Tommy Lee Posts a Facebook Rant to Let Fans Know He Does Not Want to Take a Fucking Picture with Them
Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee posted a fucking expletive and exclamation-point-laden rant to the band's official Facebook page last week, letting Crüe fans know he "[doesn't] owe anybody anything!" and does not want to take a fucking picture with them.
The post went up late last week (didn't make a big splash until The Hollywood Reporter noticed it Thursday; the official Motley Crue Facebook page is not high on many people's must-read lists) and has since garnered 2,212 comments – way more than Nikki Sixx's Wednesday posting asking everyone about their 4th of July plans (most people looked forward to watching fireworks).
In the rant, Tommy Lee goes to great pains to explain to fans that he is "a down to earth grateful life lovin dude and a nice guy too," adding that anyone who knows him "really well" would "probably" describe him using these pretty turns of phrase.
Then Lee lays out his angry thesis: that artists owe fans nothing beyond their creative output.
"I certainly dont owe anybody anything! When I bought all my Led Zeppelin records and concert tickets I didn't say "one day these fuckers are gonna owe me a picture" It's the least they can do for me!...wtf people? You dont admire something so that it can give back... You just cherish it! […]I'm not here to take pictures with you, I'm here to entertain you!
Nobody put me where I am but ME!"
As a weaker, secondary point, Lee questions the very necessity of photo-taking in the first place, ignoring the notion that a fan might want a photograph of him or herself with amazing, cherished, down-to-earth, grateful, life-lovin' dude/nice guy Tommy Lee for posterity purposes. Instead, he is consumed with the idea that such photos are meant to constitute proof of an encounter for nonbelievers.
"Someones not gonna believe you if ya dont have the proof pic?...then fuck em!"
Because most people's first reaction upon hearing their friend had met the drummer from Mötley Crüe would be unwavering disbelief.
It's too fantastical.
There's just no way.
Lee concluded his letter by copying and pasting the definition of "consciousness" from Wikipedia and entreating his fans to…embody that.
Its called Consciousness; it's the quality or state of being aware of an external object or something within oneself. Be Conscious.
The post severely divided the the band's Facebook fanbase, with some chiming in in defense of Tommy Lee:
Tommy is correct, just because you are a fan does not give you the right to act out, impose or make demands upon the entertainer.
and many coming at him in a blind rage:
The day will come, when your fans have moved on and forgotten you, and you will be praying for people to ask for your picture. You're not the Beatles, you're not timeless. You're a hair band, and this fame thing can be fleeting. Suck it up princess. You took the money, now take the picture.
Also, one woman with a sweet ass, Penchant for Random Capitalization, and no sense of irony demanded he send electricity to Ohio:
Hey Tommy Send some Much needed HELP to Athens Ohio WAIT the WHOLE STATE of Ohio!!! We r doing without Electric! Water! Ice! Food!! So I could give a SHIT about your Panzy Assed Problem! U made Yourself! U R A Burn Out try playing to the mirror that will get u real far! Like I said we Got NO TIME to deal with your Petty Problems, we have REAL problems here in Athens and since u Live Breath and Eat your Fans u Won't mind me Saying KISS MY SWEET ASS! And since u have NO CHANCE of me giving u the time Of Day My ASS IS SWEET!!!
Of course, the main issue with Lee's post is not his appeal for fans not to interrupt him when he's having dinner with his family or his blatant disregard for the crisis unfolding in Athens, Ohio; it is his fuck-yall-fuck-all-yall-I-don't-owe-anybody-anything attack dog tone.
Many fans accused Lee of being "ungrateful" in the comments of the post, though he clearly states that anyone who knows him really well would probably use the opposite of that word to describe him. Some pledged never again to spend their pitiful tuppence on Mötley Crüe CDs and collectibles, a threat that would have carried more weight twenty-five ago, before the bandmembers all became millionaires.
But for those fans who still would like a piece of Lee despite his photo-shy tendencies, in the coda of his letter, the drummer offers a hell of a lot more than a picture in exchange for a polite greeting:
Maybe just say hello and I'll probably take ya home with me! Well I'd have to ask my girlfriend first!
Stay tuned six months from now for Lee's follow-up post letting fans know he does not want to fucking take them home with him, even if his girlfriend is cool with it.
[Mötley Crüe Facebook Page via The Hollywood Reporter // Image via AP]