Tommy Lee of Methods of Mayhem
Rap-metal combo Methods of Mayhem was formed by frontman
Tommy Lee after quitting his drumming duties in Mötley
Crüe.
Born Thomas Lee Bass on October 3, 1962, in Athens,
Greece, Tommy Lee grew up in Los Angeles, co-founding
the band Christmas with bassist Nikki Sixx in 1981;
with the subsequent additions of guitarist Mick
Mars and singer Vince Neil, the group was renamed
Mötley Crüe and immediately became a top
attraction on the local hard rock scene.
Signing to Elektra in 1983, the Crüe emerged
as one of the best-selling and most notorious metal
bands of the era, scoring a series of hit albums
including 1985's Theatre of Pain, 1987's Girls,
Girls, Girls, and 1989's Dr. Feelgood; famed for
their glamorously excessive offstage antics as much
as their music itself, Tommy Lee in particular became
steady tabloid fodder in 1986 with his marriage
to Dynasty vixen Heather Locklear, a tumultuous
relationship which ended in divorce eight years
later.
Tommy Lee Changes
Even as Mötley Crüe's fortunes waned, Tommy
Lee remained in the limelight thanks to his 1995 marriage
to pin-up Pamela Anderson, a union which produced
two children as well as an infamous homemade sex video
which became a bestseller. Run-ins with the law were
also common: in 1997, Tommy Lee and Sixx were arrested
after encouraging fans to rush the stage during a
concert stop in Phoenix, and a year later
Tommy Lee was arraigned for assaulting a photographer.
Most scandalously, in May 1998, he was sentenced
to six months in jail for assaulting Anderson, although
the two later reunited. Tommy Lee left Mötley
Crüe in 1999, collaborating with rapper TiLo
on Methods of Mayhem, an all-star project featuring
input from Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst, the Crystal
Method, Kid Rock, Snoop Dogg, and Mix Master Mike.
Signing to MCA, Methods of Mayhem issued their self-titled
debut LP in late 1999.
|
