Tommy Lee gives good phone. He's the consummate professional when it comes to interviews. Don't be fooled by his easy going charm and natural flirtatiousness; Behind it lies a disarming intelligence and an instinct that knows exactly how to perpetuate and sell the rock & roll myth we all want - and need - to buy into.
It's not that he's is being insincere - far from it - it's well documented that the drummer-turned-multi instrumentalist walks the walk as well as talking the talk. However, all rock & roll shenanigans aside, when it counts, Lee seriously has his shit together - like on the designated press day for his new Methods of Mayhem album, A Public Disservice Announcement.
Fielding questions from an endless procession of rock critics and music writers can be a tedious task. It's therefore not uncommon for artists to flake entirely or give jaded responses. However Lee is diligently going through his record label supplied phone list, giving his all and - no doubt - successfully connecting to each of the journalists on it on some level.
It's this balance of work vs. play that has helped Lee stay on top of his game for over three decades - that and the fact that he is still genuinely excited to be making music and talking about it with those that love it too. Thus, though SuicideGirls are not the type to wait around for the phone to ring, we found ourselves doing just that one Friday afternoon...
Tommy Lee: I'm sorry I was late. We've been going over each interview - I've been doing them for hours.
Nicole Powers: Last time we spoke you were very generous with your time, so I figured it was that kind of thing.
TL: Cool, cool.
NP: Are you just sat in an office somewhere, talking to people like me one after another after another.
TL: Pretty much, yeah, that's the drill.
NP: Well tell me what questions you're sick of answering, and I promise I'll avoid them.
TL: No, you know what? I got really excited about this [interview], because "A" I dig all the SuicideGirls stuff, and "B" it says here that you guys are premiering "All I Wanna Do," which is one of my fucking favorite tracks on the record. It's just nasty for the sake of being fun. You've got to have a good fucking sex song on the record. If you don't, you kind of suck right?
NP: Hell yeah. Especially on one of your records.
TL: Exactly. It'd be weird if there wasn't one...It's one of those tracks that had almost a Nine Inch Nails "Closer" vibe to it, kind of. It just started sounding more and more, as we were fuckin' with it, like a full on stripper track. That's where it just went. Just the sound of it is sexy, you know.
I don't know if you know about the process, how the record was done; I basically collaborated with the entire world on this record. The tracks were written and recorded, and then I put one track up online a week for thirteen weeks - we did 13 tracks. People could download the songs, record on them and send me back their submissions.
I would go through them and pick out the best of the best and use little snippets from all around the world to complete the process. So we had these really bitchin' melodies, and hand drums and stuff from India - if you listen to the song, you can hear that stuff in there. And it just started turning into this really sexy sounding track. That's kind of how that thing just took off...There's another fuck song on the record. It's called "Fight Song," but that's more of a hate fuck.
NP: Yeah, that's kind of angry.
TL: Totally. That's for the people that like to get a little more aggressive, you know.
NP: We last caught up with you in February 2009, when you were promoting Mtley Cre's Saints of Los Angeles release. What's been going on with you since then?
TL: I've been working on this Methods of Mayhem record for a little over a year now. Mtley decided to take 2010 off, so I was like, this is a perfect time to make a new Methods record. 'Cause the last one I did was in 2000 and it's like, fuck, 10 years went by; it's time to make another one, let's do this.
NP: The last Methods of Mayhem record was born in part out of your stint in jail. At the time you were also getting into Buddhism...
TL: Yeah, yeah.
NP: So the Methods of Mayhem project is ironically part of a greater spiritual journey for you.
TL: It totally is. I call it my adult playground, or my adult sandbox. I totally get to go fucking crazy stylistically. I get to do whatever it is I want. Because I can't really do that with Mtley. We do a certain thing and that's what we do. So when I get a chance to do this, I fucking love it. I just get to go crazy.
NP: Right, 'cause your role in Mtley is very defined; you're the drummer. Whereas with Methods of Mayhem, you're playing guitar, you're doing vocals...
TL: Yeah, pretty much everything right. Once again, I could just let it fucking rip. I love, love, love to sing and play guitar too, you know, and keyboards, and pianos, and turntables, and all kinds of shit. I get a chance to play with it all...Like I said, it's my chance to sort of freak out.
NP: How does the creative process work for you? 'Cause it's got to be very different from working with Cre, where you're part of a machine that functions in a very specific way. With Methods of Mayhem there's a blank page, and you have to create something out of nothing. How do you go about that?
