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- monkeychow
- Rep: 661
Re: Tommy Lee Hates Photos With Fans
I see both sides of it on this one.
On one hand...I can understand there must be times where famous gets old.
I remember on Hulk Hogan's "reality" show he complained how he can't go for dinner with his then wife on their anniversary without someone approaching every 2 mins for a handshake or photo. Especially if you have a distinctive look like Hogan...there's little chance of ever being left alone.
Then again..the way Tommy phrases this pisses me off. I think he just doesn't have the ability to empathise with "regular folks" like me. He's been famous since he was what? In his teens or twenties? To people who live mundane work lives and meet one of their idols being able to have a keep-sake of it like a picture is massive. He doesn't appreciate how much it means to some people to meet him.
For him it's just an annoyance, for them it's a moment of living the dream.
So I think there needs to be a balance, he doesn't owe people to the extent that he should sacrifice his entire life for photos and stuff, people should give him a little courtesy too. However, he has led a life of privilege because of his fame, his talk of "no one put me here but me" smacks of self-agrandisment and entitlement and is overly egotistical despite his admitted talent, so speaking in zen terms, it does seem a little childish that he would deny people something so important to them. In short, owed or not, it wouldn't kill him to be a bit kinder to these people considering the wonderful opportunities he's been given by society. It's like he wants the perks of fame with none of the price of it, and that's not how things work.
I do respect him as a great rock drummer though. But he needs to get his head right on this issue.
I won't say much about Vince Neil...other than he's an utter prick for the way he treated myself and a bunch of Australian fans when I met him and I won't be spending money on his products again...
- Me_Wise_Magic
- Rep: 70
Re: Tommy Lee Hates Photos With Fans
Hey that's still awesome! Can't argue with that. 
Glad it worked out!
- monkeychow
- Rep: 661
Re: Tommy Lee Hates Photos With Fans
Is it possible you posted that story here a long time ago? I'm reasonably sure you did. Either way, can you recap it?
Yep..40 weeks ago and I'm still butt hurt.....here's my original rant:
I guess...Vince Neil is always going to be a touchy subject on a GNR board I guess given his prior beef with Axl anyway...but hear me out.
However, I will say that I enjoy a bit of Motley Crue. It's good party-time music.
I attended Motley's Gig in Melbourne last night...and an after-show apperance from Vince...but I was a little disapointed in his attitude to fans. Here's the story:
There was a meet and greet function organised at a melbourne strip club. The event was promoted with pictures of Vince Neil and fans were told that they could pre-book a VIP package which included entry to the club, and a photo opportunity and signing opportunity with Vince. The club also posters displaying this information prominately.
I would assume Vince was paid an apperance fee for this or a cut of the door money - as he certainly did go to the club and did not appear fussed at the posters of him advertising the meet and greet - which you'd assume he would have been if the event had been organised without his consent.
Motley's gig finished around 11. The strip club is a little outside of the I am bot and is not one of the major well known chains. This ment that most of the punters in the club were actually just normal regulars - people having bucks nights and that kind of thing. In addition to that there was a group of people who paid the VIP fee for vince - we'd all been given special bracelets much like a GA admission bracelet at a gig.
I'd estimate there were maybe 30- 40 people there for the meet and greet and everyone else was just random patrons.
So most fans get there around 11.30 or so after motley's gig finishes and vince arrived around about midnight.
His secuirty staff came over to talk to the people with the bracelets and said words to the effect of:
"Don't worry, you're all going to get your photos and signings, but vince would like to have a couple of drinks to relax a bit first and watch some of the shows, then we'll go out to the private room for your autographs"
Now I 100% understood this. I mean the guy has just walked off stage playing to thousands of people. He's proably on a high. He's at a strip club with dancers doing lesbian shows. Makes sense that he'd want sit down, chat to the ladies, have a few beers, watch the action, just chill out etc. Totally cool with that - I can understand that famous people get asked for pics and stuff a lot - and so you can appriciate he wants to wind down a little first and enjoy the atmosphere not just sit there like a machine signing stuff and so on.
So we wait around. And we wait around for about 2.5 hours. While vince sits there having drinks and chattng to the strippers and so on. Problem was - his securty staff keep coming over and telling us "He's almost ready - just be about another 20 mins" - which ment that most of the people waiting can't really enjoy the strip club either. You don't want to go take a piss, or get a lapdance or have a beer or whatever and then come back and discover the group has moved into a private area for the meet and greet to start and you've missed out. So pretty much the group of us are just waiting around, constantly being reassured that it's almost time for things to start up.
So it gets to about 2.40am...and vince gets up to do the meets and goes into the private area. The 40 of us or so form a line to meet him. A handful of people go in..maybe like 5...and then the security staff come out and say that's it.
Vince doesn't want to meet anyone else.
Now keep in mind these are hardcore motley fans.
