This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
“Hello, this is the operator with a collect call from the L.A. County jail from Tommy,” says a voice at the top of Tommy Lee’s new solo album as Methods Of Mayhem. “Will you accept the charges?”
You’ve gotta give Tommy full marks for his sense of humour. After all, the well-endowed drummer has had a tumultuous couple of years: Paparazzi punchouts, spousal-abuse charges, restraining orders, jail stints, a near-divorce, inadvertent porn stardom, and last but not least, his defection from Mötley Crüe.
But does he try and sweep it all under the rug or pretend like it never happened? Nosirree, boy. On the contrary; he takes all this adversity and angst that’s obviously been burning inside him for the last while and unleashes it here in the form of Methods Of Mayhem, an impressive, thundering new rap-metal solo project that shows there is life after Girls, Girls, Girls. And just to show there’s no hard feelings, he kicks it off with that self-effacing sample of him phoning collect from the crowbar motel.
Not that Tommy doesn’t have a few more pointed words for some other folks — like, say, the media. “I don’t deny I’m in the public eye, but it seems like 24-7 I’m being watched by a spy,” he complains in Anger Management, a blistering screed against the tabloids and talk shows, set to a thunderous, Korn-style backbeat. “They’re not news reporters, they’re full of bulls— and lies / They make s— up because there’s no s— to find.”
Most of the time, though, on Methods Of Mayhem’s self-tltled debut, he’s able to see the humour in his predicament. Funky first single Get Naked, for instance, takes a steamy jab at the success of his infamous honeymoon video with Pamela Anderson: “Seventy-seven million dollars made from watching me c— under the sun on my vacation,” he says in disbelief. “I ain’t getting paid to entertain your bridal showers / Rockin’ my porno tape for hours and hours.” Another track, Narcotic, features a sample recorded from the drug-test hotline Tommy has to call daily as part of his probation.
In addition to all that good humour, Lee displays some seriously impressive musicianship. MoM is a fiery, rockin’ affair, thanks in no small part to his expertise on the kit. Tommy has long been one of the heaviest hitters in the business, and his powerhouse style and syncopated pummelling give these tracks an authentic thump and drive lacking in most hip-hop outfits and rap-metal acts. Surprisingly, he also acquits himself pretty admirably on guitar. Several of these tracks feature riffs that Mick Mars or Rob Zombie would be proud to call their own.
And while Tommy isn’t much of a singer — as the poppy chorus to New Skin makes clear — he’s smart enough to know when to mix his voice lower, when to surround himself with guest vocalists like Snoop Dogg, Lil’ Kim, George Clinton, Fred Durst, Kid Rock and Wu-Tang Clan’s U-God, and when to shut up altogether and jam with Crystal Method on some jerky, propulsive electronica.
Tommy does electronica? Accept the charges.