TL: It's kind of like whatever you're feeling, you know. I'm a fan of so many different styles of music. Whether it's a making a nasty dance club track or making a really aggressive metal track like "Fight Song," or a pop/rock tune like "Time Bomb" or "Blame." I am all over the place. I truly get to exercise all the fucking demons when it comes to this.
NP: I love the progression of the album from rock through to dance. I have a dance background, so the last three songs ("All I Wanna Do," "Back To Before" and "Party Instructions"), the way they roll into each other, that really hits a sweet spot for me,
TL: That's fuckin' awesome. I'm glad. That's so cool. Finally! You have no idea how many fuckin' interviews I do with a lot of fuckin' rock meatheads that just don't get that. I'm telling you, you're the first person that actually appreciated that. I did that for people like you, so that you could enjoy those songs back to back. Because what happened was, I had this very eclectic record that had pop, rock, and electro dance stuff on it, and I couldn't really [make it work] by making the record go all over the place. So what I did was I sequenced it so it took you on a journey through some rock, metal, pop, and then I wanted to close the album out with full-on club banger shit.
NP: What's the actual nuts and bolts process of laying the tracks down?
TL: I have a really bitching studio at my place. That's pretty much where I spend most of my time. If I'm writing something, I'll kind of compile things. That's what I kind of do. I'll be like, "That will be cool for Mtley," or "That's bitchin' for Methods," or "Maybe another artist would like this," and I'll send that track on. So it's a little bit of everything. I kind of compile it there, and then I figure out where it's going to go.
People ask too if I have some sort of method; it really changes from track to track depending on what I'm inspired with. Sometimes it's a fuckin' badass drum beat that will start a song. Sometimes it's a guitar riff. Sometimes it's a piano progression, a melody in my head, a lyric, an idea. Some sort of event, or some sort of experience that happened that's like, "Oh fuck, I've got to write about this." It's always something, it's just never the same. It always starts somewhere within those things I just mentioned.
NP: You're quite the accomplished musician on the quiet. It's not just drums, it's guitars, keyboards, computer programming...
TL: I love it all. I do. I really, really do man. And a lot of people don't know that, that's what's cool too. I think the more I do this, the more people get to know that I don't just play the drums.
NP: What's the current line up of Methods of Mayhem? I know DJ Aero has been a staple.
TL: Yep. DJ Aero is still with me. I have a new guitar player, J3, his real name is John Allen III, and a new drummer, Will Hunt, who's my buddy. [We're] minus TiLo. He's a super hip-hop kid. He's off doing his own thing, so you won't hear of any of those hip-hop elements or influences on the record because he's not part of it. It's just the four of us
NP: You released the "Time Bomb" video last week.
TL: Yeah, did you see it?
NP: I certainly did. It cracks me up. When you were editing that video, how did you decide on the optimal number of crotch shots to express what you wanted to say?
TL: [laughs] I knew you were going to ask that. That's hilarious! It has a lot to do with the director's girl. She was all about the crotch shots, so I think she put several of those in there. I like my crotch, and so I didn't say anything bad about it. I was like, "Oh, that's cool."
NP: You aim to please.
TL: [laughs] That's funny. I knew you were going to ask that.
NP: It had to be asked. You can't say that I'm the only person that's raised the issue today?
TL: You actually are the first person that's brought that up.
NP: No way.
TL: I'm serious.
NP: I don't know whether that's a good or bad thing.
TL: No, it's a good thing. It's funny because I wondered if anybody else was going to bring that up.
NP: And only SuicideGirls had the nerve.
TL: I figured that only my girlfriend brings that up, but you brought that up.
NP: Well you can rely on SuicideGirls to go there. You're not worried that your crotch may distract from the music?
TL: No. It's just enhancement, right?
NP: I feel it enhances the situation.
TL: Right on.
NP: Talking about enhancing the situation, I don't know if you know this, but your body has actually been worked on by a Suicide Girl - Bobbysox, who's a tattoo artist.
TL: Oh, yeah. She is so cool. She actually did this really cool mermaid on my leg...She's a fuckin' amazing artist.
NP: How long did that take?
TL: We spent, fuck, probably 6 or 7 hours together. She didn't finish it, and, you know what? If you talk to her, I don't know, she's not still mad, but she got upset. Because she did this really bitchin' outline, and, fuck it, I was really impatient and got a buddy of mine [to fill it in]. I really wanted to finish it and get the color done and stuff. I told her I finished it and she was like, "Oh my god, how could you do that? Somebody else finished my work!"
