Joe Rogan Experience #2520 - Tommy Lee

1. 0:00 – 0:02

   Intro

   1. JRJoe Rogan0:00

      [upbeat music]

2. 0:02 – 1:15

   Gold-tooth banter and settling in with Tommy Lee

   1. JRJoe Rogan0:02

      Joe Rogan Podcast, check it out.

   2. SPSpeaker0:04

      The Joe Rogan Experience.

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:06

      Train by day, Joe Rogan Podcast by night. All day. [upbeat music] Are we up? Are we rolling?

   4. TLTommy Lee0:13

      Thanks for the heads up so I'm not tripping later on.

   5. JRJoe Rogan0:16

      [laughs]

   6. TLTommy Lee0:16

      Hey, dude. [laughs]

   7. JRJoe Rogan0:18

      Good to see you, man.

   8. TLTommy Lee0:19

      Yeah, good to see you, too.

   9. JRJoe Rogan0:20

      What's cracking? You got a diamond in your tooth? Is that what's going on?

   10. TLTommy Lee0:22

       Yeah, in this ...

   11. JRJoe Rogan0:22

       Nice.

   12. TLTommy Lee0:23

       Yeah.

   13. JRJoe Rogan0:23

       Nice. [laughs]

   14. TLTommy Lee0:24

       It's fun.

   15. JRJoe Rogan0:25

       My friend Cam just got a gold tooth, and I was giving him a hard time, but then I was like, "Damn, I think I want one." [laughs]

   16. TLTommy Lee0:30

       Yeah, yeah, you gotta get one, dude.

   17. JRJoe Rogan0:32

       I'm thinking of getting a gold tooth.

   18. TLTommy Lee0:34

       It's arr.

   19. JRJoe Rogan0:34

       I have a cap on one of my... I had a root canal. I've got a cap on one of them. I think I'm gonna swap it out for a gold tooth.

   20. TLTommy Lee0:40

       Do it. Do it.

   21. JRJoe Rogan0:41

       Fuck, fuck yeah.

   22. TLTommy Lee0:41

       Yeah, I just-

   23. JRJoe Rogan0:42

       Fuck yeah

   24. TLTommy Lee0:42

       ... it's, uh, I, I got one way back here somewhere. It's just that little, like, I don't know, that little pirate thing starts to happen.

   25. JRJoe Rogan0:48

       [laughs] You get a... I know, it's just a little, little outcasty.

   26. TLTommy Lee0:53

       Yeah, yeah, yeah.

   27. JRJoe Rogan0:54

       So what's cracking, brother? How you doing?

   28. TLTommy Lee0:56

       I'm g- I'm good, man. I'm, uh, I'm s- stoked to be here, see you.

   29. JRJoe Rogan1:01

       Stoked to have you here.

   30. TLTommy Lee1:03

       Uh, y- yeah, man. I, shit, I wish I was staying longer now. Um, but, uh, we'll make the best of-
3. 1:15 – 3:53

   Tommy’s son getting married: time, parenting, and doing it differently

   1. TLTommy Lee1:15

      Back home, LA. Um, it, my son is getting married.

   2. JRJoe Rogan1:20

      Oh.

   3. TLTommy Lee1:21

      Um.

   4. JRJoe Rogan1:21

      Congratulations.

   5. TLTommy Lee1:22

      Thanks. Thanks. Which is such a trip, dude. You know, like, he's 29, and, um, he's getting married, and I'm just... I've been kinda tripping out on that. Like, dude, where the fuck did that time, A, go?

   6. JRJoe Rogan1:38

      Right.

   7. TLTommy Lee1:38

      And, like, I'm so fucking happy for him that... He's been seeing this girl for seven years. I'm so proud that he did exactly the opposite of his dad.

   8. JRJoe Rogan1:52

      [laughs]

   9. TLTommy Lee1:53

      You know what I mean? Like, he-

   10. JRJoe Rogan1:53

       Right, right

   11. TLTommy Lee1:54

       ... he, he knows, and they're in lo- I mean, they've been, basically they've been m- married, you know?

   12. JRJoe Rogan1:59

       Mm-hmm.

   13. TLTommy Lee2:00

       And it's, and they're just making it official now. And I'm just so happy for him. Like, I'm... And I tell him all the time, like, "So happy for you, dude." Like, you, you know, you, you, you use some patience and some love and, like, s- mix it all around and s- put some time in there, and you know shit's... Like, your s- your survival rate is gonna be way better, way better. And then that makes me really happy.

   14. JRJoe Rogan2:25

       And your happiness rate.

   15. TLTommy Lee2:26

       Yeah.

   16. JRJoe Rogan2:26

       I think, uh, if you're a kid and your dad is Tommy Lee, and you-

   17. TLTommy Lee2:30

       [laughs]

   18. JRJoe Rogan2:30

       ... you've had such a fucking crazy, chaotic life.

   19. TLTommy Lee2:33

       Dude-

   20. JRJoe Rogan2:33

       He's probably like, "Slow down. Give me a fucking yard and a picket fence, and whoa." [laughs]

   21. TLTommy Lee2:37

       Totally. Totally. That's why, like, and you know, in, you know, in the drift of everything-

   22. JRJoe Rogan2:42

       Yeah

   23. TLTommy Lee2:42

       ... I'm really surprised, and I'm really happy he just, like, pumped the brakes, you know-

   24. JRJoe Rogan2:47

       That's awesome

   25. TLTommy Lee2:48

       ... and just, like, make sure that what he's doing is the real shit.

   26. JRJoe Rogan2:52

       Yeah, I mean, especially in LA with a rock star dad, it's like there's so many bad influences. There's so many ways you could go where you could just ruin your fucking life. It's so easy to ruin your life if you're in the wrong circles.

   27. TLTommy Lee3:05

       Dude, yeah.

   28. JRJoe Rogan3:06

       So easy.

   29. TLTommy Lee3:08

       Right? [laughs]

   30. JRJoe Rogan3:08

       'Cause everybody else is doing it, too.
4. 3:53 – 7:40

   How LA and rock-star gravity can pull people into chaos

   1. JRJoe Rogan3:53

      See, it, I mean, I don't live in the rock and roll world, but I think that's probably the most attractive to, like, crazy people, like that world. That is the world where if you're a fucking kook, like, you gravitate towards that world, you know?

