History Music / MotleyCrue

* AesopAmnesia: A RealLife example. You'd think nearly dying from a heroin overdose would convince one to quit doing heroin. However, according to at least one account, Nikki decided to celebrate his revival by discharging himself from the hospital that night, going home and... doing more heroin. He went to rehab with the rest of the band shortly after.

* CanonDiscontinuity: The fans of the band, and even the band members themselves, like to pretend that the self-titled 1994 album and ''Generation Swine'' never happened.

* CoolBike: They love this trope.

* CoverVersion: Better known are "Helter Skelter" (Music/TheBeatles) on ''Shout at the Devil'', "Jailhouse Rock" (Music/ElvisPresley) as an extra track on ''Girls Girls Girls'', "Anarchy in the UK" (Music/SexPistols) on ''Decade of Decadence'' and ''Demonic and Supersonic'' (later live on ''Carnival of Sins''),"White Punks on Dope" (The Tubes) on ''New Tattoo'', and "Smokin' in the Boys Room" (Brownsville Station) on ''Theatre of Pain''.

* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Shout at The Devil''

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Tommy Lee had a rig that spun his drumkit up high and 360 degrees.

However, in 2018, Vince Neil stated that the band never actually broke but had agreed to stop touring (most likely due to Mick Mars' health) and will still continue to record. And even ''that'' was exposed as pure bullshit when Mötley Crüe announced a [[https://youtu.be/WPPsG0Cp83w comeback]] on November 18, 2019, destroying the contract and later announcing a 2020 tour alongside Music/JoanJett, Music/DefLeppard and Music/{{Poison}}.

However, in 2018, Vince Neil stated that the band never actually broke but had agreed to stop touring (most likely due to Mick Mars' health) and will still continue to record. And even ''that'' was exposed as pure bullshit when Mötley Crüe announced a reunion on 18 november 2019, touring included.

However, in 2018, Vince Neil stated that the band never actually broke but had agreed to stop touring (most likely due to Mick Mars' health) and will still continue to record. And even 'that' was exposed as pure bullshit when Mötley Crüe announced a reunion on 18 november 2019, touring included.

However, in 2018, Vince Neil stated that the band never actually broke but had agreed to stop touring (most likely due to Mick Mars' health) and will still continue to record. And even *that* was exposed as pure bullshit when Mötley Crüe announced a reunion on november 18 2019, touring included.

However, in 2018, Vince Neil stated that the band never actually broke but had agreed to stop touring (most likely due to Mick Mars' health) and will still continue to record.

M[[HeavyMetalUmlaut ö]]tley Cr[[HeavyMetalUmlaut ü]]e are a HardRock[=/=]HairMetal band formed in and popular in TheEighties by drummer Tommy Lee and bassist Nikki Sixx, joined by guitarist Mick Mars and lastly by singer Vince Neil. Like most of their contemporaries from the Glam era, they were probably more well known for their [[SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll sleazy, sordid antics]] than their music: during their first tour in Canada they were banned from Edmonton for carrying "dangerous weapons" (their stage spikes) and "indecent material" (Neil's porn) though customs, got accused of a bomb threat and threw a TV out the window of their hotel (all publicity stunts). They rose to international fame on the release of ''Shout At The Devil'', ''Theater of Pain'' and ''Girls, Girls, Girls'', receiving heavy rotation on Creator/{{MTV}} and selling millions of copies. Sixx has overdosed on heroin over a dozen times, [[OnlyMostlyDead three times near-fatal]] (the first of these in which he was [[BackFromTheDead declared dead for a minute]], inspired the song "Kickstart My Heart").

In 1989, in light of Sixx's near-fatal overdose--at the plea of their managers--the band cancelled their tour of Europe and went into rehab (except for Mars, who cleaned up on his own). Finding sobriety and quitting drugs, the band recorded their highly successful ''Dr. Feelgood'', getting a Grammy nomination for "Kickstart My Heart" and the title track. The band's popularity declined in the wake of the 90's and the {{Grunge}} movement like it did for all bands of their kind. Neil quit/was fired (he maintains he was fired, Lee says he quit) from the band in 1992, being replaced by John Corabi, who would record their 1994 SelfTitledAlbum. They reunited in 1997 to record ''Generation Swine'', receiving lackluster sales in part thanks to bad support from their label, Creator/ElektraRecords, ultimately prompting the band to form their own label, Mötley records (this made them one of the few bands at the time to have total control over their own publishing, recording and back catalog).

