Summary
Overview
Tommy Lee joins Armchair Expert to discuss his wild journey from a 17-year-old high school dropout forming Mötley Crüe to becoming one of rock's most iconic drummers. He opens up about his struggles with addiction, multiple attempts at sobriety, finding peace through bonsai cultivation, and navigating life in the public eye. The conversation covers his early gigolo days, the band's collective rehab experience, and his current perspective on fame, family, and staying grounded.
Sobriety, Relapse, and the One-Year Curse
Tommy describes a pattern where he repeatedly gets sober for a year, then celebrates that achievement by drinking again. He's managed three years sober as his longest stretch, but keeps falling into the trap of rewarding sobriety with substances. After the band went to rehab in 1989, they recorded their biggest album 'Dr. Feelgood' completely sober in Vancouver, shocking themselves that they could create even better work without drugs. However, on the last night of that tour in Hawaii, Tommy and Vince broke their sobriety at a strip club.
- Tommy has repeatedly stayed sober for one year, then celebrated by using again
- His longest sober stretch was three years during a period of constant touring
- The band recorded 'Dr. Feelgood' completely sober, their most successful album
- On the final night of the Dr. Feelgood tour in Hawaii, Tommy and Vince relapsed at a strip club
" I've been sober for a year. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I celebrate. Yes, yes. That's the fucking problem. I can never go past a year because I'm so pumped that I actually pulled that off. The impossible. Yeah. The party. How long does a celebration last? It's like you're debating whether or not to be honest. I don't know. Maybe six months. "
" You know, the pathetic thing about all this in recovery is, yeah, you behave like all human beings behave. And you think you deserve a ticker tape parade. I haven't cheated on my girlfriend in two years. Yeah. Like everyone, man. Yeah. This doesn't deserve a fucking parade. "
Early Life and Getting Into Music
Tommy Lee grew up in Covina, California, with a Greek beauty pageant contestant mother and a U.S. Army mechanic father who communicated through drawings before learning each other's languages. He was an introverted kid who found solace in drums, spending hours in the soundproof room his dad built in their garage. After briefly taking ballet to be around girls—which ended when it made the newspaper and he got bullied—he focused entirely on music, eventually dropping out of high school his senior year with just three months left to pursue Mötley Crüe.
- Tommy's parents met in Greece and communicated through drawings and a translation dictionary
- He joined ballet after seeing his sister's recital but quit after making the front page of the paper and getting pounded at school
- His dad built him a soundproof room inside the garage where he would practice drums constantly
- He was an introvert who would skip most classes except music and shop, then go home to play drums
" I'd only go to my favorite two classes in school. I was kind of a loner. I didn't really hang with many people. I'd go to my favorite two classes, which was music and shop. Wood shop and shit, like make silkscreen t-shirts and shit. Like creator shit. I would bail home and I would go play my drums in the garage. "
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