   2. TLTommy Lee4:06

      Totally. [laughs]

   3. JRJoe Rogan4:07

      It's probably so hard to find, like, sane, balanced people that are-

   4. TLTommy Lee4:12

      Yeah

   5. JRJoe Rogan4:12

      ... you know?

   6. TLTommy Lee4:13

      Yeah. It's way hard.

   7. JRJoe Rogan4:14

      That have their shit together. It's, like, it's almost impossible.

   8. TLTommy Lee4:16

      [laughs] No.

   9. JRJoe Rogan4:16

      So, like, you're just comparing yourself to the other chaotic people you're around, and-

   10. TLTommy Lee4:22

       Yeah

   11. JRJoe Rogan4:22

       ... you're the fucking drummer in Mötley Crüe. I mean-

   12. TLTommy Lee4:24

       Yeah, yeah

   13. JRJoe Rogan4:24

       ... how are you supposed to be normal?

   14. TLTommy Lee4:26

       Uh-

   15. JRJoe Rogan4:26

       What the fuck are you talking about?

   16. TLTommy Lee4:28

       I know. [laughs]

   17. JRJoe Rogan4:28

       What kind of life is that? That's such a bizarre life. It's the craziest life of all time. You're fucking slamming the drums on stage in front of-

   18. TLTommy Lee4:36

       Yeah

   19. JRJoe Rogan4:36

       ... literally a sea of human beings-

   20. TLTommy Lee4:39

       [laughs]

   21. JRJoe Rogan4:39

       ... singing along to your music. That's-

   22. TLTommy Lee4:41

       Yeah

   23. JRJoe Rogan4:42

       ... nobody can understand that.

   24. TLTommy Lee4:43

       [laughs] I know, man. It, yeah, they've... And, yeah, they've seen it all. They've seen it all. Like, I put them to work out on tour, you know, just so, you know, we could hang out and spend time. They're like, you know, you know, get 'em a, a radio. All of a sudden they're part, one of my sons is part of the lighting crew helping those guys. My other son is like, alls he's want, alls he wants to know about is, like, "Dad, I wanna be in charge of all the after show passes. I'll go out while you're playing, and I'm gonna hit all the chicks."

   25. JRJoe Rogan5:15

       [laughs]

   26. TLTommy Lee5:17

       And, like, my son is out there just, just stack of passes. "Come on back afterwards. Come on back." You know, and then watching him, like, have... Just, just running it, right? It just, like, brings a tear to my eye, man. Uh, you know.

   27. JRJoe Rogan5:35

       That's cool.

   28. TLTommy Lee5:36

       Yeah.

   29. JRJoe Rogan5:36

       That's very cool. When you look back, like, how much of a dream does it feel? I mean, it's gotta feel very bizarre that you... You know, every young guy who plays music wants to be in a gigantic band. They all wanna be rock stars. And when it actually happens for you, and then you're looking back on it, like, how fucking surreal does it all feel?

   30. TLTommy Lee5:56

       It's, dude, I pinch myself still daily, literally, and I'm- I'm just fucking... I don't know, man. I'm just lucky to be here. I'm, I'm lucky I get to do this. I, I always say to people, like, there's a, there's a couple of things that are involved with that whole thing. There's some luck, some talent, some timing of things. The... when those things kind of all line up, um, and it happens for you and it just happens at fucking supersonic speeds where, like, a lot of it's a fucking blur.
5. 7:40 – 10:24

   Opening for The Rolling Stones: pre-show wrecked, on-stage perfect

   1. TLTommy Lee7:40

      Dude, and l- I'll... Let me tell you a, a, a fun, quick, little story here. Mötley Crüe gets to open up for The Rolling Stones. This was on Halloween. I forget what fucking year. Um, but some stadium, and I think it was Toronto, and we got to open for them, and we were so fucking pumped. We were like, "Dude, are you kidding me? We get to fucking do this?" Um, anyway, we play, we play our show. Back in the d- in, uh, dressing room after we're done, the Stones' tour manager comes into the dressing room and goes, "Tommy." I was like, "Yeah." He goes, he goes, "M- Mick, and Ronnie, and Keith would like to see you."

   2. JRJoe Rogan8:23

      [laughs]

   3. TLTommy Lee8:23

      And I was like, "Rad." I fucking head over there, and dude, this is, mm, 20 minutes before they're to go on. I go into their, their world, and they got... They bring a bartender around with them. So there's a guy set up just slinging fucking drinks. M- uh, M- Mick isn't hammered, but fucking Keith and Ronnie, dude, they were fucking walking on their lips.

   4. JRJoe Rogan8:53

      [laughs]

   5. TLTommy Lee8:53

      I'm talking shitty, like, "Hey, fucking right," man. Just falling over with their guitars. I'm like-

   6. JRJoe Rogan9:01

      20 minutes before they go on stage.

   7. TLTommy Lee9:02

      I'm like, "How are these guys gonna fuck... There's no way they're playing. I'm sorry. There's no way. No fucking way." And all of a sudden, uh, we took a couple of photos, and it was like, "Let's go to the stage." And I'm like, "Oh, I gotta see this."

   8. JRJoe Rogan9:17

      [laughs]

   9. TLTommy Lee9:17

      I'm walking with them, right? They get up there, the fucking lights go out, boom, they fucking s- I think they started with Start Me Up. << Ba-da-da Ba-da >> And ba-ga-oomp. And it was like a switch flipped. All of a sudden, those guys were fucking money, like, 100% fucking rocking out. I'm, I was like, "How did they just go... "

   10. JRJoe Rogan9:42

       [laughs]

   11. TLTommy Lee9:42

       They've been doing it for so long that they just... They're masters of the controls. They're like-

   12. JRJoe Rogan9:48

       Yeah

   13. TLTommy Lee9:48

       ... "Okay, I guess we can get this amount of fucked up, and then we can go. Like, it's okay."

   14. JRJoe Rogan9:54

       I think some guys just-

   15. TLTommy Lee9:55

       But that was a crazy level, like...

   16. JRJoe Rogan9:57

       I wish I saw that.

   17. TLTommy Lee9:58

       He could barely talk.

   18. JRJoe Rogan9:59

       [laughs]

   19. TLTommy Lee9:59

       And then they went up there and fucking ripped it. Boom.

   20. JRJoe Rogan10:02

       I wish I saw that.

