Biography
Methods of Mayhem originated as a metal project launched by Tommy Lee once he stepped away from his role as drummer in Mötley Crüe. Born Thomas Lee Bass on October 3, 1962, in Athens, Greece, he spent his formative years in Los Angeles, where he and bassist Nikki Sixx started the band Christmas in 1981. Guitarist Mick Mars and singer Vince Neil joined soon afterward, prompting a name change to Mötley Crüe that quickly turned the group into a leading draw on the city’s hard-rock circuit. Elektra signed the band in 1983, after which it rose to become one of the era’s biggest-selling and most controversial metal acts, releasing the hit albums Theatre of Pain in 1985, Girls, Girls, Girls in 1987, and Dr. Feelgood in 1989. Lee drew as much tabloid attention for the band’s lavish offstage excesses as for its recordings, particularly after his 1986 marriage to Dynasty vixen Heather Locklear, a volatile union that concluded with divorce eight years later.
Even while Mötley Crüe’s popularity declined, Lee stayed in public view through his 1995 marriage to pin-up Pamela Anderson. The couple had two children and generated an infamous homemade sex video that sold widely. Legal troubles followed: in 1997 he and Sixx were arrested in Phoenix after urging concertgoers to storm the stage, and the next year Lee faced arraignment for assaulting a photographer. Most prominently, in May 1998 he received a six-month jail sentence for assaulting Anderson, though the pair later reconciled. He departed Mötley Crüe in 1999 and teamed with rapper TiLo to create Methods of Mayhem, an all-star effort that included contributions from Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, the Crystal Method, Kid Rock, Snoop Dogg, and Mix Master Mike. MCA released the self-titled debut album in late 1999; it achieved platinum status before the project dissolved in 2000 and was revived in 2009. The follow-up, A Public Disservice Announcement, appeared the next year on Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Records.
Even while Mötley Crüe’s popularity declined, Lee stayed in public view through his 1995 marriage to pin-up Pamela Anderson. The couple had two children and generated an infamous homemade sex video that sold widely. Legal troubles followed: in 1997 he and Sixx were arrested in Phoenix after urging concertgoers to storm the stage, and the next year Lee faced arraignment for assaulting a photographer. Most prominently, in May 1998 he received a six-month jail sentence for assaulting Anderson, though the pair later reconciled. He departed Mötley Crüe in 1999 and teamed with rapper TiLo to create Methods of Mayhem, an all-star effort that included contributions from Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, the Crystal Method, Kid Rock, Snoop Dogg, and Mix Master Mike. MCA released the self-titled debut album in late 1999; it achieved platinum status before the project dissolved in 2000 and was revived in 2009. The follow-up, A Public Disservice Announcement, appeared the next year on Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Records.
Albums
Singles