In 1999, Lee left to pursue a solo career. His replacement, Randy Castillo recorded ''New Tattoo'' with the band before dying of cancer while on tour, and with no replacement set, they went into hiatus. During this time, they released an autobiography, ''The Dirt'', Lee started the NuMetal band Methods of Mayhem and married Pamela Anderson (divorced and re-married multiple times), Neil toured as an on-and-off solo artist, Sixx played in several other bands and Mars [[ReclusiveArtist became a recluse]] due to his inflammatory spinal arthritis [[note]]Ankylosing Spondylitis for the curious[[/note]].

They played their final show on December 31st 2015 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

* BackFromTheDead: Er, kinda.... Sixx was declared dead for two minutes after overdosing on heroin in the 80s, only to be revived by two adrenaline shots to the heart. Then he wrote "Kickstart My Heart" about the incident.

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning : Tommy Lee had a rig that spun his drumkit up high and 360 degrees.
* FourthDateMarriage: Tommy Lee met Creator/PamelaAnderson at a party in February, 1995. 4 days later they were married.

* LoveAtFirstSight: In ''The Dirt'', Tommy admits that he was obsessed with Pamela Anderson from the moment he met her. He even hopped a plane to Mexico the next day because she was doing a bikini photo shoot there.

* HeavyMeta: While the entirety of the song isn't about this (see BackFromTheDead), the break in "Kickstart My Heart" (quoted at the top) qualifies. It could be said that, being a break in a song that otherwise ranks high on the MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness, this could be the part where Sixx's life started flashing before his eyes. Also doubles as a BadassBoast.

-->''Who said the music's dead in the streets?''
-->''Don't know what they talk about.''
-->''I want my music waking up the dead.''
-->''Don't tell me to turn it down.''

* LooksLikeOrlok: Mick Mars, in his later years. Thin as a rail, deathly pale, gaunt and hunched over. Not really his fault however, given the hell his body has been put through.

* MadeOfIron: Every original member of the band. During the peak of their popularity they all did ''insane'' amounts of alcohol and drugs in addition to indulging in other forms of reckless behavior. Yet they're all still alive.

** Mick is a technician. Reclusive, a full decade older than the rest of the band and generally not caring about the attention. He's also one of the most famous guitar players of the 80's, despite battling a crippling disability since young adulthood.
* PowerBallad: Several of them, but the most famous one by far is "Home Sweet Home." During the peak of the song's popularity MTV was receiving so many requests to play the music video that they enacted a rule that it could only be played once per hour. In the 2000s, they had a minor comeback with another one, "If I Die Tomorrow."

* ReallyGetsAround: All of the band members were frequented by groupies, which inspired their hit song, 1987's "Girls, Girls, Girls". Special focus goes on Vince Neil and Mick Mars, who became dads while still teenagers, with even more attention turned towards the band's general infidelity.

* SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll: The Crüe were infamous for their backstage antics and the debauchery of their personal lives. In the band's autobiography ''The Dirt'' Nikki Sixx even admits that during the 1980s they were trying to establish a reputation as the wildest and most out-of-control rock band on the planet. In order to accomplish this they drank heavily, did every drug they could find, and had sex with every groupie in sight. But after Nikki nearly died of a heroin overdose (thankfully a paramedic was able to revive him via two adrenaline shots to the heart) the band's management convinced them to enter rehab and sober up.

* VocalRangeExceeded: Vince Neil, not just in his later years. He sounded decent enough in the studio, but look up any life performance, and wait...

* PerformerVsTechnician: All of them are generally set in the Performer end, but there are distinct differences.

* OlderThanTheyLook: Mick Mars. While he was about half a decade older than the rest of the band, constant drug and alcohol abuse, not to mention his debilitating arthritis has left him looking closer to twenty years older at the very least.

* StageNames: Neil and Lee shortened their names a bit, while Mick Mars is Robert Allan Deal and Nikki Sixx is [[OverlyLongName Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna, Jr.]] (Sixx has been his legal name since 1975).

* GroupieBrigade: Just read ''The Dirt''. Good lord...

* ReallyGetsAround: All of the bandmembers are frequented by groupies, which has inspired their hit song, 1987's "Girls, Girls, Girls". Special focus goes on Vince Neil and Mick Mars, who became dads while still teenagers, with even more attention turned towards the band's general infidelity.

** Many of the articles written about the band around that time discussed their displaced addictions, however (see ThePornomancer below). They [[FunctionalAddict replaced their addictions]] to substances with addictions to sex, exercise, and fast vehicles.

