Vince Neil epitomizes the word rockstar. His unmistakable voice defined the ‘80s with songs like "Shout At The Devil," "Home Sweet Home," “Dr. Feelgood,” and "Girls, Girls, Girls” while his various scrapes with the law, struggles with substance abuse, and endless sexual shenanigans—along with those of his equally depraved bandmates—made Mötley Crüe one of the most notorious, hedonistic bands in all of rock ‘n’ roll history. And now, after nearly 30 years as the Crüe’s frontman, Neil is at last ready to share his war stories.
Although he didn’t have all that much to say back in 2001 in the pages of the band’s provocative best-selling autobiography The Dirt, Neil, who is pushing 50, suddenly has much to get off his chest. "I learned from The Dirt that if there's something that makes you look like an asshole, you just have to say that's the way it is. You can't sugarcoat everything in your life." To that end, Neil has just written a candid tell-all that expounds on The Dirt and picks up where that book left off, bringing fans up to speed on the good and the downright ugly that’s gone down in his life over the past decade.
Tattoos & Tequila, To Hell and Back with One of Rock’s Most Notorious Frontmen was co-written by Neil and best-selling author and award-winning reporter Mike Sagar, who worked with Hunter S. Thompson as a contributing editor at Rolling Stone. Sagar calls Tattoos & Tequila "epic in its drug- and alcohol-fueled debauchery," while Neil, a bit more reflective these days, concurs saying that, “It’s a miracle we survived at all. A bottle of Jack Daniels and uncooked hot dogs do not make for a particularly well-balanced diet. We are all very lucky we didn’t kill ourselves! It might look like we were trying to do that, but death was never my intent. I just wanted to feel good and was looking for that kick, that high. Time changes a man. I ain’t 21 anymore. The spandex is over. I’m 49, I’m 5’9” and have had three plastic surgeries. These days, I’ve got businesses to run. I like the action. Something to get your heart pumping. It’s sure healthier than a syringe full of cocaine powder like I was doing back in ’81. Those days are now a lot more fun to talk about.”
In advance of his memoir hitting stores in September, Neil has released his third solo studio album, his first in fifteen years, also called Tattoos & Tequila. Neil entered the studio in December 2009 to begin recording with his band, which includes guitarist Jeff Blando and bassist Dana Strum (both of Slaughter) and drummer Zoltan Chaney. The 11-track, covers-heavy album, which Neil calls “the soundtrack of my life,” complements the singer’s upcoming book and puts a fresh spin on some of the classic songs he grew up listening to. "I wanted to make a really cool, rock 'n' roll party album with songs that mean a lot to me and give people a glimpse into my life," he told Billboard.com. "These are songs I connect with certain memories or they come from albums I listened to as a child."
Tattoos & Tequila features songs like “He’s a Whore” from Cheap Trick’s 1977 debut album, a song which has been a favorite of Neil’s since his Rock Candy days pre-Crüe. "We used to play that song at backyard parties and underground clubs," says Neil. The song was intended to be on Mötley Crüe's Theatre of Pain album in 1985 but was replaced at the last minute with Thin Lizzy’s "Smokin' In the Boys' Room," which was a huge hit for the band.
Sweet’s “A.C.D.C.” from their 1974 album Desolation Boulevard, one of Neil’s favorite albums, made the cut as did “No Feelings” by the Sex Pistols from their 1977 album Never Mind the Bollocks. Neil listened to the punk classic constantly while working as an electrician. He ranks "No Feelings" as one of his favorite songs of all time and says that “I love the humor of the song and how it brings a smile to your face if you really listen to the lyrics.”
Aerosmith’s “Nobody’s Fault” takes Neil back to 1976 when he and his high school buds would throw their surfboards in the back of his '57 Chevy pickup and trek out to the beach, listening to an eight-track of Rocks. "We would listen to that album all the way out to the beach and all the way back, every trip. I remember “Nobody's Fault” being one of the hardest rocking songs Aerosmith ever recorded and I think that's what drew me to it."
Tattoos & Tequila also includes covers of The Hollies’ “Long Cool Woman” (1972); Elton John’s “The Bitch is Back” (1974); Elvis Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas” (1964), a nod to Neil’s adoptive home; a bare bones interpretation of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Who’ll Stop the Rain (1970); and the Scorpions’ “Another Piece of Meat” (1979) which takes Neil back to his high school days when he and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee would drive around in Tommy's van and blast the Scorpions' breakthrough album, Lovedrive. "I was really excited to take this song and make it a little thicker. We gave it a completely different sound and now you would never know it's a Scorpions cover."
The album also includes two new songs—the title track “Tattoos & Tequila,” an homage to Neil’s business ventures, and “Another Bad Day,” which was originally written by Nikki Sixx for Mötley Crüe’s New Tattoo album in 2000. (The bonus track “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers” from ZZ Top's 1973 album Tres Hombres appears on the first pressing in European digipak.)
Vince Neil and his band hit the road back in June for an eight-date run with the Scorpions, who once opened for Mötley Crüe. Neil keeps the shows loose, taking the stage without a set list, and plays a mix of obscure Crüe numbers, songs from his previous solo releases—'93s Exposed and '95s Carved In Stone—as well as selections from Tattoos & Tequila.
At the wrap of the first leg of his solo tour on July 24th, Neil rejoins his Mötley Crüe bandmates for a European run that starts July 31st at the U.K. Sonisphere Festival in Knebworth Park, returning to the U.S. to play at the Sturgis Rally on August 11th in South Dakota and then six OZZFest dates. "We haven't played together with Ozzy Osbourne since '84," Neil says. "I'm kind of hearing that after this Ozzy's going to step aside and there'll just be Crüe Fest from now on, which is kind of cool. That would be a great honor from Ozzy if it happens."
When not performing, Vince Neil is an entrepreneur and philanthropist, running multiple businesses including two tattoo parlors, a rock ‘n’ roll-themed restaurant, and a charter airline while promoting his Tres Rios tequila and raising funds for the Skylar Neil Foundation, which is dedicated to Vince’s daughter whom he tragically lost to cancer in 1995.
The other members of Crüe haven't exactly been idle while Neil's been off doing his thing. Mick Mars is contributing to the Murderdolls upcoming release Women and Children Last while Tommy Lee is working on a new Methods of Mayhem album and Nikki Sixx on a new Sixx:A.M. album.
A third Crüe Fest in is the works for 2011 as the group gears up to celebrate their 30th anniversary.
A film adaptation of The Dirt is due to be released in 2011.
