Metal Sludge The Power and the Glory
MÖTLEY CRÜE REUNION NEWS & RUMORS
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Hey you freaks! I’m Baz Von Poley. Who the fuck am I? People have been asking me that for years, so I’m pretty used to it. But right now, I’m a new Metal Sludge correspondent, which just about sums everything I have to say about myself. There’s, like, no time for proper introductions or any bullshit like that. My job right now is to cover all of the Mötley Crüe reunion album news, tour rumors, media shenanigans and all kinds of shit related to the three-ring press circus that’s about to take place. So let’s get it on!
Updated 12/6/2004 11:55:53 PM ET
Dudes! Holy shit… it’s really happened. Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars, Vince Neil and Tommy Lee all reunited onstage tonight at the Palladium in Hollywood. I’m in LA right now and my entire day has centered around the Crüe.
First, I went early to wait in line at the Hustler Store on Sunset where the dudes there were giving out wristbands to get into the show tonight. I got there about 10:30 and stood outside until noon, when they started letting people in for wristbands. I was allowed to pick up one for me and a friend. Too bad I didn’t bring any friends with me, or we could have gotten 4. There were about 50 or 60 people in line with me when they opened up, so it didn’t seem like a mad rush at first, though they ended up giving away all the wristbands later in the afternoon.
Mötley Crüe held a press conference today, but I didn’t get to go. I did hear that Junkman dude from KNAC.com was there, and got to ask a question. That would be cool, getting to ask the Crüe anything he wanted. What did he ask? He asked Vince if he’d be performing the Chicken Dance on their upcoming tour!! Fuck, that takes balls. Supposedly the whole place erupted in laughter. Even the band laughed. Guess they said they didn’t have any plans to make that part of the show.
So I get to the Palladium tonight and the place is mobbed. I’d estimate that there were 2000 people there. The show was opened by that Stevo guy from Jackass. The guy fucking took broken glass and fucking cut his tongue and his chest with it, and took the blood and wiped it on his face like Nikki Sixx warpaint style. Stevo called Gene Simmons a pussy because he doesn’t use real blood.
People were saying that Mötley flew into the show in a helicopter that landed outside, but I was inside buying a drink at that point and missed all that.
Larry King from CNN was there and did an interview with the band before they went on. Uh, I obviously didn’t see it because I was at the Palladium, not watching TV. But I heard he talked to them for a minute or so. A chick from the midwest I used to bang watched it and e-mailed me the following recap:
Introduction: Introduces them
King: How did this happen?
Tommy: I have no idea ha! Kidding, all the promoters wanted us, the fans wanted us, so we said let;s do it.
Vince (talking about about the bad break up): We still hate each other, no (Laughs)
They crack jokes about how they alway fought.
One Q Larry asked Mick is if he is bothered by the fact that Tommy is more famous than him!!
Mick’s earpiece fucked up and he was like, "whaaa???"
Larry asks Mick again and Mick is like, "Oh yeah! I was sooo depressed!!"
Tommy stopped him and said, "I’m sorry Larry, but that question is just stupid!" HA!
Mick looked better than I thought he was going to, yet still kind of frail and a looked like he might have been on painkillers… no doubt.
Vince looked great! Dropped a lot of weight — very cool!
Then they showed the band they walked out on the stage with a siren wailing in the background.
That’s about it.
Actually, that same chick told me you could download the Larry King clip here:
http://www.foundrymusic.com/opieanthony/displaymedia.cfm/div/opieanthony/id/9211/
So feel free to watch it for yourself.
So, while you sad fuckers were at home watching Larry King, I was there at the Palladium watching fucking Mötley Crüe! They played 5 songs: "Dr. Feelgood," "Shout at the Devil," "If I Die" (that new song), "Girls Girls Girls," and "Wildside." It was fucking cool to see Tommy playing fucking rock drums again. Vince did look more like the old Vince than he has in years. Mick looked kind of like he was hurting a bit, but he still played all the songs and all his own solos. Fuck it, Mick’s been standing in the same spot when he plays for years, so that really wasn’t that different. And Nikki had to have made some kind of pact with Satan, because he looks just as rock-n-roll now as he did in 1984.
Just 5 songs, but it was cool, and a pretty cool taste of what’s to come.