NP: Dude, I'm going to kick your ass for that one. You can't fuck with someone else's art. It'd be like telling Michelangelo, "Oh, I just finished painting the Sistine Chapel. I got someone else to color it in. "
TL: That's pretty bad. I think it's probably like some tattoo taboo isn't it?
NP: That seriously is. You have committed a tattoo crime.
TL: I've committed a tattoo crime - fuck! I told her, I have some more room on my legs that I would like her to play with, so maybe I can do a full piece by her. But, fuck, I was so inpatient and my excitement overwhelmed me. I just fuckin' went for it.
NP: Michelangelo made the Pope wait, I'm sorry, a Suicide Girl can make Tommy Lee wait.
TL: [laughs] Oh, fuck, that's good. I've got to remember that.
NP: You're in so much shit. We have to figure out an appropriate punishment.
TL: Okay. [laughs] Oh, that's fuckin' great. You know what? She said that she's not mad, but I really think she still is.
NP: Oh, she's mad, yeah. If you were an artist, and you cared about your shit, you would be mad.
TL: I know. Fuck! That was bad. That was bad. When she tattoos on me next, she's gonna fuckin' grind on me extra hard I'm sure. She'll be like, "Yeah, you fuck. Here you go. Thanks for finishing my work."
NP: Yeah, she'll use an extra large needle so it's extra painful.
TL: Exactly, right? The machine is set on stun. Oh fuck, here we go.
NP: Well, I should let you go because its late on a Friday afternoon, but before I do, I should ask, will you be touring with this album?
TL: Yeah, actually the guys started up showing up yesterday for rehearsals. We got our first show, it's just one song, a performance on Jay Leno's show this Wednesday night. Then we're gearing up for the end of fall / winter dates. I'll have those tour dates to announce shortly, but yeah, we're getting ready to go do it. How fun.
NP: And you said that Cre were taking 2010 off, so does that mean that you're back together in 2011?
TL: Yeah, the summer of '11, we're going to fire up Cre Fest again. So there's a couple of months in the summer when that's going to happen. In the meantime, I'm taking Methods out to go rock that shit.
A Public Disservice Announcement is in stores now. Go to TommyLee.com/ for news on all things Tommy Lee and upcoming Methods of Mayhem tour dates.
It's not that he's is being insincere - far from it - it's well documented that the drummer-turned-multi instrumentalist walks the walk as well as talking the talk. However, all rock & roll shenanigans aside, when it counts, Lee seriously has his shit together - like on the designated press day for his new Methods of Mayhem album, A Public Disservice Announcement.
Fielding questions from an endless procession of rock critics and music writers can be a tedious task. It's therefore not uncommon for artists to flake entirely or give jaded responses. However Lee is diligently going through his record label supplied phone list, giving his all and - no doubt - successfully connecting to each of the journalists on it on some level.
It's this balance of work vs. play that has helped Lee stay on top of his game for over three decades - that and the fact that he is still genuinely excited to be making music and talking about it with those that love it too. Thus, though SuicideGirls are not the type to wait around for the phone to ring, we found ourselves doing just that one Friday afternoon...
Tommy Lee: I'm sorry I was late. We've been going over each interview - I've been doing them for hours.
Nicole Powers: Last time we spoke you were very generous with your time, so I figured it was that kind of thing.
TL: Cool, cool.
NP: Are you just sat in an office somewhere, talking to people like me one after another after another.
TL: Pretty much, yeah, that's the drill.
NP: Well tell me what questions you're sick of answering, and I promise I'll avoid them.
TL: No, you know what? I got really excited about this [interview], because "A" I dig all the SuicideGirls stuff, and "B" it says here that you guys are premiering "All I Wanna Do," which is one of my fucking favorite tracks on the record. It's just nasty for the sake of being fun. You've got to have a good fucking sex song on the record. If you don't, you kind of suck right?
NP: Hell yeah. Especially on one of your records.
TL: Exactly. It'd be weird if there wasn't one...It's one of those tracks that had almost a Nine Inch Nails "Closer" vibe to it, kind of. It just started sounding more and more, as we were fuckin' with it, like a full on stripper track. That's where it just went. Just the sound of it is sexy, you know.
I don't know if you know about the process, how the record was done; I basically collaborated with the entire world on this record. The tracks were written and recorded, and then I put one track up online a week for thirteen weeks - we did 13 tracks. People could download the songs, record on them and send me back their submissions.