Since 2005, the band announced their reunion tour, has co-headlining with Music/{{Aerosmith}} in 2006 (a true {{irony}}, see below), and has run a small circuit in Europe. The group released their [[HesBack return-to-form]] album ''Saints of Los Angeles'' in 2008, for which they received a Grammy nomination for the title track. They started their personal summer tour ''Crüe Fest'' with Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Trapt and Sixx:A.M. (Sixx's side-project) opening, becoming the most successful festival of the summer. ''Crüe Fest 2'' featured Theory of a Deadman, Music/DrowningPool, Charm City Devils and Music/{{Godsmack}} (Godsmack singer Sully Erna appeared in the Crüe video for "White Trash Circus"). Although there are plans to turn their 2001 autobiography ''The Dirt'' into a feature film, the project has been stuck in DevelopmentHell for several years. However, in November 2013 it was announced that Jeff Tremaine (of ''Series/{{Jackass}}'' fame) had signed on to direct a film adaptation of ''Film/TheDirt'' and was released to {{Creator/Netflix}} in 2019.

Since 2005, the band announced their reunion tour, has co-headlining with Music/{{Aerosmith}} in 2006 (a true {{irony}}, see below), and has run a small circuit in Europe. The group released their [[HesBack return-to-form]] album ''Saints of Los Angeles'' in 2008, for which they received a Grammy nomination for the title track. They started their personal summer tour ''Crüe Fest'' with Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Trapt and Sixx:A.M. (Sixx's side-project) opening, becoming the most successful festival of the summer. ''Crüe Fest 2'' featured Theory of a Deadman, Music/DrowningPool, Charm City Devils and Music/{{Godsmack}} (Godsmack singer Sully Erna appeared in the Crüe video for "White Trash Circus"). Although there are plans to turn their 2001 autobiography ''The Dirt'' into a feature film, the project has been stuck in DevelopmentHell for several years. However, in November 2013 it was announced that Jeff Tremaine (of ''Series/{{Jackass}}'' fame) had signed on to direct a film adaptation of ''The Dirt'' and was released to {{Creator/Netflix}} in 2019.

Since 2005, the band announced their reunion tour, has co-headlining with Music/{{Aerosmith}} in 2006 (a true {{irony}}, see below), and has run a small circuit in Europe. The group released their [[HesBack return-to-form]] album ''Saints of Los Angeles'' in 2008, for which they received a Grammy nomination for the title track. They started their personal summer tour ''Crüe Fest'' with Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Trapt and Sixx:A.M. (Sixx's side-project) opening, becoming the most successful festival of the summer. ''Crüe Fest 2'' featured Theory of a Deadman, Music/DrowningPool, Charm City Devils and Music/{{Godsmack}} (Godsmack singer Sully Erna appeared in the Crüe video for "White Trash Circus"). Although there are plans to turn their 2001 autobiography ''The Dirt'' into a feature film, the project has been stuck in DevelopmentHell for several years. However, in November 2013 it was announced that Jeff Tremaine (of ''Series/{{Jackass}}'' fame) had signed on to direct a film adaptation of ''The Dirt'' and was released to Creator/Netflix in 2019.

Since 2005, the band announced their reunion tour, has co-headlining with Music/{{Aerosmith}} in 2006 (a true {{irony}}, see below), and has run a small circuit in Europe. The group released their [[HesBack return-to-form]] album ''Saints of Los Angeles'' in 2008, for which they received a Grammy nomination for the title track. They started their personal summer tour ''Crüe Fest'' with Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Trapt and Sixx:A.M. (Sixx's side-project) opening, becoming the most successful festival of the summer. ''Crüe Fest 2'' featured Theory of a Deadman, Music/DrowningPool, Charm City Devils and Music/{{Godsmack}} (Godsmack singer Sully Erna appeared in the Crüe video for "White Trash Circus"). Although there are plans to turn their 2001 autobiography ''The Dirt'' into a feature film, the project has been stuck in DevelopmentHell for several years. However, in November 2013 it was announced that Jeff Tremaine (of ''Series/{{Jackass}}'' fame) had signed on to direct a film adaptation of ''The Dirt'' and was released to Netflix in 2019.

Since 2005, the band announced their reunion tour, has co-headlining with Music/{{Aerosmith}} in 2006 (a true {{irony}}, see below), and has run a small circuit in Europe. The group released their [[HesBack return-to-form]] album ''Saints of Los Angeles'' in 2008, for which they received a Grammy nomination for the title track. They started their personal summer tour ''Crüe Fest'' with Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Trapt and Sixx:A.M. (Sixx's side-project) opening, becoming the most successful festival of the summer. ''Crüe Fest 2'' featured Theory of a Deadman, Music/DrowningPool, Charm City Devils and Music/{{Godsmack}} (Godsmack singer Sully Erna appeared in the Crüe video for "White Trash Circus"). Although there are plans to turn their 2001 autobiography ''The Dirt'' into a feature film, the project has been stuck in DevelopmentHell for several years. However, in November 2013 it was announced that Jeff Tremaine (of ''Series/{{Jackass}}'' fame) had signed on to direct a film adaptation of ''The Dirt'' and was released in 2019.