There were rumored to be a bunch of celebrities and VIPs there, but the only ones I saw milling about were Fred Coury from Cinderella, Steve Plunkett from Autograph, Tony Kanal — that bass player guy from No Doubt that used to bang Gwen Stefani but doesn’t anymore, and oh yeah, Dennis Haskins, the guy who played Mr. Belding on Saved By The Bell. What the fuck was Mr. Belding doing at a Crüe show?!
I heard some people say Fred Durst was there too, but I didn’t see him, which is good ’cause I would’ve told him he sucked and probably hurt his feelings.
Supposedly VH1 is premiering the video for "If I Die Tomorrow" tonight, so be sure to check it out. You can also see it online at RollingStone.com at the following link:
http://www.rollingstone.com/artist/_/id/4003?rnd=1102375730406&has-player=true&version=6.0.12.1040
Be sure to scroll down towards the bottom of the page to see the video link.
So now I’m headed to the aftershow party at the Whisky. Word has it that DJ Ashba is playing the aftershow, and Tommy Lee will be spinning records. I think most of us would rather see Tommy spinning sticks instead of records, but I’ll take what I can get. There was some Nikki Sixx and Tracii Guns drama going on right on the Metal Sludge Gossip Boards today, so we need to talk about that, but I’m ready to fucking party now so we’ll get to that all later.
I’ll give everyone an update after the aftershow, unless I get too fucked up to type. Then you’ll be shit out of luck til tomorrow after I wake up next to Pam Anderson.
Hey, I can wish, can’t I?
Later dudes.
I’m out like Mötley in a helicopter,
Baz Von Poley
Updated 12/6/2004 7:25:13 AM ET
It seems that there is so much going on with this Crüe thing that the rest of the Metal Sludge staff can’t keep on top of it. Guess they still do whatever it is they normally do, but the Crüe stuff is non-stop right now and we don’t want to miss any of it. So I’ll be watching the Mötley news and keeping everyone up to speed as it unfolds.
Before anything else, have you heard the new Mötley song that was released on AOL the other day? If you haven’t, what the fuck are you waiting for? Go check it out now! The song is called "If I Die Tomorrow" and it’s the first taste of a bunch of new songs they’ve recorded. It’s been said that the track was co-written by Nikki and members of that band from Canada called Simple Plan. Supposedly, the Crüe has already recorded 4 songs and is gearing up to record more.
Mötley Crüe has been denying rumors of a reunion of Nikki, Mick, Tommy and Vince for some time now, but it looks like it’s really happening, seeing as they’ve recently done a photo shoot, leaked a new song online, and are holding some kind of major press conference later today. If I’m not mistaken, it was Metal Sludge that first called attention to some tangible proof that some kind of big announcement would be coming December 6, 2004, which is, uh, today! A lot of people thought Metal Sludge was full of shit, but looks like it’s really happening.
I can’t believe the Crüe is really back! I’m so psyched. Let’s check out some info about what’s supposedly going on later today.
First, Mötley Crüe is said to be holding a press conference outside the Whisky today. Here’s some news on the subject poasted last week at Blabbermouth.net:
MÖTLEY CRÜE Press Conference To Be Held In Front Of Hollywood’s Whisky Club – Dec.
1, 2004
According to the New York Post, MÖTLEY CRÜE will announce their reunion tour at a press conference Monday (Dec. 6) in front of the Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip, the historic rock club where CRÜE got their start in the early 1980s. VH1 will cover the announcement live and the Strip will be shut down.
Did they really think they were going to get the Strip shut down? That’s insane. We heard a rumor they had some problems with that, but we’ll get to that in a minute. Here’s the rest of the Blabbermouth article:
The press conference will be followed by the band’s appearance at the 2004 Billboard Music Awards on Dec. 8 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The event will be broadcast live on Fox.
So we have that to look forward to.
Word has it that not only VH1 will be covering this event, but a shitload of other networks will be there too.
After the press conference, the plan was for Nikki, Tommy, Mick and Vince to play a set right there in front of the Whisky, but it became such a debacle trying to get the street closed that they said fuck it and moved the *secret event* to the Palladium. How do we know this? Check out www.majorrockevent.com, where it says a "major rock event" will be happening 12/6/04. Doors open at 5 and wristbands are required to get in. Want to see this "major rock event" for yourself? Check out that link to find out how to get a wristband so they’ll let you in.
Here’s more from Blabbermouth:
In other news, MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman Vince Neil will marry his longtime girlfriend Leah Gardini January 9 in Las Vegas.
