Nikki’s Malibu homes are threatened by out of control fires, but they narrowly escape unscathed. Nikki is now engaged to Baywatch star Donna D’Errico who has been living with him for the last few weeks. They play a proposal game with each other several times that is finalised when Donna takes a label gun, types a proposal and sticks it under the toilet seat where Nikki soon discovers it when he lifts the seat.

29/10/96
A Henry Trappler v. Tommy Lee lawsuit is filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court. Trappler’s attorney Gloria Allred plays a videotape taken by another cameraman showing Tommy grabbing Trappler and flinging him to the ground, while twice yelling, “Get the f@ck out of here.” Police previously charged Tommy with misdemeanour battery for attacking the cameraman a month ago as he left The Viper Room with Pamela. The cameraman says he suffered a fractured rib and multiple fractures of his pelvis as a result. Trappler is suing for assault and battery, as well as negligence. His further claim that Tommy has also violated his civil rights to “pursue his occupation as video photographer” is dismissed by the Superior Court judge.

31/10/96
Nikki receives a ten-million-dollar lawsuit from estranged wife Brandi Brandt, who claims he walked out on her, leaving her to raise their three children. Brandt says the suit amounts to half of what Nikki made during their seven-year relationship. Nikki says he left Brandi and the kids in their home after they split, so they wouldn’t have to relocate.

13/11/96
After Tommy announced a week ago that Personality #9 will not be released until February next year, promising again that it’ll be worth the wait, Nikki adds that they are still in the studio. The album will be ready for pressing by December 15, while a U.S. tour starting in March after a February release is touted. There’s still no public confirmation from the band as to who will be singing.

19/11/96
Pamela Anderson Lee files for divorce from Tommy, after twenty one months of marriage. The petition filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court cites irreconcilable differences as the reason for their break-up. According to the divorce papers, they separated four days ago. Infidelity is also listed as one of the reasons why Pamela decides to call it quits. Tommy files for joint custody of five-month-old Brandon, but Pamela files for full physical custody. Pam also requests her current legal name be changed back to her maiden name of Anderson.

Tommy is charged with vandalism after throwing a rock through a side window of a paparazzi photographer’s car.

26/11/96
Rolling Stone magazine publicly reports that Tracy Blackburn from the Crüe’s management company Left Bank has stated Vince is back in the band and John will not be leaving to make room for him. They report the original members have all recently been seen together in the same rehearsal studio, and Vince has been telling audiences on his solo tour that they will be seeing him back with his old band soon. Meanwhile Vince’s publicist, Jeff Albright of Albright Entertainment Group, also tells Rolling Stone the two parties are still involved in litigation and have not been speaking. In Perth, Western Australia for his Unholy Downunder tour, Bruce Kulick tells Chronological Crue that Vince is back in the band, but he doesn’t mention he’s currently working with John.

Elektra begins a teaser campaign by booking ads featuring a lettering-style similar to the Crüe’s logo that simply states, “They’re Back” and “The American Music Awards – Jan. 27, 1997.”

27/11/96
Pamela and Brandon return home to Tommy, who seeks rehabilitation for his alcohol addiction – vodka being his vice. Tommy has some purple dye run through his hair.

9/12/96
The title for the Personality #9 album changes to Generation Swine with a release now likely on March 10 next year, and a tour commencing in April. In the studio, Vince suggests the new name for the album, after Nikki talks about a book he just read by Hunter S. Thompson called Generation of Swine. The rest of the band agrees the new title is great.

10/12/96
The Crüe records three new songs live off the floor that were written the previous week. One song called Anybody Out There, previously titled 57 and then Punk 57, is recorded with only one take of Vince’s vocals, whose range is now wider with better control. The album cover photo shoot is now finished, after the photographer buys four pig masks on the way to the session and shoots a few photos with them on the Crüe. Producer Scott Humphrey feels the band does not have a hit single amongst the album’s tracks.