I would go through them and pick out the best of the best and use little snippets from all around the world to complete the process. So we had these really bitchin' melodies, and hand drums and stuff from India - if you listen to the song, you can hear that stuff in there. And it just started turning into this really sexy sounding track. That's kind of how that thing just took off...There's another fuck song on the record. It's called "Fight Song," but that's more of a hate fuck.
NP: Yeah, that's kind of angry.
TL: Totally. That's for the people that like to get a little more aggressive, you know.
NP: We last caught up with you in February 2009, when you were promoting Mtley Cre's Saints of Los Angeles release. What's been going on with you since then?
TL: I've been working on this Methods of Mayhem record for a little over a year now. Mtley decided to take 2010 off, so I was like, this is a perfect time to make a new Methods record. 'Cause the last one I did was in 2000 and it's like, fuck, 10 years went by; it's time to make another one, let's do this.
NP: The last Methods of Mayhem record was born in part out of your stint in jail. At the time you were also getting into Buddhism...
TL: Yeah, yeah.
NP: So the Methods of Mayhem project is ironically part of a greater spiritual journey for you.
TL: It totally is. I call it my adult playground, or my adult sandbox. I totally get to go fucking crazy stylistically. I get to do whatever it is I want. Because I can't really do that with Mtley. We do a certain thing and that's what we do. So when I get a chance to do this, I fucking love it. I just get to go crazy.
NP: Right, 'cause your role in Mtley is very defined; you're the drummer. Whereas with Methods of Mayhem, you're playing guitar, you're doing vocals...
TL: Yeah, pretty much everything right. Once again, I could just let it fucking rip. I love, love, love to sing and play guitar too, you know, and keyboards, and pianos, and turntables, and all kinds of shit. I get a chance to play with it all...Like I said, it's my chance to sort of freak out.
NP: How does the creative process work for you? 'Cause it's got to be very different from working with Cre, where you're part of a machine that functions in a very specific way. With Methods of Mayhem there's a blank page, and you have to create something out of nothing. How do you go about that?
TL: It's kind of like whatever you're feeling, you know. I'm a fan of so many different styles of music. Whether it's a making a nasty dance club track or making a really aggressive metal track like "Fight Song," or a pop/rock tune like "Time Bomb" or "Blame." I am all over the place. I truly get to exercise all the fucking demons when it comes to this.
NP: I love the progression of the album from rock through to dance. I have a dance background, so the last three songs ("All I Wanna Do," "Back To Before" and "Party Instructions"), the way they roll into each other, that really hits a sweet spot for me,
TL: That's fuckin' awesome. I'm glad. That's so cool. Finally! You have no idea how many fuckin' interviews I do with a lot of fuckin' rock meatheads that just don't get that. I'm telling you, you're the first person that actually appreciated that. I did that for people like you, so that you could enjoy those songs back to back. Because what happened was, I had this very eclectic record that had pop, rock, and electro dance stuff on it, and I couldn't really [make it work] by making the record go all over the place. So what I did was I sequenced it so it took you on a journey through some rock, metal, pop, and then I wanted to close the album out with full-on club banger shit.
NP: What's the actual nuts and bolts process of laying the tracks down?
TL: I have a really bitching studio at my place. That's pretty much where I spend most of my time. If I'm writing something, I'll kind of compile things. That's what I kind of do. I'll be like, "That will be cool for Mtley," or "That's bitchin' for Methods," or "Maybe another artist would like this," and I'll send that track on. So it's a little bit of everything. I kind of compile it there, and then I figure out where it's going to go.
People ask too if I have some sort of method; it really changes from track to track depending on what I'm inspired with. Sometimes it's a fuckin' badass drum beat that will start a song. Sometimes it's a guitar riff. Sometimes it's a piano progression, a melody in my head, a lyric, an idea. Some sort of event, or some sort of experience that happened that's like, "Oh fuck, I've got to write about this." It's always something, it's just never the same. It always starts somewhere within those things I just mentioned.
NP: You're quite the accomplished musician on the quiet. It's not just drums, it's guitars, keyboards, computer programming...
TL: I love it all. I do. I really, really do man. And a lot of people don't know that, that's what's cool too. I think the more I do this, the more people get to know that I don't just play the drums.
NP: What's the current line up of Methods of Mayhem? I know DJ Aero has been a staple.