MÖTLEY CRÜE have set "Red, White and Crüe" as the title of their upcoming greatest-hits collection, tentatively due in January/February 2005. The set is expected to include at least one new song recorded recently with the band’s original lineup of Neil, Nikki Sixx (bass), Tommy Lee (drums) and Mick Mars (guitar).
In addition to the greatest-hits CD, MÖTLEY CRÜE will be releasing their first-ever DVD featuring the band’s four original members. Plans also exist for an "all-star" tribute album to MÖTLEY CRÜE, with a target release date of September 2005. Also in the works is a soundtrack to "The Dirt", the forthcoming Paramount film based on the best-selling autobiography of MÖTLEY CRÜE.
The U.S. leg of MÖTLEY CRÜE’s upcoming reunion tour will take place in February/March 2005. A European tour will follow in the summer.
Tour, what tour? Everything keeps getting denied, but then, bit by bit, these rumors keep turning out to be true. Nikki will probably be in front of the Whisky tomorrow still denying anything is happening. Check out this news bit quoting Mötleys’ management:
MÖTLEY CRÜE’s manager at Tenth Street Entertainment has told Billboard.com that talk that the group will be announcing a tour Monday (Dec. 6) at a press event on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, Calif., is premature.
"Anyone showing up at the Whisky on Monday will be with a bunch of other people holding a seance trying to will this thing to happen," MÖTLEY CRÜE manager Allen Kovac told Billboard.com. Kovac says the band has received "generous" offers to tour in both the United States and United Kingdom.
"We’re holding buildings, sitting down and negotiating with everyone, but nothing is done," Kovac added. So what is done? "I know there’s a [new] single and I know there’s a video," he said. "And they’re getting great response, which will help get this [tour] done. But I assure you there isn’t anything happening in front of the Whisky on Monday."
Kovac added, "This is MÖTLEY CRÜE we’re talking about. Everyone is expecting a concert, and a wrestling match may break out."
The logo of national arena promoter AEG Live appears on a widely distributed invitation/banner ad that teases "coming soon to an arena near you," as does that of Island Records, though Kovac claims, "in 30 years I’ve never gone with a national promoter."
A wrestling match? How about a dragged-out fistfight. That would be fun. Anyhow, while I was writing up this very thought, the following got posted at Blabbermouth:
MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee has confirmed in a newsletter sent to his official mailing list/fan club that CRÜE will be staging a live performance at The Palladium in Hollywood, CA on Monday, December 6 following their official press conference to announce a reunion tour by the group’s original lineup.
Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. to wristband holders only. Free wristbands can be picked up at the Hustler store (8920 Sunset Blvd.) between noon and 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 6.
In addition, Lee’s web site, TommyLee.tv, is offering Tommy Lee fan club members a chance to view footage of the recording sessions for MÖTLEY CRÜE’s new single, "If I Die Tomorrow" with legendary producer Bob Rock. "You’ll be only a few feet away from Tommy as he completely CRUSHES the drums in take after take ? the next best thing to being there," Lee’s newsletter promises. "You’ll be right inside the control room as Tommy and Nikki talk tattoos and technology and the new song with Bob… Pull up a chair and check out 30 minutes of new footage!"
The following ‘rumored’ tour dates have been posted at Blabbermouth and other spots around the Web. Are they true? Who the fuck knows. Maybe we’ll find out after the press conference.
Feb. 17 ? Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Office Depot Center
Feb. 18 ? Tampa, FL @ St. Pete Times Forum
Feb. 20 ? Greenville, SC @ Bi-Lo Center
Feb. 22 ? Cleveland. OH @ Gund Arena
Feb. 23 ? Toronto, ONT @ Air Canada Centre
Feb. 25 ? Detroit, MI @ The Palace of Auburn Hills
Feb. 27 ? Ottawa, ONT @ Corel Centre
Feb. 28 ? Hartford, CT @ Hartford Civic Center
Mar. 01 ? Boston. MA @ Fleet Center
Mar. 03 ? New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Mar. 04 ? Philadelphia, PA @ Wachovia Spectrum
Mar. 06 ? Washington, D.C. @ MCI Center
Mar. 08 ? Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
Mar. 10 ? Chicago, IL @ Allstate Arena
Mar. 12 ? Milwaukee, WI @ U.S. Cellular Arena
Mar. 14 ? Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
Mar. 15 ? Kansas City, MO @ Kemper Arena
Mar. 17 ? Dallas, TX @ Nokia Live
Mar. 19 ? Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint
Mar. 20 ? Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Pavilion Glendale Arena
Mar. 22 ? San Diego, CA @ Coors Amphitheatre
Mar. 23 ? Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum
Mar. 25 ? Reno, NV @ Reno Event Center
Mar. 26 ? Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
Jun. 14 – Glasgow, UK @ S.E.C.C.