   21. TLTommy Lee10:03

       Oh.

   22. JRJoe Rogan10:04

       Some guys just wanna be fucked up to just feel the experience, just to just ride it like a wild bull.

   23. TLTommy Lee10:10

       Y- yeah.

   24. JRJoe Rogan10:10

       You know?

   25. TLTommy Lee10:11

       Just wherever you land, you land.

   26. JRJoe Rogan10:12

       Yeah. Some... That's what some guys like to do it. I mean, and rock... I don't have to tell you, rock and roll music is the heart of that. That's where it really goes down, where a lot of guys like to get fucked up before they play.

   27. TLTommy Lee10:24

       Yep.

6. 10:24 – 13:54

   Aging rockers who still crush: Rick Springfield and the end of “retire”

   1. JRJoe Rogan10:24

      You know? You wanna see something fucking inspirational? I'm gonna show you something crazy.

   2. TLTommy Lee10:28

      Yeah. Always.

   3. JRJoe Rogan10:29

      This is, uh... Have you seen, Jamie, have you seen, uh, Rick Springfield lately?

   4. TLTommy Lee10:35

      I d- I did just see him, and I th- I was like, "Whoa, dude."

   5. JRJoe Rogan10:38

      I'm gonna send you a video, and it's gonna blow you away. This is f- literally bananas. This is Rick Springfield.

   6. TLTommy Lee10:44

      Isn't he all fucking, like-

   7. JRJoe Rogan10:45

      He's 76 years old, okay? 76.

   8. TLTommy Lee10:50

      76.

   9. JRJoe Rogan10:50

      76, and he's singing Jessie's Girl like he just wrote it.

   10. SPSpeaker10:54

       Is it this video right here?

   11. TLTommy Lee10:55

       And he's fu-

   12. JRJoe Rogan10:56

       Yeah. Play... Start it for the... Put the headphones on.

   13. TLTommy Lee10:58

       Bro.

   14. JRJoe Rogan10:59

       Put the headphones on and back this up from the beginning.

   15. TLTommy Lee11:01

       Oh. [laughs]

   16. SPSpeaker11:03

       I can't get the play control.

   17. TLTommy Lee11:04

       Whoa, he's fucking-

   18. JRJoe Rogan11:04

       Well, I just sent it to you on, uh, Instagram.

   19. TLTommy Lee11:06

       He's ripped.

   20. SPSpeaker11:07

       I just can't get the con- the...

   21. JRJoe Rogan11:08

       Click on the other link then, the one that I sent you on Instagram. [coughs] Because you can't... First of all, he looks fucking incredible, like he's working out every day or something. I mean, I don't even understand it. He looks like a 30-year-old guy.

   22. TLTommy Lee11:21

       Yep.

   23. JRJoe Rogan11:22

       And he's singing the song like he just wrote it.

   24. SPSpeaker11:25

       [crowd cheering] I really wanna kiss you, baby.

   25. JRJoe Rogan11:29

       Bro, 76.

   26. SPSpeaker11:31

       [crowd cheering] I really wanna kiss you, baby. It doesn't seem to be a dream to me. It all feels so dirty when they start talking cute. I wanna tell her that I love her, but the point is probably moot. The same old scene is going 'round. Dream I wake to that body I keep knowing.

   27. TLTommy Lee11:52

       Yeah, dude.

   28. JRJoe Rogan11:53

       That's crazy.

   29. TLTommy Lee11:54

       Fuck. Amazing, man.

   30. JRJoe Rogan12:03

       Amazing.
7. 13:54 – 20:15

   Too much content, too little patience: music overload and short attention spans

   1. TLTommy Lee13:54

      That's the best, man. You gotta love that. Uh, I, and I think that resurt- I don't know if you call it a resurgence or just that, that style of, like, there's certain things that were, that were really great that have st- you know, stood the test of time, and I, and I really think that ju- the way shit is now, man, there is too fucking much. Like, there's too much music. Like, Spotify releases, like, 300 fucking thousand songs a day.

   2. JRJoe Rogan14:29

      Really?

   3. TLTommy Lee14:30

      Who the fuck is listening to all this music, dude? I'm in the business, and if I can't keep up, how can a fan of music keep up? So I just, I think that the, the, the excess of ... It, it's just static, and it's really blown a hole through for, you know, s- uh, original stuff, you know, um, really good stuff. Because a lot of the stuff is all kind of sounding the same now, and uh. But I, I just, I think that it's, that it's been a, a, a cool progression that's, that's sort of s- fueled that. I don't know if I'm making sense. I'm kind of getting-

   4. JRJoe Rogan15:10

      No, you're making sense.

   5. TLTommy Lee15:11

      You, you know what I'm trying to say?

   6. JRJoe Rogan15:12

      Yeah.

   7. TLTommy Lee15:12

      Like, the, uh, there's so much static now that it, um, that the, the, the sort of the-

   8. JRJoe Rogan15:19

      Something has to be undeniable to break through

   9. TLTommy Lee15:21

      ... the authentic stuff-

   10. JRJoe Rogan15:22

       Yeah

   11. TLTommy Lee15:23

       ... still fucking holds water-

   12. JRJoe Rogan15:25

       Yeah

   13. TLTommy Lee15:25

       ... big time. And, you know.

   14. JRJoe Rogan15:27

       Well, there's always, like, one song that all of a sudden resonates and just goes super viral, 'cause people listen to it and go, "Holy shit."

   15. TLTommy Lee15:35

       Yeah.

   16. JRJoe Rogan15:35

       There's always gonna be something that's exceptional, but I do agree. It's impossible. There's a lot of great music that I don't know anything about, and then someone turns me onto it, and I'm like, "How the fuck did I not know this guy?"

   17. TLTommy Lee15:45

       Yeah, yeah. And had your friend-

   18. JRJoe Rogan15:48

       Yeah

   19. TLTommy Lee15:48

       ... not turned you onto that, y- you would, you'd never fucking know.

   20. JRJoe Rogan15:53

       Well, there's no real radio anymore.

   21. TLTommy Lee15:55

       No.

   22. JRJoe Rogan15:56

       Right? So how do you find out? When I was a kid, when I was in high school-

   23. TLTommy Lee15:59

       Yeah

   24. JRJoe Rogan15:59

       ... like, if a new Mötley Crüe k- song came out, it was on the fucking radio.