They are people with motley crue tattoos. I chatted to a couple who are fans for 20 years and own everything and go to every tour and so on. They are people who have carried their limited edition vinyl albums all day to have it signed. They've come direct from a motley crue show - which it's worth mentioning wasn't cheap at nearly $180 for a floor ticket. They are covered in motley merch that they've bought at the gig. And they've paid an additonal "meet and greet" fee for a photo and signing - and they've now waited for close to 3 hours patiently for it to happen.
So a couple of us go to the club owner and complain that we we've been waiting for 3+ hours, that we bought a meet and greet ticket in advance days ago - and that we were promiced a photo/signing chance both then and all the rest of the night. She is also upset and says that there's nothing she can do other than potentially refund people but even that's going to be a problem as most of us booked on the phone via credit card and so there will be a lot of stuffing around.
She goes in to talk to them. Vince then agrees to meet like 10 more of us - and when I say meet - I mean we were led into the room - allowed to shake his hand and then pushed away before you could even utter a "I love your albums" or something.
No signings were alloud. I asked a handler if it was possible to get a picture taken - even if it's just a photo of me standing near vince as we shake hands and doesn't require him formally posing with me - and was told "Vince is too tired for photos. No cameras".
So i at least got a two second handshake.
The people who didn't complain to managment didn't even get that much. They are just told to go away.
Worse..it's then 3am and the strip club closes so we can't even drown our sorrows and lapdance it out
Now I can understand that it's tough for famous people being hastled all the time for pictures and stuff. But this isn't a group of fans who waited in an airport of by the stage door hoping to get lucky - it's people who were sold a meet and greet ticket.
Furthmore, I can understand that it's got to be punishing doing meets. I mean the guy just did a huge gig. He's probably tired...but this wasn't some situation with an endless line - where you have to cut it off somewhere or it goes forever. It's not like some signing at a record store or shopping centre or whatever with thousands of people. It's like 40 hardcore fans in an obscure out of the way club - moments before the club was shutting it's doors. How long would it relaisticaly have taken to honour his comitment? They could have given us each like a 10 second handshake, snap off a quick photo of it for those with a camera, and sign one item for people that had stuff. I'd guess like maybe half an hour worst case. And they could have rushed it even more.
So my issues:
If you don't want to do a meet and greet why book it.
If you change your mind - it would have been polite to let the people waiting know earlier rather than make them wait to the side for 3+ hours only to cancel the event.
I feel it's disrespectufl to fans the very people who have allowed him to maintain a superstar lifestyle. I'm not saying he owes us stuff, but when it's people there who love you, who pay top dollar for all your products, who you INVITED to attend, who you charged, and who waited for hours for the chance...and its a LIMITED small group and not an endless procession of fans - I feel it's basicly just rude to act like that. I know he is a star and all and I respect that - but I still feel it was pretty inconsiderate.
Especially when this is the group of people who are lifetime fans and who stick with and support the band as they get older and so on. I love their music, but I really felt quite insulted. I didn't expect anything over the top - but I also can't see any reason for the group to have been treated quite that poorly either.
- Me_Wise_Magic
- Rep: 70
Re: Tommy Lee Hates Photos With Fans
hell..KISS and other bands are charging $1300 for Meet and greats and front row, backstage package. fuck that! 
I would need some of that money to pay off bills.
Re: Tommy Lee Hates Photos With Fans
http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?m … mID=176626
MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee has spoken out about the Facebook rant he went on last week where he asked fans to stop requesting pictures every time he walks outside.
Speaking to Fuse.TV, Lee revealed what tipped him over the edge.
"My mother passed away recently," he said. "I was picking up her ashes to take them home with me to do a service for my mother. And so I'm at the mortuary, I've got my mom's ashes in my right hand, and my girlfriend, I'm holding her hand with my left hand, and we're walking out. And the fucking lady, the receptionist, goes, 'Oh my god, can I take a picture with you?' And I looked and her and went [takes a deep breath], 'I'm sorry, but I'd rather not.' Then she was like, 'Are you sure?' I'm fucking standing there with my mom's ashes and it's not the fucking happiest day on the planet for me. I couldn't believe it. I go, 'Okay, that's officially the most fucked up thing that has ever happened to me'. I called the manager and said, 'You're not going to believe what just happened. I don't expect you to fire her or anything like that, but that was the most disrespectful bullshit I've ever experienced in my life.'"
He added, "I sat in the car, and I'm shaking, and my girlfriend goes, 'I'm so sorry honey,' and I was speechless. I didn't even know what to say. I couldn't believe a human being just did that."
Re: Tommy Lee Hates Photos With Fans
Now he looks like even MORE of an asshole.
"Hey some cunt that doesn't even know me did a really fucking rude thing to me that pissed me off, so to all of my fans out there -- you're gonna fucking lose out. Fuck you!'
WHAT? Tommy, dude just chalk it up to an 'emotional moment', and re-issue a post affirming that fans are invited to approach you.
And btw, very sorry about your mother. That was very rude. RIP Ms. Lee.