Jun. 15 – Manchester, UK @ Evening News Arena
Jun. 17 – Cardiff, UK @ Cardiff International Arena
Jun. 18 – Birmingham, UK @ NEC Arena
Jun. 19 – London, UK @ Wembley Ten
Another rumor going around dealt with session musicians playing on the new Crue tracks. Nikki himself debunked these rumors on the Shout boards at Motley.com, and Blabbermouth reposted it along with their report:
MÖTLEY CRÜE Bassist Clears Up ‘Bullshit’ Session Musician Rumors – Dec. 5, 2004
MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx has rejected Internet reports that the group’s reunion single, "If I Die Tomorrow", features guest appearances by session musicians DJ Ashba (ex-BEAUTIFUL CREATURES) and Josh Freese (A PERFECT CIRCLE) on guitar and drums, respectively, in place of regular members Mick Mars and Tommy Lee.
The song, which was co-written by Sixx with members of the Canadian pop-punk band SIMPLE PLAN, is scheduled to appear on the band’s upcoming greatest-hits collection, "Red, White and Crüe", due on February 1, 2005 via the Hippo/Motley/UTV imprint.
Writing the band’s official message board, Sixx said of the Internet reports, "In talking to Mick [Mars] today he said, ‘Why would someone say shitty things like that?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know why people do what they do sometimes bro.’ I’m sure there are reasons, and I’m not interested in other people’s motives, but my bro just went thru hell and is living proof that he’s here for one reason, to play guitar.
"I’m having the best time of my life right now, so let me just help some of you understand what weve been thru.
"1) Yes, I wrote a song with the lead singer and guitar player from a band called SIMPLE PLAN (no, we didn’t do their song). I also wrote with Bryan Adams and others in my career. I love to write with all kinds of artists; you would be surprised at the cool music I’ve been involved in when collaborating with others. I love it..also, when SALIVA did ‘Rest in Pieces’ did MÖTLEY write their single because im in the CRÜE? No. I also wrote with Stacy [Jones] from AMERICAN HI-FI recently…
"2) When we tracked the four new songs, we weren’t all there at the same time. Tommy was doing a book tour (and his show), Vince was doing gigs (and his show) and Mick was in surgery. Welcome to my crazy world. This is how it had to work. We played the guitars (scratch tracks) until Mick was out of the hospital and he could do his own parts. Give the guy some respect. He is the man of steel ? he’s had surgery, recorded new music, done photo sessions, interviews, a video and is right now playing like a motherfucker. Amazing, I wish I had his strength. In fact, we’re writing music as we speak. I’d think there is something to celebrate for all four of us to be doing this. And the fact that we don’t do what people want or expect is the heart of MÖTLEY CRÜE.
"Thank you. I hope this info helps clears up the bullshit?"
Thanks Nikki. I guess that clears things up, but I thought those rumors were still being denied? I’m confused! I guess I should ease up on the kind bud until I’m done writing this. But what fun is that! Where the fuck’s my lighter?
Hey Sludgettes, want to be in the new Mötley Crüe video? Check this shit out, which was also posted at Blabbermouth:
MÖTLEY CRÜE’s new single, "If I Die Tomorrow" (Island/IDJMG) will go for radio adds on December 6-7, immediately following the band’s press conference to announce their upcoming reunion tour and CD/DVD releases, BLABBERMOUTH.NET can reveal.
As previously reported, the group recently put out a casting call for an actress to star in the video for "If I Die Tomorrow". Auditions were held on November 15 and 16 in Los Angeles. According to the online posting, the production was looking for "a brunette, female, Caucasian, light Hispanic or light mixed ethnicity (exotic), 18 to 24 years old, hot, great body, voluptuous. Must be able to act and must have curves."
Well enough news stolen from other sites. What do the fans think of all this? I checked out some posts on the Metal Sludge Gossip Boards and here’s a few I felt were worth sharing, just to give a nice pool of what the Sludgeaholics had to say about the new song, and the rumors about a tour flying around.