   25. TLTommy Lee16:04

       Yeah, right.

   26. JRJoe Rogan16:04

       And then you knew, "All right, the new album's out. Let's go get the new album."

   27. TLTommy Lee16:07

       Yeah.

   28. JRJoe Rogan16:07

       And that was with every major band. It was like, then you got MTV. MTV came along. "Oh, the music video's out."

   29. TLTommy Lee16:14

       Yeah.

   30. JRJoe Rogan16:14

       "The album's out." But now it's like anyone can just put stuff up, you know?
8. 20:15 – 24:32

   Classic songs that wouldn’t survive today—and the ‘vampires’ of the music business

   1. TLTommy Lee20:15

      You-

   2. JRJoe Rogan20:15

      Well, think about some of the songs from the past that would never pass muster today that are just amazing classics, like Whole Lotta Love.

   3. TLTommy Lee20:21

      Uh-huh.

   4. JRJoe Rogan20:21

      So Whole Lotta Love, you have a minute and a half fuck sounds with cymbals before it comes back to this insane guitar solo.

   5. TLTommy Lee20:29

      Yeah.

   6. JRJoe Rogan20:29

      Right?

   7. TLTommy Lee20:29

      Yeah, [laughs] you're right.

   8. JRJoe Rogan20:30

      Like, you go, "Ah, ah, ah."

   9. TLTommy Lee20:32

      Yeah.

   10. JRJoe Rogan20:32

       "Yeah!"

   11. TLTommy Lee20:32

       Do, do, do-do, do, do.

   12. JRJoe Rogan20:34

       It's like b- the most bizarre song ever.

   13. TLTommy Lee20:36

       Yeah.

   14. JRJoe Rogan20:36

       Uh-

   15. TLTommy Lee20:36

       Kinda drum solo-y, kinda-

   16. JRJoe Rogan20:38

       Yeah

   17. TLTommy Lee20:39

       ... off into nowhere

   18. JRJoe Rogan20:40

       And no, no, no. I... And then classically, Free Bird. When Lynyrd Skynyrd released Free Bird, they're like, "No, no, no, this song takes way too long to get going. It's so long. It's like a seven-minute song."

   19. TLTommy Lee20:51

       [laughs]

   20. JRJoe Rogan20:51

       "You gotta... This is never gonna fly." Meanwhile, it's one of the greatest anthems in the history of the world, and perhaps the greatest guitar solo in the history of the fucking human race.

   21. TLTommy Lee21:00

       Right. Right.

   22. JRJoe Rogan21:01

       You know?

   23. TLTommy Lee21:01

       Yeah.

   24. JRJoe Rogan21:01

       Free Bird, when that dude gets going-

   25. TLTommy Lee21:03

       Yeah

   26. JRJoe Rogan21:03

       ... when you see it live and everybody's fucking, "Yeah, yeah."

   27. TLTommy Lee21:06

       Yeah. It's f-

   28. JRJoe Rogan21:06

       The whole fucking place is going off

   29. TLTommy Lee21:08

       ... going bananas

   30. JRJoe Rogan21:09

       Some of the greatest guitar solos in the history of the fucking human race.
9. 24:32 – 29:08

   One video can end a career: Billy Squier—and why Mötley’s catalog endured

   1. JRJoe Rogan24:32

      Do you know the Billy Squier story?

   2. TLTommy Lee24:35

      Uh, t-

   3. JRJoe Rogan24:36

      So, Billy Squier-

   4. TLTommy Lee24:37

      Remind me, 'cause I think I know

   5. JRJoe Rogan24:38

      ... Billy Squier was the shit when I was in high school.

   6. TLTommy Lee24:41

      Oh.

   7. JRJoe Rogan24:42

      He had that song, Lonely is the Night.

   8. TLTommy Lee24:43

      Dude.

   9. JRJoe Rogan24:43

      Oh, my God.

   10. TLTommy Lee24:44

       I, I love Billy Squier.

   11. JRJoe Rogan24:46

       Dude, The Stroke. He was fantastic.

   12. TLTommy Lee24:49

       The best.

   13. JRJoe Rogan24:49

       And he did one music video where it was, like, very effeminate. It was, like, really weird.

   14. TLTommy Lee24:57

       Oh, was it when it was, he, he's in his pajamas or something? Kinda-

   15. JRJoe Rogan24:59

       It was really weird.

   16. TLTommy Lee25:01

       Y-

   17. JRJoe Rogan25:01

       And everybody was like, "Nope."

   18. TLTommy Lee25:03

       Yeah, "What is he doing?"

   19. JRJoe Rogan25:04

       Yeah.

   20. TLTommy Lee25:04

       Yeah.

   21. JRJoe Rogan25:04

       It was really weird. And to this day, I don't know if that was his idea or somebody else's idea, they just took a wild chance.

   22. TLTommy Lee25:12

       Y- yeah.

   23. JRJoe Rogan25:12

       I, I don't know.

   24. TLTommy Lee25:13

       No one knows.

   25. JRJoe Rogan25:14

       I pray to God it was his idea 'cause at least, like, he's creative, he made a creative decision, didn't work out, whatever.

   26. TLTommy Lee25:20

       Yeah, fine. Next.

   27. JRJoe Rogan25:21

       But if someone-

   28. TLTommy Lee25:22

       So-

   29. JRJoe Rogan25:22

       ... tanked his career because they wanted him to act feminine in, in a song, it was, like, very... The reaction was crazy because this guy was a, like a sex symbol.

   30. TLTommy Lee25:35

       Yeah.
10. 29:08 – 36:57

    Music as a physical drug: goosebumps, frequency theories, and sound healing

    1. TLTommy Lee29:08

       Wow.

    2. JRJoe Rogan29:08

       It's nuts. Well, that's the craziest thing about, when you think about, like, the success of Mötley Crüe and of bands, like, from your era, the fact that you guys endured for so long.

    3. TLTommy Lee29:18

       Bro.

    4. JRJoe Rogan29:18

       Like, still to this day. Bro, if I'm working out in the gym and Kickstart My Heart comes on-

    5. TLTommy Lee29:23

       [laughs]

    6. JRJoe Rogan29:23

       ... I swear to God I get stronger. [laughs]

    7. TLTommy Lee29:25

       [laughs]

    8. JRJoe Rogan29:25

       You know? The begin, "Dun, a-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-down."