It’s publicly announced that Bruce Kulick has been writing and demoing songs with John. They both play guitar, and Bruce plays bass on the songs, while a friend of their co-producer and collaborator Curt Cuomo is laying down the drums. They plan to get a band together soon and say the music will appeal to fans of both Kiss and Mötley Crüe, but will not specifically be like either band. John gives Bruce an acoustic guitar for his birthday the next day.

14/12/96
The divorce of Nikki Sixx and Brandi Brandt is finalised with a rushed settlement on her ten-million-dollar lawsuit. Nikki hands her six million dollars, two luxury homes and a Mercedes Benz, after she vilifies him in court. They agree to joint custody of their children. Nikki and Donna move into a small rental home in Malibu.

16/12/96
Tommy confirms Mötley Crüe will perform one song live at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles on January 27. The first single from Generation Swine is scheduled for release the following day.

20/12/96
Gerri Miller from Metal Edge magazine says Vince is back in the Crüe for a tour and an album, then that’s it. This comes as Tommy states the world tour will start in Detroit, Michigan in mid-March, when Generation Swine is now scheduled for release. Rising stars on the music scene and long-time Mötley Crüe fans, Marilyn Manson, are touted to open the dates on the new tour. Nikki is also a big fan of their latest Antichrist Superstar album.

23/12/96
With lots of candles and incense burning, Nikki and Donna D’Errico get married the day before Christmas Eve in their Malibu home. Donnas three-year-old son Rhyan and Nikki’s three children are present. Nikki wears a sky blue glitter shirt with dark blue velvet pants and gun-metal toenail polish. Donna is barefooted in a tight blue long flowing dress. George Winstin’s song December plays on the stereo with the sound of the fireplace crackling at their backs.

24/12/96
Tommy and Pam renew their marriage vows with another marriage ceremony at their home. Tommy dresses in a suit of armour and rides up to their house on horseback, before flipping up his visor and reading from a scroll, telling Pamela that he wants to be her knight in shining armour. He then rides off with Pamela on his horse.

25/12/96
John’s son Ian is given a bead lettering set for Christmas by John’s ex-girlfriend Robin. He makes a necklace for John with it that reads “I love my daddy crab”. John doesn’t take the necklace off. Ian also continues to improve his drumming talents on his small DW kit that Tommy gave him for his birthday and is the same as his. He also requires insulin shots two-to-three times a day for his Diabetes.

27/12/96
After spending five hours with Bruce Kulick and John, Gerri Miller reports, “I got to hear five songs in various stages of completion, ranging from an acoustic tune called Do You Think About Me to a couple of untitled rock songs with heavy grooves. John sang along to these with Curt Cuomo harmonising so I could get the melody lines. They have some great stuff and will continue to write more before going for a deal and getting the rest of the band and a name. John and I talked in-depth about the Mötley Crüe situation and how it all went down. He harbours no ill feelings toward them and is actually relieved that it’s over now so he can get on with his life and career. He was growing increasingly uncomfortable about his situation, and had clues that something was up, but wasn’t told until mid-September that he was out and Vince was coming back. He had co-written several songs and played rhythm guitar on a lot of them but has no idea what will end up on the Mötley album since more material was written since he left.” There is still no official word from the Crüe camp that Vince is back in the band.

31/12/96
Nikki spends New Years Eve at the Viper Room nightclub with his new wife Donna, who does the countdown to 1997 in her rubber Catwoman outfit. Tommy spends his New Years Eve in London's Ministry of Sound club. The DJ puts on a new record by Josh Wink called higher State of Consciousness that makes Tommy feel like he’s never felt before. Tommy says, “It was like a frequency assault. I had to duck from these big filter sweeps that were coming through the speakers. I felt like I was on ecstasy, and I was completely sober. I thought this is where I need to be. This is what I want to make. I want to do shit that freaks people out sonically!” This night is later seen as the moment when his future band Methods of Mayhem is born.

Choose the year:
pre81 / 81 / 82 / 83 / 84 / 85 / 86 / 87 / 88 / 89 > The Eighties
90 / 91 / 92 / 93 / 94 / 95 / 96 / 97 / 98 / 99 > The Nineties
00 / 01 / 02 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 / 07 / 08 / 09 > The Naughties
10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / Home / Site Map