TL: Yep. DJ Aero is still with me. I have a new guitar player, J3, his real name is John Allen III, and a new drummer, Will Hunt, who's my buddy. [We're] minus TiLo. He's a super hip-hop kid. He's off doing his own thing, so you won't hear of any of those hip-hop elements or influences on the record because he's not part of it. It's just the four of us
NP: You released the "Time Bomb" video last week.
TL: Yeah, did you see it?
NP: I certainly did. It cracks me up. When you were editing that video, how did you decide on the optimal number of crotch shots to express what you wanted to say?
TL: [laughs] I knew you were going to ask that. That's hilarious! It has a lot to do with the director's girl. She was all about the crotch shots, so I think she put several of those in there. I like my crotch, and so I didn't say anything bad about it. I was like, "Oh, that's cool."
NP: You aim to please.
TL: [laughs] That's funny. I knew you were going to ask that.
NP: It had to be asked. You can't say that I'm the only person that's raised the issue today?
TL: You actually are the first person that's brought that up.
NP: No way.
TL: I'm serious.
NP: I don't know whether that's a good or bad thing.
TL: No, it's a good thing. It's funny because I wondered if anybody else was going to bring that up.
NP: And only SuicideGirls had the nerve.
TL: I figured that only my girlfriend brings that up, but you brought that up.
NP: Well you can rely on SuicideGirls to go there. You're not worried that your crotch may distract from the music?
TL: No. It's just enhancement, right?
NP: I feel it enhances the situation.
TL: Right on.
NP: Talking about enhancing the situation, I don't know if you know this, but your body has actually been worked on by a Suicide Girl - Bobbysox, who's a tattoo artist.
TL: Oh, yeah. She is so cool. She actually did this really cool mermaid on my leg...She's a fuckin' amazing artist.
NP: How long did that take?
TL: We spent, fuck, probably 6 or 7 hours together. She didn't finish it, and, you know what? If you talk to her, I don't know, she's not still mad, but she got upset. Because she did this really bitchin' outline, and, fuck it, I was really impatient and got a buddy of mine [to fill it in]. I really wanted to finish it and get the color done and stuff. I told her I finished it and she was like, "Oh my god, how could you do that? Somebody else finished my work!"
NP: Dude, I'm going to kick your ass for that one. You can't fuck with someone else's art. It'd be like telling Michelangelo, "Oh, I just finished painting the Sistine Chapel. I got someone else to color it in. "
TL: That's pretty bad. I think it's probably like some tattoo taboo isn't it?
NP: That seriously is. You have committed a tattoo crime.
TL: I've committed a tattoo crime - fuck! I told her, I have some more room on my legs that I would like her to play with, so maybe I can do a full piece by her. But, fuck, I was so inpatient and my excitement overwhelmed me. I just fuckin' went for it.
NP: Michelangelo made the Pope wait, I'm sorry, a Suicide Girl can make Tommy Lee wait.
TL: [laughs] Oh, fuck, that's good. I've got to remember that.
NP: You're in so much shit. We have to figure out an appropriate punishment.
TL: Okay. [laughs] Oh, that's fuckin' great. You know what? She said that she's not mad, but I really think she still is.
NP: Oh, she's mad, yeah. If you were an artist, and you cared about your shit, you would be mad.
TL: I know. Fuck! That was bad. That was bad. When she tattoos on me next, she's gonna fuckin' grind on me extra hard I'm sure. She'll be like, "Yeah, you fuck. Here you go. Thanks for finishing my work."
NP: Yeah, she'll use an extra large needle so it's extra painful.
TL: Exactly, right? The machine is set on stun. Oh fuck, here we go.
NP: Well, I should let you go because its late on a Friday afternoon, but before I do, I should ask, will you be touring with this album?
TL: Yeah, actually the guys started up showing up yesterday for rehearsals. We got our first show, it's just one song, a performance on Jay Leno's show this Wednesday night. Then we're gearing up for the end of fall / winter dates. I'll have those tour dates to announce shortly, but yeah, we're getting ready to go do it. How fun.
NP: And you said that Cre were taking 2010 off, so does that mean that you're back together in 2011?
TL: Yeah, the summer of '11, we're going to fire up Cre Fest again. So there's a couple of months in the summer when that's going to happen. In the meantime, I'm taking Methods out to go rock that shit.
A Public Disservice Announcement is in stores now. Go to TommyLee.com/ for news on all things Tommy Lee and upcoming Methods of Mayhem tour dates.