    9. TLTommy Lee29:30

       Wow.

    10. JRJoe Rogan29:31

        Fuck yeah.

    11. TLTommy Lee29:32

        [laughs]

    12. JRJoe Rogan29:32

        Like, you get pumped, man. That's, that mu- that song's a drug.

    13. TLTommy Lee29:35

        Yeah, that one, man, I can't tell you how fun, how, how, um, rewarding that is to, like, sit back and, like, I don't know, the Super Bowl's on and the fucking kickoff, you go, "Dun, dun."

    14. JRJoe Rogan29:48

        Oh, dude. Yeah, we gotta cut it out, but I wanna hear it. Get, throw Kickstart My Heart on. We'll cut it, we have to cut it out for YouTube, otherwise we'll get docked with

    15. TLTommy Lee29:57

        Oh, yeah. [laughs]

    16. JRJoe Rogan29:57

        The fucking money people come involved.

    17. TLTommy Lee29:59

        [laughs]

    18. JRJoe Rogan30:00

        Meanwhile, we're just promoting music, God damn it. With Tommy Lee, you motherfuckers.

    19. TLTommy Lee30:04

        Yeah, right?

    20. JRJoe Rogan30:04

        But this, this-

    21. TLTommy Lee30:05

        This fucking here

    22. JRJoe Rogan30:06

        ... this fucking song... Oh, is this live? Don't give me a live one. Give me the actual one. Bro, that is one of the most American songs that's ever been made.

    23. TLTommy Lee30:14

        [laughs]

    24. JRJoe Rogan30:14

        Ever. Ever.

    25. TLTommy Lee30:15

        Yeah. [laughs]

    26. JRJoe Rogan30:16

        That song is fuel.

    27. TLTommy Lee30:18

        Yeah, it is.

    28. JRJoe Rogan30:18

        You know? That f- that song is fucking fuel. If you were running in a race and you're thinking about quitting and that song comes on your headphones, you're like, "Let's fucking go."

    29. TLTommy Lee30:26

        Let's- [laughs]

    30. JRJoe Rogan30:26

        "Let's fucking go."
11. 36:57 – 47:50

    Tommy’s bonsai life: building calm, discipline, and Japanese design principles

    1. JRJoe Rogan36:57

       You got really into bonsai

    2. TLTommy Lee36:59

       Yeah, dude

    3. JRJoe Rogan37:00

       How did that start?

    4. TLTommy Lee37:02

       All the th- all, all the times that we've gone to Japan, I, uh, every sing- every time I went there, I always went to the, to the Japanese gardens or the temples, and I would just, I'd walk around and just be, like, my jaw on the floor. Like, I've never seen anything this fucking peaceful and beautiful and just, like, I don't know. It just came over this feeling that every time I went, I came over me, and I just, so I started studying it. This is, like, eight years ago. I was like, "I, I, I need this in my life somehow. I don't know what this is, but let me go down, you know, dow- down the, down the tube here and figure out what that, what that is and how I can get this, some of this into my life," and I found some fucking videos on doing bonsai work on trees, and I st- I started, and I haven't stopped, and it's been hands down the coolest fucking thing I've ever gotten into, man. Like, I'll be out there for hours every day. Like, I'll start my day just being with nature and being with the trees that I'm working on, and, uh, uh, I got, like, a workshop, dude. It's, like, a... There's, like, i- in progress, uh, works on the bench. There's other ones I'm bending. Uh, there's ones that I'm, you know, uh, uh, treating for pests, you know? Um, there's, like... It's a whole world and wiring everything, training it to where you wanna go, pruning. It's just, it, it lets me escape everything for a couple of hours. I, I just, I just, I don't know, man. I just, I check out.

    5. JRJoe Rogan38:40

       How many years you been doing this now?

    6. TLTommy Lee38:41

       I've been s- probably eight years now I've been doing it.

    7. JRJoe Rogan38:44

       Mm.

    8. TLTommy Lee38:44

       Eight years.

    9. JRJoe Rogan38:45

       And so d- is a bonsai tree a regular tree that would grow big if you didn't fuck with it?

    10. TLTommy Lee38:53

        Yes, yes.

    11. JRJoe Rogan38:54

        Okay, and then you can get it to this incredible, beautiful, artistic shape-

    12. TLTommy Lee38:58

        Ye- years, man

    13. JRJoe Rogan38:59

        ... and it's small.

    14. TLTommy Lee39:00

        Y- yes, it's sm- you're pa- you're basically, you keep kinda dwarfing it, and the w- and everybody gets this confused. Um, uh, and they just think, uh, bonsai is, like, that's the tr- the tree. Bonsai means tree in pot. That's what that-

    15. JRJoe Rogan39:17

        Mm

    16. TLTommy Lee39:17

        ... that means, actually.

    17. JRJoe Rogan39:18

        Oh, okay.

    18. TLTommy Lee39:18

        It doesn't mean the actual bonsai tree. It means tree in pot, and that-

    19. JRJoe Rogan39:22

        How long has the study of bonsai, how long has the practice been around?

    20. TLTommy Lee39:26

        Dude, I... Fuck, I have no idea. And you, and you find that other parts of the world, now that you get into it, I mean, there's in Taiwan and China, there are some fucking insane bonsai, and I think it actually originated in China, and the Japanese took it and altered it in, in ways and did it, their sort of their version. But I think it originated in China, if I'm not mistaken.

    21. SPSpeaker39:51

        Something like that, yeah. Uh, 6th century China, and then they brought it back-

    22. TLTommy Lee39:54

        Yeah.

    23. JRJoe Rogan39:55

        Ah, see

    24. TLTommy Lee39:56

        ... and then developed into the fucking

    25. JRJoe Rogan39:56

        ... look at that. Bam.

    26. TLTommy Lee39:57

        Fuck, dude.

    27. JRJoe Rogan39:58

        Wow.

    28. TLTommy Lee39:59

        Fucking Wiki Lee over here.

    29. JRJoe Rogan40:01

        [laughs]

    30. TLTommy Lee40:01

        [laughs]
12. 47:50 – 55:06

    Nature in cities: Central Park, ‘Protect Our Parks,’ and why horses don’t belong downtown

    1. JRJoe Rogan47:50

       Well, human beings are very connected to plants. We're very connected to nature period.