Since 2005, the band announced their reunion tour, has co-headlining with Music/{{Aerosmith}} in 2006 (a true {{irony}}, see below), and has run a small circuit in Europe. The group released their [[HesBack return-to-form]] album ''Saints of Los Angeles'' in 2008, for which they received a Grammy nomination for the title track. They started their personal summer tour ''Crüe Fest'' with Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Trapt and Sixx:A.M. (Sixx's side-project) opening, becoming the most successful festival of the summer. ''Crüe Fest 2'' featured Theory of a Deadman, Music/DrowningPool, Charm City Devils and Music/{{Godsmack}} (Godsmack singer Sully Erna appeared in the Crüe video for "White Trash Circus"). Although there are plans to turn their 2001 autobiography ''The Dirt'' into a feature film, the project has been stuck in DevelopmentHell for several years. However, in November 2013 it was announced that Jeff Tremaine (of ''Series/{{Jackass}}'' fame) has signed on to direct a film adaptation of ''The Dirt'', with plans to start shooting in June 2014.

* '''''Robert Alan Deal (Mick Mars)''''' - guitar, vocals, bass, sitar, mandolin (1981-2015)
* '''''Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna (Nikki Sixx)''''' - bass, backing and lead vocals, synthesizer, keyboard, piano (1981-2015)
* '''''Thomas Lee Bass (Tommy Lee)''''' - drums, percussion, piano, backing and lead vocals, synthesizer (1981-1999, 2004-2015)

* '''''Vincent Neil Wharton (Vince Neil)''''' - lead vocals, harmonica, guitar (1981-1992, 1997-2015)

M[[HeavyMetalUmlaut ö]]tley Cr[[HeavyMetalUmlaut ü]]e was a HardRock[=/=]HairMetal band formed in and popular in TheEighties by drummer Tommy Lee and bassist Nikki Sixx, joined by guitarist Mick Mars and lastly by singer Vince Neil. Like most of their contemporaries from the Glam era, they were probably more well known for their [[SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll sleazy, sordid antics]] than their music: during their first tour in Canada they were banned from Edmonton for carrying "dangerous weapons" (their stage spikes) and "indecent material" (Neil's porn) though customs, got accused of a bomb threat and threw a TV out the window of their hotel (all publicity stunts). They rose to international fame on the release of ''Shout At The Devil'', ''Theater of Pain'' and ''Girls, Girls, Girls'', receiving heavy rotation on Creator/{{MTV}} and selling millions of copies. Sixx has overdosed on heroin over a dozen times, [[OnlyMostlyDead three times near-fatal]] (the first of these in which he was [[BackFromTheDead declared dead for a minute]], inspired the song "Kickstart My Heart").

''M[[HeavyMetalUmlaut ö]]tley Cr[[HeavyMetalUmlaut ü]]e'' was a HardRock[=/=]HairMetal band formed in and popular in TheEighties by drummer Tommy Lee and bassist Nikki Sixx, joined by guitarist Mick Mars and lastly by singer Vince Neil. Like most of their contemporaries from the Glam era, they were probably more well known for their [[SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll sleazy, sordid antics]] than their music: during their first tour in Canada they were banned from Edmonton for carrying "dangerous weapons" (their stage spikes) and "indecent material" (Neil's porn) though customs, got accused of a bomb threat and threw a TV out the window of their hotel (all publicity stunts). They rose to international fame on the release of ''Shout At The Devil'', ''Theater of Pain'' and ''Girls, Girls, Girls'', receiving heavy rotation on Creator/{{MTV}} and selling millions of copies. Sixx has overdosed on heroin over a dozen times, [[OnlyMostlyDead three times near-fatal]] (the first of these in which he was [[BackFromTheDead declared dead for a minute]], inspired the song "Kickstart My Heart").

* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: Mick Mars at the end of "Kickstart My Heart"

* HomePornMovie: In the late 1990s a sex tape featuring Tommy Lee and his then-wife PamelaAnderson was stolen from their home and sold to a pornographic video distributor, causing a huge stir in the entertainment media. The Lees sued the distributor and attempted to get the video taken off the internet, but failed. In the end, they simply got a cut of the profits.
** Similarly, Vince Neil made a sex tape in which he had a threesome with porn star Janine Lindemulder (you likely know her as the nurse on the cover of Music/{{Blink 182}}'s ''Enema of the State'') and Penthouse Pet Brandy Ledford. As with Tommy Lee's video, it was leaked and found its way to the internet.

They played their final show on December 31st 2015.