After years of chaos, Motley Crue still no "Saints"

By Christa Titus

NEW YORK (Billboard) - When author Neil Strauss first met Motley Crue, the scene could have been ripped right from "The Dirt," the 2001 band autobiography he co-wrote with the group that became a New York Times best seller.

"It was at a show in Phoenix, and the very first time I met them, (drummer) Tommy (Lee) was handcuffed backstage," Strauss recalls with a laugh. "Tommy Lee was literally handcuffed wearing these little leather kind of shorts that he wears and nothing else, and I just thought that was the ultimate way to meet Motley Crue."

Such craziness is what made Strauss want to chronicle the legendary rock band.

"Motley Crue is not just a rock band," he says. "Motley Crue is larger than the individual members. What it stands for is bigger than the music and the band itself."

As one of the most notorious groups in history, the Los Angeles quartet has defied the odds when it comes to professional and personal survival, experiencing -- and creating -- as much turmoil as it has success.

On June 24, Motley Crue wrote the next chapter in its larger-than-life story with the release of "Saints of Los Angeles." The Motley Records/Eleven Seven Music release, the first studio album in 11 years from the band's original lineup, debuted at No. 4 with sales of 99,000 copies. The set offers a classic Crue vibe and echoes the tumultuous history recounted in "Dirt."

On July 1, the band opened Crue Fest, a 40-plus-city summer tour, sharing the bill with hitmakers Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Trapt and Sixx: AM, the side project of Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx. It's expected to be one of the summer's best-selling rock festivals.

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