    2. TLTommy Lee47:54

       Yeah.

    3. JRJoe Rogan47:54

       It's one of the most brilliant things that the designers of New York City did is make Central Park.

    4. TLTommy Lee47:58

       Ah

    5. JRJoe Rogan47:59

       ... have that giant park. It's an enormous park in the center of the city. I was staying at a hotel last year, and it was, like, on the edge of the park, and, like, from the window you look out, you see the whole park, like, straight.

    6. TLTommy Lee48:09

       Oh, nice.

    7. JRJoe Rogan48:10

       Like, this is fucking incredible that they did that, 'cause it's so big, and it's, it's just trees. It's just trees and paths and little lakes and everything, and go wander around.

    8. TLTommy Lee48:21

       Uh-

    9. JRJoe Rogan48:21

       Like, "Hey, get the fuck out of these buildings for a while." And it's like, for a person living in New York City, having that right there in the center is gigantic. I don't know what percentage of people take advantage of it, but they should all. It would make them all better.

    10. TLTommy Lee48:35

        Yeah.

    11. JRJoe Rogan48:35

        They'd all feel better.

    12. TLTommy Lee48:36

        It's a little center retreat, man. That's-

    13. JRJoe Rogan48:39

        Oh, an amazing one.

    14. TLTommy Lee48:40

        It, yeah.

    15. JRJoe Rogan48:40

        It's fucking huge. Like, how many acres is Central Park? Let's find that out. Let's guess.

    16. TLTommy Lee48:46

        Hmm.

    17. JRJoe Rogan48:46

        I'm gonna guess 1,000 acres? If I had to guess, maybe 2,000 acres. How big is it?

    18. SPSpeaker48:56

        843.

    19. TLTommy Lee48:57

        Yeah.

    20. JRJoe Rogan48:57

        843 acres.

    21. TLTommy Lee48:59

        Wow.

    22. JRJoe Rogan48:59

        So it's this amazing-

    23. TLTommy Lee49:00

        Yeah

    24. JRJoe Rogan49:00

        ... huge park in the center of the biggest city in the world, and you see all these giant, crazy fucking buildings, and then none of them-

    25. TLTommy Lee49:09

        [exhales sharply]

    26. JRJoe Rogan49:09

        ... in the center. It's beautiful.

    27. TLTommy Lee49:11

        Fucking props to the-

    28. JRJoe Rogan49:12

        Yeah

    29. TLTommy Lee49:12

        ... to those people or whoever that didn't sell that space.

    30. JRJoe Rogan49:16

        'Cause how many fucking vampires are trying-
13. 55:06 – 1:05:34

    Smoking, quitting, and the complicated talk about risk and creativity

    1. TLTommy Lee55:06

       That's so rad you can smoke in here.

    2. JRJoe Rogan55:07

       Yes, I can.

    3. TLTommy Lee55:09

       Oh.

    4. JRJoe Rogan55:09

       Yeah, I smoke cigars.

    5. TLTommy Lee55:10

       Of course.

    6. JRJoe Rogan55:11

       I'll fire up with you.

    7. TLTommy Lee55:12

       All right. Mm.

    8. JRJoe Rogan55:16

       How long you been smoking?

    9. TLTommy Lee55:19

       God, forever.

    10. JRJoe Rogan55:21

        You ever try to quit?

    11. TLTommy Lee55:23

        I have, and I quit for... Ah, this was a few years ago. I quit for, like, fuck, I almost made it a year, and then I was like-

    12. JRJoe Rogan55:36

        God, you gotta feel like after a few months you're out of the woods.

    13. TLTommy Lee55:39

        Yeah. Uh, it, I don't know. It just didn't, it didn't last.

    14. JRJoe Rogan55:43

        [laughs]

    15. TLTommy Lee55:43

        It just didn't fucking last, man.

    16. JRJoe Rogan55:45

        What brought you back?

    17. TLTommy Lee55:47

        Um, pr- you know what? Pr- uh, probably 'cause I was drinking at the time. Like, they kinda go hand in hand. You know, if you're having-

    18. JRJoe Rogan55:57

        Right

    19. TLTommy Lee55:57

        ... a cocktail or a beer or whatever, you're having a smoke, chances-

    20. JRJoe Rogan56:00

        Right

    21. TLTommy Lee56:00

        ... chances are.

    22. JRJoe Rogan56:01

        Right.

    23. TLTommy Lee56:02

        And I don't know, man, it was just, you're sitting there, and you're having a drink, and you're like, "Where's the cigarette?"

    24. JRJoe Rogan56:10

        [laughs]

    25. TLTommy Lee56:10

        It's just, I don't know, they're, it's like rock and roll. Like, they just go together for some reason. So I, I failed.

    26. JRJoe Rogan56:16

        Well, why did-

    27. TLTommy Lee56:17

        Or whatever

    28. JRJoe Rogan56:17

        ... why did you quit originally? What was the-

    29. TLTommy Lee56:20

        Um

    30. JRJoe Rogan56:20

        ... was the thought behind it?
14. 1:05:34 – 1:25:12

    Still alive, still curious: Jetsons dreams, flying cars, LA problems, and mental discipline

    1. JRJoe Rogan1:05:34

       Do you ever look back and just say, "God, it's a, a, a wonder I'm still alive"?

    2. TLTommy Lee1:05:39

       Dude, I told you earlier, I pinch myself on a daily basis. I really do. That, like, I shouldn't technically be here.

    3. JRJoe Rogan1:05:49

       Right.

    4. TLTommy Lee1:05:51

       Maybe you shouldn't, I don't know. Who knows? Like, we all got our, our thing, but oh man, I'm really lucky to be here. And I think it's 'cause I wanna be here, like, um, you know what I mean?

    5. JRJoe Rogan1:06:03

       Mm-hmm.

    6. TLTommy Lee1:06:03

       Like, I like, I wanna be here, like I wanna fucking see... I'm kinda pissed because, um, I feel like we're not even close to where we should be. I mean, it, the year 2000, I'm, where's my fucking spaceship?

    7. JRJoe Rogan1:06:18

       [laughs]

    8. TLTommy Lee1:06:18

       I mean, the little... [imitates spaceship]

    9. JRJoe Rogan1:06:20

       Right.

    10. TLTommy Lee1:06:20

        You know? Like, where is that? Uh, there was supposed to be full Jetsons. Bro, they're re- extremely late, or it's never gonna happen.

