WHAT IF... Motley Crue Edition

Stay in the Know

By: Michael Drukarsh - Once dubbed “The bad boys of rock n’ roll" and "The world’s most dangerous band", Motley Crue has recently released a new version of their sappy ballad mega hit “Home Sweet Home” featuring Dolly Parton. Not so bad any more are they? At least not in the original context. Now, many many life times later the only bad thing about the Crue is their live performance.

The band that many credit as starting the hair metal revolution has been through many trials and tribulations along their 44 year career. In this edition of "What If…", LoudTo looks at what the band may have been had things gone just a little differently. It’s time to kick start your heart and wonder, "What if…"

1) The seeds for Motley Crue were planted in early 1981 when drummer Tommy Lee and guitarist/lead vocalist Greg Leon (who had brief stints in both Quiet Riot and Dokken) formed a band called Suite 19. While searching for a bassist, Lee and Leon caught the farewell show of Sunset Strip regulars London featuring a relatively unknown Nikki Sixx. Lee, who was obsessed with Nikki’s look, convinced him to audition for him and Leon. Sixx auditioned twice but was turned down by Leon who, according to sources said, “He looks great. He’s great on stage. But he can’t play bass at all.” Lee would eventually befriend Sixx and bring him into the band forcing Leon to leave. "What if" Tommy Lee had listened to Greg Leon and, after two terrible auditions, Nikkii Sixx left, never to interact with Lee or Leon again?

2) Bringing in lead singer Vince Neil and lead guitarist Mick Mars, who also provided the name, Motley Crue quickly released their first single “Stick to Your Guns/Toast of the Town” followed by their debut LP, Too Fast For Love. Both releases came on the band's own record label, Leathur Records. Because of the success and attention the single and LP received, Crue were signed to Elektra Records and were whisked away on their first tour, which happened to be across Canada. Dubbed the Cruesing Through Canada Tour ‘82, the band ran into issues right away starting with their arrival in Edmonton. Coming off the plane, the band members were stopped for wearing dangerous weapons while crossing customs (the spiked armbands and other stage wardrobe). Vince Neil was also pulled aside for carrying porn magazines in his luggage, at the time considered indecent material. While these, as well as other documented incidents on the tour were in fact publicity stunts designed to create an image for the newly formed band, the tour ended prematurely and was a financial disaster leading to years of lawsuits amongst promoters and management. "What if" Motley Crue’s plan backfired and the Crue were denied entrance into Canada on their very first tour and were unable to properly promote the newly released Too Fast For Love?

3) As luck would have it, a brand new television format was created just in time to bring forth Motley Crue’s outrageous antics to the public. Playing the US Festival in 1983 along with constant rotation of videos from their controversial second album Shout at the Devil, Motley Crue were riding a wave of success that led to total excess. Securing the opening act for Ozzy Osbourne’s 1984 Bark at the Moon Tour, the Crue delved deep into the world of sex, drugs and rock and roll. This unfortunate spiral, while keeping their notoriety in the forefront of tabloid headlines, led to the death of Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicolas “Razzzel” Dingley. Vince Neil, under the influence of alcohol, was involved in a head on collision while returning from a liquor store run. Dingley, Neil’s passenger was killed instantly. Neil only served 18 days of a 30 day sentence. "What if" Vince Neil’s lawyers were not able to make a deal and Vince received the maximum penalty for his act? In the US, the maximum can range from 5 years to life, depending on circumstances.

4) Destruction, devastation and debauchery followed Motley Crue throughout their career. Nikki Sixx’s well documented (and sometimes thought of exaggerated) heroin overdoses, a lawsuit by Mathew Trippe the mysterious doppelganger for Nikki Sixx (a story for another time) and firing of manager Doc McGhee over mishandling of the Moscow Music Festival led to total burnout of the band. By 1992, lead singer Vince Neil stepped away from the band to pursue a solo career, In his place, singer John Corbi was brought in and the band recorded 1994’s Motley Crue. A very heavy album, miles away from the glam rock of previous release Girls Girls Girls and Dr. Feelgood, Corbi seemed to bring new life to Motley Cue. Unfortunately, the fans didn’t accept him and record sales were poor. Even worse, concert sales were down tremendously to the point where they literally couldn’t give away tickets. With pressure from their record company, Vince was brought back into the fold and Corbi faded into Crue history. "What If" 1994’s Motley Crue hit big and Corbi was accepted by the fans and was able to carry on with the band well into the future?

5) The final "What If" has to focus on the infamous signing of the "cessation of touring agreement" on January 28, 2014, which prevented them from touring under the Mötley Crüe name beyond the end of 2015. Agreeing to ride off into the sunset after a final retirement tour with special guest Alice Cooper, the band held their final performance at the Staples Center in L.A. on December 31, 2015. True to their word, the band walked away from touring and, while new music was made and shared, the band did not take to the stage again. By November 2019, rumors of a reunited Crue began to spread after the highly successful Netflix biopic The Dirt was released earlier that year. Soon, confirmation of a tour with a reformed Crue, along with contemporaries Def Leppard and Joan Jett was official and a video of the band destroying their contract was released. After a few false starts due to Covid, the tour went forward and Crue continued to their own tour after that. Unfortunately, deciding to return may not have been the best decision. While there is no doubt they are making money selling tickets, the reputation of the band has been greatly diminished over the last few years with criticism of Vince’s singing or more the point, lack there of, and Nikki Sixx’s bass skills (see #1 above). Add to that the dismissal of founding and arguably the most talented member of the band Mick Mars, and it seems Motley Crue have no issue with dragging a once notorious reputation down the drain. "What if" Motley Crue did in fact walk wavy from the limelight back in 2014?

Granted they were never known as virtuosos of the genre, had they walked away when they said they would, Motley Crue could have certainly kept face and left the scene with a reputation that saw them as pioneers in the hair metal/glam rock scene. Afterall, they did everything right for a time, truly living the sex, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle of the 80s. The aptly titled greatest hits package Decade of Decadence released in 1991 could have been the perfect swan song for a band that found the perfect look and understood that there is no such thing as bad press, unless of course it focuses on the lack of talent possessed by the band itself.

Motley Cure Online

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Youtube

SUBSCRIBE