EXCLUSIVETommy Lee 'Couldn't Pass Up' The Opportunity To Tour With Mötley Crüe Again In 2021
Dec. 17 2020, Updated 8:28 p.m. ET
He's been the drummer for the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe for nearly four decades, but Tommy Lee isn't afraid to branch out.
Over the years, he's released three solo albums and his latest, Andro, is a genre-defying collection of tunes ranging from rock to pop-rap (the hip-hop-influenced remix track "Tommy Lee" features Post Malone).
"It's so freeing to be able to do a bunch of things that you really love and not be stuck with one style," says the 58-year-old musician, who shares sons Brandon, 24, and Dylan, 22, with ex-wife Pamela Anderson. Here, Lee talks about his new ventures and reconnecting with the old Crüe.
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It's been 15 years since your last solo record. What took you so long?
TL: I've been busy as hell with Mötley, but once that was done, I was like, "Oh man, I've got all these ideas, this is making me crazy. I've got to put this stuff down."
And you have a home studio, right?
Yeah. It doesn't suck. I pinch myself a lot. It's so cool to have an idea and then run into the studio and record it, you know? It's pretty amazing, and I'm grateful that I have that luxury.
Tell us about the name of the new album, Andro.
It's short for androgynous. One side is all male energy, the other side is all female energy.
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Do you feel pressure to have your solo stuff sound more like Mötley Crüe?
I read a YouTube comment about the remix of "Tommy Lee" saying, "Well, it doesn't sound like Mötley Crüe." I was like, "It's not supposed to!" So it's just something I deal with. It's like duct tape on my shoe that I can't get off.
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Do you think people will be shocked at how different this album is?
I don't think so. I've been throwing curveballs since 2000. And even with the Mötley shows, during my drum solos, I'm constantly throwing some crazy new stuff in there.
You and Post Malone seem to have really clicked musically.
Yeah, he's a really big rock fan. I'll bet you he's going to open the gates a bit more stylistically from pop to rap to rock. He really has left himself wide open to a whole bunch of stuff, and I think that's cool.
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You have a lot of followers on TikTok. How did you get into it?
When I first saw it, I was like, "Oh, I don't know. This is for kids, right?" My wife social media star Brittany Furlan pulled me in against my will. Laughs. It's all her fault! I'm constantly like, "Babe, I don't want to be in this," then she ropes me in. But at least I'm laughing. That's all that matters!
Mötley Crüe did a farewell tour in 2016, but now you're set for another stadium tour in 2021. What happened?
I thought we were done! Four years later, we get a call from Live Nation asking us if we would be interested in doing a stadium tour, which we've never done. We were like, "That would be amazing." We couldn't pass it up.
Do you have plans to release any new music together?
We haven't talked about making any new music as of yet, but once again, you never know with Camp Mötley. Laughs. Never say never!
