I've been
overwhelmed. The emails I've been receiving from fans have been more
than encouraging... it's been truly inspiring. Thank you. It's hard to
keep responding to everyone on a one on one basis these days with so
much happening in life. I'll try and use this section of the site to
keep everyone informed of all the latest developments with the blue
moon tour of Oz.
Crikey...
where do I start this? I have so much to tell. Again… it’s going to be
long. You will stick with me won't you?
Well, let
me wind back a bit to catch you up. The day after my last entry, I had
a call from my mate in Queensland, Brenden Thomson, aka 'Dr. Shinbone
Starr - the Rock'n'Roll Patroller.' Now Thommo is a good mate...
someone that flew across this great country to live with my family for
a week when Kiss came to town on their Reunion Tour in Feb 1997, and
has since been able to catch Mötley in Toronto and Japan. But this time
I got pissed at him! He woke me at 6.20am to tell me that he had got
the Australian Tour dates November 23-29! No venues and cities
confirmed yet though… just when they’ll grace our shores. Great Thommo,
but you could have emailed that, since this is the only day for a sleep
in... And I love my bed.
The
tension mounts... the excitement mounts, but a voice in my head says,
'Don't build yourself up too far in case it crashes and there's no
tour.' I want to believe it all, but I want to make certain of it all
too... so I know what’s going down! I keep digging. Enquiries here…
enquiries there.
The
weekend flies by with my head spinning at a hundred miles an hour, and
before I know it on Monday 28th, I get an email from a promoter friend
in Melbourne that I was making enquiries with. He says that somewhere
along the grape vine he's heard that Rose Tattoo may be the support
band for Mötley. Rose Tattoo? Rose Tattoo! Wow! That would be super
cool. I caught the Tatts a year or so ago and they were in fine form.
They signed my Rose Tattoo self titled gatefold vinyl debut album and I
keep the set list from the night, nicely tucked inside it.
Rose
Tattoo - New Tattoo... it fits. When I interviewed
Randy Castillo recently, he said he is a huge fan of Rose Tattoo
and would love to drum on a whole tribute album for them! The pieces
are fitting together perhaps. I must find out more, so I email the
webmaster of the hands down best Rose Tattoo web site - Remedy. So Pete
Gormley, the man behind the monster, replies the next day and says
he'll see what he can find out. Pete says, "It's sorta ironic that
you're from Oz and have the best Crüe site while I'm from the States
and have the best Tatts site. I guess geography is irrelevant online."
Pete sounds like a wise man.
Tuesday
comes around and I wake up to an email from the Mötley management camp.
After clicking to open it, it feels like forever while I'm waiting for
it to display on the screen in front of me. Will I be screaming for joy
in a moment... or will I head butt the screen if it's a 'Sorry, there's
no tour!'
So what
did it say you wonder? Let me paste some exact words, "We are
definitely doing some Australian dates." What? It's true! This isn't
just a rumour... or a wish... or a hook for a promoter to pick up on,
so the ball can start rolling. They must have worked through all the
initial negotiations already and it's locked away. You bloody ripper!
But wait there's more...
"Would
you and Brenden be willing to aide us in putting together and
implementing an awareness campaign?" Serious? Me? and that Thommo guy
that woke me up? Holy shit! I may just get to meet the band yet!!!
Shit! Where do I start? How should I respond? I talk about it with Sara
over lunch... she smiles at me. I know what to do…. Go with my heart.
I made a
few phone calls to industry friends to run some ideas by them, and then
took a deep breath before phoning Hollywood, ready to lay it on the
line. Ring ring... ring ring. I could feel my hand all sweaty with
nervous anticipation of the reaction to my thoughts and ideas. Then an
answer - a voicemail message. So the long task of documenting all my
initial ideas began. The candle burnt long into the night as I typed
page after page ready to email on to the Crüe’s management. The
creative juices flowed through my fingers and I tried to structure my
ideas as they buzzed around in my head, waiting their turn to be
released.
What
Mötley needs in Australia right now I believe, is a raise in profile.
Many Australians think Mötley disappeared off the face of the Earth
with the countless other bands, since they haven't really had a profile
here since that Dr. Feelgood Tour, now just over a decade ago. I figure
some prime time national TV stories presented with an inspiring
'feelgood' spin will provide a profile remedy... so I put forward my TV
plan to pitch.
After Show
Parties, special presentations involving fans and media, press
releases, street teams on missions, tattoo studio tie-ins, I threw it
all in... What did I have to lose? I said that Shinbone and I were
ready to make a difference... ready to achieve great things for
everyone! Was I getting carried away? Should I check my head? Nope –
I’ll follow my heart.
I also saw
another opportunity that means a huge amount to me on a personal level.
My own band's flamboyant style of hard rock would suit a Crüe show to a
tee. I've tried to learn from the masters over the years and I think it
comes out in our music and stage show. So I pitched that as well! Think
of the publicity angle now... Mötley's Crüe's New Tattoo tour with Rose
Tattoo and SkinInc. It fits… and it works for me... gee, I hope it
works for them! Both Nikki and Randy have my CD... but I hope they
didn't drag it to their Recycle Bin!
So, I hit
send on this email to Mötley management and kiss my screen goodnight. I
lay in bed with Sara sleeping next to me... head spinning with more and
more ideas. 'Damn, I forget to mention that radio angle too,' I think
to myself. Next thing I wake up to the alarm clock... the plastic
creature with red eyes that counts while I recharge.
A special
day arrives this Thursday 31st August. Ten years ago, Sara and I
married. A Decade of Romance has gone by, as we now enter our next.
Gifts and love are exchanged as the kids head off to school. Then time
to check the email... then it happens again! Another email from Mötley
management. A reply. So soon? Woah! My left fingers cross as I click
the mouse button with my right. I don’t believe it - What a day this
is! You want to know what the email said?
"Wonderful!
All very good ideas, and we will work with you to make them all happen.
I will more than likely want to set a call with you guys, us and the
promoter to make all of this and more happen... thanks guys!" Hang
on... it's not April 1st is it? ALL the ideas... not just some... or
not, we'll see which ones we can do... but ALL!!! Holy shit! Last entry
I was telling you how I was hoping I could meet Mötley... and now it
seems there's A CHANCE that my band may open for Mötley in Australia.
Who needs drugs?
People
have mocked over the years that I haven't grown out of the rock'n'roll
dream and lifestyle. They fail to see the full picture. They don’t have
vision. When I started my band last year, they were like, "You? But you
can't sing... or can you?" When I would tell people the time and effort
I was putting into my Mötley site over the years, they'd say, "But what
a waste of time. Why don't you do something constructive, instead of
promoting that disgusting group of washed up, tattooed, drug addicts?"
Well to
all those people... thank you! Thank you for your inspiration. Thank
you for highlighting real life examples to me of how and when to adopt
the Mötley Crüe attitude. Thank you for fuelling my desire to succeed.
For I believe... THERE'S NO GREATER REVENGE IN THE WORLD THAN MASSIVE
SUCCESS. More power to Mötley, and more power to you! Are your dreams
getting closer? You have the power to catch them. Listen to the words
of ‘Enslaved’ today.
Rock on
Paul Miles*
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Next: Chapter 3
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