    11. JRJoe Rogan1:06:30

        I think there's a real problem with people flying around.

    12. TLTommy Lee1:06:32

        They lied.

    13. JRJoe Rogan1:06:33

        The people p- the problem with people flying around is you gotta catch 'em.

    14. TLTommy Lee1:06:38

        [laughs]

    15. JRJoe Rogan1:06:38

        You know what I mean? Whereas if they're on the street, just close off the street, and then you catch 'em.

    16. TLTommy Lee1:06:43

        Right.

    17. JRJoe Rogan1:06:44

        Right?

    18. TLTommy Lee1:06:44

        Yeah.

    19. JRJoe Rogan1:06:44

        If people are flying around, like if someone-

    20. TLTommy Lee1:06:46

        Way too much freedom

    21. JRJoe Rogan1:06:47

        ... robs a bank, and they go... [imitates propeller]

    22. TLTommy Lee1:06:49

        Yeah. [laughs]

    23. JRJoe Rogan1:06:49

        And they just go off, like no. No, no, no. You can't have that for everybody.

    24. TLTommy Lee1:06:54

        Yeah.

    25. JRJoe Rogan1:06:55

        You gotta have people corralled in nice, like very clean lines.

    26. TLTommy Lee1:07:00

        Forms, lines.

    27. JRJoe Rogan1:07:00

        We can block these lines off.

    28. TLTommy Lee1:07:02

        Very-

    29. JRJoe Rogan1:07:03

        Obvious paths

    30. TLTommy Lee1:07:04

        ... use lights to start and stop
15. 1:25:12 – 1:43:04

    Mötley Crüe in 1980: no internet, no guardrails, and DIY rock engineering

    1. JRJoe Rogan1:25:12

       What was that scene like?

    2. TLTommy Lee1:25:14

       Bro, that was, uh, still to this day, um, um, uh, Motley did, uh, we did this movie called The Dirt, and it's based on o- our autobiography, um, from, you know, certain years from this year to this year, and it ki- it kinda, like, it shows how it fucking was, and one of, one of the coolest things ever is when, uh, you know, I'll see, uh, you know, emails from fans or questions from fans, and they're like, "Dude, was it..." And these are from, like, you know, 18-year-old kids. They're like, "Was it really like that when you guys were rocking shit like that?" I was like, "100%." They're like, "Fuck. Uh, we..." Uh, and they're bummed. They're like, "We will never, ever get to experience that. Fuck."

    3. JRJoe Rogan1:26:16

       [laughs]

    4. TLTommy Lee1:26:17

       It's like, it was just full on till the wheels fall off. No... Uh, uh, you could get away with fucking murder, literally. There was no phones and no... Uh, this was at a time where anything, anything goes.

    5. JRJoe Rogan1:26:37

       Pretty much. Pretty much.

    6. TLTommy Lee1:26:39

       How, how old were you in 1980?

    7. JRJoe Rogan1:26:41

       In 1980, I was, uh, 18.

    8. TLTommy Lee1:26:45

       Jesus Christ.

    9. JRJoe Rogan1:26:47

       7. 18, 17.

    10. TLTommy Lee1:26:49

        So you're blowing up at 18 years old.

    11. JRJoe Rogan1:26:52

        How the fuck did you manage?

    12. TLTommy Lee1:26:55

        I know, dude. [laughs]

    13. JRJoe Rogan1:26:56

        Look at that picture. That's crazy.

    14. TLTommy Lee1:26:59

        [laughs] No.

    15. JRJoe Rogan1:26:59

        That looks like a picture from, like, 1940.

    16. TLTommy Lee1:27:02

        Right? [laughs]

    17. JRJoe Rogan1:27:02

        It looks like a f- it's another world.

    18. TLTommy Lee1:27:04

        It's fucking wild. I know. [laughs]

    19. JRJoe Rogan1:27:05

        Even the font for Mötley Crüe-

    20. TLTommy Lee1:27:08

        Yeah

    21. JRJoe Rogan1:27:08

        ... looks ancient.

    22. TLTommy Lee1:27:09

        Totally.

    23. JRJoe Rogan1:27:10

        Wow.

    24. TLTommy Lee1:27:11

        God, dude.

    25. JRJoe Rogan1:27:12

        What, does that, does that even seem real when you look at that picture?

    26. TLTommy Lee1:27:15

        Um, look at our fucking little cheesy cloth backdrop.

    27. JRJoe Rogan1:27:20

        It does.

    28. TLTommy Lee1:27:20

        See the wrinkles in the fabric?

    29. JRJoe Rogan1:27:22

        That's the whiskey in 1980.

    30. TLTommy Lee1:27:23

        That's the whiskey, yeah.
16. 1:43:04 – 2:18:40

    Creating, performing, and spending: songwriting instincts and the obsession with fast cars

    1. JRJoe Rogan1:43:04

       No. When, when you're working on a new song, when you're creating a new song, what is your process? Do you, do you have a beat in your head? Do you, do you-

    2. TLTommy Lee1:43:14

       Mm

    3. JRJoe Rogan1:43:14

       ... sit down and just start fucking around until something comes to you? Like, how do you do it?

    4. TLTommy Lee1:43:19

       You know what? It's always different. I wish I could say I had, like, a, a thing.

    5. JRJoe Rogan1:43:24

       A process.

    6. TLTommy Lee1:43:24

       I really don't, man. Like, you know, it'll be, uh, s- something that happened to me or something that I'm experiencing will spark a word or f- a, a, a chant all of a sudden. You know, then that'll... I'll pick up a fucking guitar and be like, "Oh, this is killer." Or sometimes they come with a beat. I'm like, "Oh, this is a fucking killer beat. This would be great." And then I'll start with a beat, and then, uh, start, then add guitars. It's never really... There's not really, like, a format. I just kinda go with what, whatever's sort of inspiring me at the time, that feel like I need to write about. Um, yeah. There's not really, like, a, a way. I know a lot of people have a s- methodical way with like, "Well, I start with the lyric first. Always the lyric first. Nothing else is important." Okay, dude.

    7. JRJoe Rogan1:44:13

       [laughs]

    8. TLTommy Lee1:44:14

       You know, why don't we get, [laughs] why don't we get people to move first before you try to seduce them with these fucking crazy words?

