Tommy Lee Recalls ‘Near-Fatal’ Mistake That He and Mötley Crüe Bandmate Nikki Sixx Miraculously Survived in the Late 80s

In their heyday, the members of Mötley Crüe were known for their outrageous party lifestyle. This caused numerous controversies within and around the band, and the rock stars came close to death on multiple occasions. On the newest episode of Dax Shepard’s podcast Armchair Expert, Tommy Lee shared stories of the band’s dangerous experiences.

One of their lowest points was when drummer Tommy Lee and bassist Nikki Sixx injected Jack Daniel’s whiskey into their bodies. This could’ve resulted in irreversible damage to their veins, and even death. It’s truly a miracle that they made it through this experience.

On the new Armchair Expert episode, Tommy detailed their extreme h***** addiction at the time. “I was with my bass player (Nikki), and we were doing a sh*t load of h*****, and we ran out. It’s probably like three or four in the morning. We were like, ‘f**k dude, what are we going to do?’”

The two rock stars then took to the bottle, but not in a traditional sense. “We unscrewed the cap on a fifth of Jack, and filled up the cap with Jack, then pulled a couple syringes. We’re shooting Jack Daniel’s. It was at that moment I went ‘Okay…’” Speechless for a few seconds upon recalling this moment, Tommy Lee hilariously points out, “We could just drink this, but we’re shooting it.” Lee now realizes the near-fatal mistake, stating, “This is f**kin’ wrong, and someone’s going to die. That’s when I realized.”

Mötley Crüe attempted sobriety together

Following Nikki Sixx’s near-fatal h***** overdose in 1987, where the bassist was reported dead for two minutes, the band’s management started to step in. In 1989, the whole band decided to enter rehab together. Once they were out, they wrote and recorded the Dr. Feelgood album. To maintain sobriety during the sessions, they left Los Angeles. Mötley Crüe went to Vancouver along with a therapist, distancing themselves from their dangerous lifestyles in LA.

The 1989 album was a massive success for the band. Their hit, “Kickstart My Heart”, was written by Nikki Sixx about his near-fatal h***** overdose. Sadly, following a world tour from 1989 to 1990, lead singer Vince Neil and Tommy Lee celebrated by going to a strip club and picking up where they left off.

Nikki Sixx has been successfully sober since 2001. In the interview, Tommy Lee admits that he struggles with sobriety. “I think three years is the longest I’ve done. I get so excited that I’m like, ‘Oh my god dude, I’ve been sober for a year’ and I celebrate. That’s my f**king problem.” Mötley Crüe is currently on a 33-date North American tour, celebrating 45 years of the band. The tour runs until the end of September.

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