#2520 - Tommy Lee

June 30, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Tommy Lee’s father, a mechanic, built him a homemade pyro rig and a motorized drum riser for his early shows. Decades later, Lee still pinches himself daily. In a conversation with Joe Rogan, the Mötley Crüe drummer covers the physics of playing drums upside down, the zen of bonsai, the silent collapse of Billy Squire’s career, and why he thinks the world has gotten too stupid to handle a flying car.

The Roller Coaster Drum Kit and the Physics of Playing Upside Down

Lee’s signature stage move—playing drums on a gyroscoping roller coaster that flips him upside down and spins him over the audience—began as a solution to a very specific problem. As a young drummer, he watched Tommy Aldridge of the Pat Travers Band play an incredible solo while the audience wandered off to buy beer. “I need to figure out a how to give the audience a better view of what you’re actually doing there,” Lee realized. The result was a rotating drum riser that eventually evolved into a nine-minute roller coaster ride across the arena.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:55) **Tommy Lee’s Son’s Wedding & Breaking the Cycle** - Tommy discusses his son getting married and his pride that his son avoided the chaotic rock star lifestyle.
2 (05:56) **The Surreal Dream of Rock Stardom** - Tommy explains how he still pinches himself daily over his career.
3 (10:51) **Rolling Stones “Master of Controls”** - Tommy recounts opening for the Rolling Stones and seeing Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood get extremely drunk before a perfect show.
4 (13:32) **Rick Springfield’s Inspirational Performance** - Tommy shows Joe a video of 76-year-old Rick Springfield performing “Jessie’s Girl” with incredible energy and a ripped physique.
5 (25:03) **The Music Industry Vampires** - Tommy and Joe discuss the parasitic nature of record label executives who give bad advice.
6 (33:12) **The Power of Music & Sound Frequencies** - Tommy plays “Kickstart My Heart” and describes the euphoric, physical effect of a great song.
7 (42:18) **Tommy’s Bonsai Obsession & Zen Gardens** - Tommy explains his deep passion for bonsai trees, a hobby he started eight years ago.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Tommy Lee

Show Notes

Tommy Lee is a genre-spanning solo musician, producer, and songwriter as well as the drummer and co-founder of Mötley Crüe. His latest album is “Tommyland Rides Again.” See him live with Mötley Crüe on The Return of the Carnival of Sins Tour beginning July 17.
www.youtube.com/tommylee
www.motley.com
www.tommylee.com

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