    9. JRJoe Rogan1:44:20

       [laughs]

    10. TLTommy Lee1:44:21

        A- actually, no one's gonna even-

    11. JRJoe Rogan1:44:22

        Speaking like a true drummer

    12. TLTommy Lee1:44:23

        ... no one's gonna even get to these fucking words if you can't get them to stay listening.

    13. JRJoe Rogan1:44:29

        Right, right, right.

    14. TLTommy Lee1:44:30

        Or, or to move. They'll go like, "Oh, this is nice."

    15. JRJoe Rogan1:44:32

        Right.

    16. TLTommy Lee1:44:32

        Isn't that the like... Isn't that the key moment when you're like, "Ooh, this is cool," before you've even heard a, a lyric or a melody? That's, that's kind of, uh, my obj- like, my priority is, like, is it moving me?

    17. JRJoe Rogan1:44:47

        Yeah.

    18. TLTommy Lee1:44:48

        Okay, let's go.

    19. JRJoe Rogan1:44:49

        Well, it, it seems like having a bunch of different methods to get there is probably better anyway.

    20. TLTommy Lee1:44:53

        Y- yes.

    21. JRJoe Rogan1:44:54

        'Cause there's all sorts of different paths to get to the prize.

    22. TLTommy Lee1:44:57

        Right.

    23. JRJoe Rogan1:44:58

        And having a bunch of different methods of creativity is probably better.

    24. TLTommy Lee1:45:02

        It's gonna give you d-

    25. JRJoe Rogan1:45:02

        Like, frees you up more

    26. TLTommy Lee1:45:03

        ... different results, right?

    27. JRJoe Rogan1:45:05

        Yeah.

    28. TLTommy Lee1:45:05

        Instead of being the, okay, well it's gonna start to sound the same-

    29. JRJoe Rogan1:45:08

        Mm-hmm

    30. TLTommy Lee1:45:08

        ... if you keep using the same method. [laughs]
17. 2:18:40 – 2:23:11

    Touring again and the full-circle moment of multi-generation fans

    1. JRJoe Rogan2:18:40

       Are you, you guys are touring again.

    2. TLTommy Lee2:18:42

       Yeah, coming up. Um, mid-July, we're out for a-

    3. JRJoe Rogan2:18:46

       How fucking pumped are you for that?

    4. TLTommy Lee2:18:47

       ... couple months. So pumped, 'cause I've actually, um, we've been home. We just, we l- we did, um, this big s- uh, stadium tour with Def Leppard. Went all around the world. That tour was, fuck, two and a half years long.

    5. JRJoe Rogan2:19:05

       Wow.

    6. TLTommy Lee2:19:06

       Like, dude, it was r- that's insane. So, um, a- and I, I started to realize, I'm like, "Fuck, I can't remember the last time I've been home," like, with a, with a break. Like, we intentionally were like, "Let's just fucking take a year or, or more than a year off." And, like, and then, um- It wasn't until 2016 was the last time, um, we had like taken a, taken a break. Um, so for, for me, um, it's just been fucking wonderful. I, I, I actually enjoyed the whole l- last summer at home and, you know, going, now going into summer now, we're getting ready to go back out, but just having that time at home was really fucking cool. So I'm super pump... The grass is always greener, dude.

    7. JRJoe Rogan2:20:00

       Right, right, right.

    8. TLTommy Lee2:20:00

       But you, you, you know, when you're out there fucking ripping it, you're like, "This is fucking rad." And then after a while you're like, "I'd shoot my own mom in the back-

    9. JRJoe Rogan2:20:08

       [laughs]

    10. TLTommy Lee2:20:08

        ... to sleep in my fucking bed." You know?

    11. JRJoe Rogan2:20:12

        Yeah.

    12. TLTommy Lee2:20:12

        You know, and then, then when you're at home too long, you're like, "Dude, I gotta get outta here."

    13. JRJoe Rogan2:20:17

        Right.

    14. TLTommy Lee2:20:18

        You know, I gotta go fucking go do the shit. Um, so it's, I don't know, it's a weird balance. You know, you're, you're h- you're happy until it's too much, and then, you know.

    15. JRJoe Rogan2:20:29

        Well, it's just achieving the balance, but it's awesome that you still love it so much after all, all these years.

    16. TLTommy Lee2:20:35

        Oh, man. It-

    17. JRJoe Rogan2:20:36

        It really is

    18. TLTommy Lee2:20:37

        ... d- dude, d- let me just tell, there's nothing better than... Imagine, right, it, let's trade places for a second. You, you're back there, you're playing drums, and you've been doing this for a while, uh, long enough to see this is the fucking best in the world. You see your fans, all the sudden your fans have had children. Now their children are on the shoulders of their, of their fucking parents, who are your fans. Now they're bringing their kids to the show, and their fucking kids are on their dad's shoulder going, "Shout! Shout!"

    19. JRJoe Rogan2:21:17

        [laughs]

    20. TLTommy Lee2:21:17

        With the fucking du- devil horns up. And you're like, you're sitting there going like, "Dude, that kid, what is he, fucking 10? And he's just fucking..." You know? And like just-

    21. JRJoe Rogan2:21:32

        Right, he's air drumming.

    22. TLTommy Lee2:21:34

        Yeah, just to, to see that you're, you've, you've sort of, you know, you've, I don't know, just you've done a, a full circle to where now it's a whole nother generation that's j- just now seeing this for the first time, and they're fucking... And you, and you're sitting back there playing going like, "That's pretty fucking incredible."

    23. JRJoe Rogan2:21:54

        It's very fucking incredible.

    24. TLTommy Lee2:21:55

        That, that, that doesn't get old, man. To watch that happen is, uh, that's probably why the, become the reason why I love it so much. That really, like, puts a fucking nail in it. You know what I mean?

    25. JRJoe Rogan2:22:07

        Fuck yeah.

    26. TLTommy Lee2:22:08

        That, that's, that's like... And that can only be achieved through, through time.

    27. JRJoe Rogan2:22:13

        Yeah.

    28. TLTommy Lee2:22:13

        Right?

    29. JRJoe Rogan2:22:13

        Yeah.

    30. TLTommy Lee2:22:13

        So, uh, that's, that's nothing I've ever experienced until, until recently. In the last few years, I, you look out and you see a whole bunch of kids, man.

Episode duration: 2:23:12