Mötley Crüe reveal insane 'roller coaster' drum stunt

"We're gonna need a bigger stage" © Katy Winn/Corbis
"We're gonna need a bigger stage" © Katy Winn/Corbis

This month's issue of Rhythm Magazine is a debauchery special, featuring the 30 wildest drummers of all time. Mötley Crüe's 'pioneer of the insane drum stunt' Tommy Lee rates rather highly and, upon hearing his plans for a 'travelling indoor roller coaster', it's easy to see why…

"My dream and goal, and I will do it, is to build a roller coaster that can pack up and travel from city to city," Tommy Lee told Rhythm. "It will have all the workings of a roller coaster, but I'll get rid of the car and replace it with a drum riser with two seats on the back."

"I'll run out into the audience, grab a couple of fans, strap them in and go! I see it all in my head."

Upside down… backwards

"It will have all the workings of a roller coaster, but I'll get rid of the car and replace it with a drum riser with two seats on the back," Tommy Lee

"You have a huge sound system which opens up at one side of the stage, the riser comes out and does a huge drop, goes upside down in a loop, then goes up around the people in the back seats, does another loop in the middle of the arena, then travels up again until it stops. Then we do the whole thing backwards!"

"Drum solo wise, it will look and sound exactly like what's happening on the roller coaster, so I speed up and slow down my solo as the riser does, plus I want lights that follow the car along the track. It will be fucking wicked!"

Girls, Girls, Girls

Does Tommy have his tongue firmly planted in cheek? Anyone who witnessed the infamous rotating drum riser during the Crüe's Girls, Girls, Girls tour probably doesn't think so.

You can read the full interview with Tommy Lee plus discover who tops the list of the wildest drummers of all time in the current issue of Rhythm, available now. And, don't forget to vote to vote for the greatest drummer of all time: more info here.

Tom Porter worked on MusicRadar from its mid-2007 launch date to 2011, covering a range of music and music making topics, across features, gear news, reviews, interviews and more. A regular NAMM-goer back in the day, Tom now resides permanently in Los Angeles, where he's doing rather well at the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).