Oh my God, never thought I ‘d see the day again…. pretty good song, I like the riff. Waaaaaayyyy better production than the "New Tattoo" songs. – SullyHernia
And I’m beginning to like the song more and more every time I hear it! Shit, I can’t believe the Crue is getting back together officially tonight!! I can’t fucking wait for this tour. I know a lot of people are being negative and shit, but I personally am just glad that the crue is reuniting for a tour and a few new songs, and that’s fucking good enough for me!! – poizond13
Sweet. I love that song, I don’t give a crap if other people don’t. It’s all a matter of personal taste and all that.
I hope to catch them on the UK leg of their tour, so fingers crossed. – MechanicalBride
Yeah, it is cool to hear Tommy. Already you can hear the huge difference between this and New Tattoo…nothing against Randy Castillo, but Tommy IS the only Crue drummer. That’s all there is to it. – IggyPopWillEatItself
I will say that it’s definitely an improvement over the entire New Tattoo album. Some weak parts in the chorus and in the second verse, the riff during the chorus is a little too heavy IMO, but an overall good, solid song, definitely better than I was expecting. – DarkHalo
It totally fucking rocks!!!! Awesome vibe, fresh sounding but still classic enough to be Motley.. I love the guitar intro!!! Motley are coolest when they are doing something with a bit of a dark vibe i think.. I hear a similairty with Evanescence also but more rock n roll and less machine sounding which is nothing but good in my eyes.. ROCK ON!!! — Adrock
No guitar solo. I guess that would be unhip, right. Sorry….back to the jungle. — Snow_Gorila
I’m gonna break the trend here… it sucks balls and everything off New Tattoo craps all over it.
Sounds like a thousand other angsty modern groups – if I hadn’t known it was Crue, I’d never have guessed.
Total crap, I’ll blast Hell On High Hells over that nonsense any day. – Ator_the_Fighting_Eagle
I’ll be honest. I think it’s a great song. It’s a very modern sound for the Crue and I think it shows that they do indeed have the chops to run with the young bands and maybe even give them a run for their money. But then again, how could have a kick ass guitarist like Mick Mars and not give him a solo????
All in all, better than EVERYTHING off of "New Tattoo".
But here’s the BIG question: Will Vince’s voice sound that good LIVE? – EddieJacksonsBooger
Very cool. Enough "Crue" vibe to hook me, yet not dated. I did hear one musical passage that would be a perfect place to put a solo (Nikki can you hear us?), but that is all it seemed to lack to me.
But then again, what do I know.. – jimbeast
This is crap. If this was the same song and not by Motley, I’d yell at the radio and turn it off. – McGuirk
I like it. I was figuring that it would be heavier, but all in all I dig it. I just wish that they were putting out a new album, not another greatest hits. – Mateo
It’s growing on me after a few listens. Not what I was hoping for but it is pretty cool and hey..ITS MOTLEY F"N CRUE! — mefreekee
Well, that’s just a small sampling of what the Sludgeaholics have to say about "If I Die Tomorrow." It’s their opinions, not mine, so Nikki, don’t come and beat my ass, dude.
By the way, have you been checking out those pics from the new Crüe photo shoot? Here’s another one for your enjoyment.
Mötley Crüe 2004
What do you think of those pics? The new Vince looks good, even if he’s not wearing shoes. I guess he’s still trying to shed every pound possible. Nikki and Tommy sold their souls to Satan long ago, so they still look pretty much the same. Mick looks, uh, well… We found these pics linked to our Metal Sludge Gossip Board, which more or less sums up what some of the fans are thinking about the new photos of Mick:
(Images Created by Internet Metal Head ‘LovePowerFromTheMamaHead’)
Hey, we didn’t come up with that! You know, he did just have his hip replaced, so you can’t rail on him too much.
That’s some funny shit though. You just don’t see enough of Andrew McCarthy on Metal Sludge these days.
Anyhow dudes, check back at Metal Sludge throughout the next several days, as I’ll be following this story closely and will be keeping you up to date on all the news as it comes in. Plus, I just might be able to give you a first-hand account of whatever goes on at the Palladium tonight. Being a correspondent for Metal Sludge might actually come with a few benefits! It’s cool being me.
I’m out like a corpse in a lawnchair,
Baz Von Poley
