Sunday, March 15, 2015

Book Review: Tommyland by Tommy Lee & Anthony Bozza




Published: 2004
Genre: Autobiography, Rock

Kitch’s Rating: 9/10

The thing about these rock autobiographies – similar to the hockey ones that I devour on a regular basis – is that the stories are essentially the same, especially when we’re talking about bands or artists who came up in America during the 1980s and 1990s, as Lee's outrageous band, Motley Crue, did.

Basically, the story goes like this: guy dreams of being a musician, finds similar-minded band, they toil hard in clubs and get a minor record deal, strike it hot, get a major record deal, sell ridiculous amounts of records, tour the world in a private jet, do drugs, have a lot of sex, sometimes break-up, often stage a reunion, sometimes break-up again, release more music, do more drugs, have more sex.

The trick to making this tale that we’ve all read before, a dozen times, is to freshen it up, and what sets Tommyland apart from most others in the genre is the personality of Tommy Lee. You can feel it oozing through the pages, and that’s great. I like to learn new things about people I’ve watched plying their trade for years – that’s why I read autobiographies like this one – and I must say some of the revelations Tommy made in his book surprised me.

Going beyond the bad-boy image, the fact that he barely has a bad word to say about either of his high-profile ex-wives, Pamela Anderson and Heather Locklear, honestly really surprised me, given it was Pam’s actions that essentially got him sent to jail for four months. You think there’d be an incredible amount of anger towards her, but if there is, Tommy doesn’t mention it here. Given he hasn’t shied away from anything in the book, I’m inclined to believe what he says, that, no matter what, he’ll always love Pam.

The chapter devoted to Lee’s stint in an Los Angeles County correctional facility will shock and surprise. Tommy Lee crying? Yeah, it happened. Writing from the heart is what makes this book so great. He doesn’t whinge and complain like former KISS drummer Peter Criss did in his autobiography, and nor does he make excuses for things that’ve happened. If he did something wrong, he generally accepts responsibility.

Tommyland is a quick read, but an interesting one. It doesn’t take a huge amount of concentration to follow, but it’s entertaining nonetheless. Tommy is funny when he needs to be – the chapter devotes to his thoughts on how best to please women is outrageous gold, as are the frequent asides allegedly written by his, uh, penis – but, importantly, he shows a sensitive side when talking about his kids, his parents, the breakdown of his marriages and the tragedy of the youngster who died in his pool a few years back. His battles with the paparazzi get a lot of examination, and it’s made me fairly certain that being famous just isn’t worth it.

If you loved Motley Crue’s epic The Dirt autobiography, Tommyland is a great companion piece. As a matter of fact, any work co-authored by Anthony Bozza (who steered INXS through their own tell-all piece) deserves to be read.

1 comment:

  1. Tommy was always the naive one of the group, but he was always the most honest

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