Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee sparked controversy last month when he issued an open letter to fans complaining about them asking him to take pictures with him. He has now explained the event what inspired the rant, which should quiet down the criticism now that fans understand the circumstances.The one point which sparked the most criticism in his rant was this line: "What I have a problem with is... taking pictures! I hate it! Irritates the f*** out of me when people say... 'You owe it to your fans, they put you where you are, etc. etc.!' I certainly don't owe anybody anything!" However, Lee has now explained the incident which inspired those words in a new interview, which puts his complaint in context that most people should understand.
"My mother passed away recently," Lee tells Fuse TV. "I was picking up her ashes to take them home with me to do a service for my mother. And so I'm at the mortuary, I've got my mom's ashes in my right hand, and my girlfriend, I'm holding her hand with my left hand, and we're walking out. And the F***ing lady, the receptionist, goes, 'Oh my god, can I take a picture with you?' And I looked and her and went [takes a deep breath], 'I'm sorry, but I'd rather not.'"
But it gets worse; instead of being respectful, the woman pushes the issue. Lee explains, "Then she was like, 'Are you sure?' And I couldn't even believe itshe asked me if I was sure. I'm F***ing standing there with my mom's ashes and it's not the F***ing happiest day on the planet for me. I couldn't believe it. I go, 'Okay, that's officially the most F***ed up thing that has ever happened to me.' I called the manager and said, 'You're not going to believe what just happened. I don't expect you to fire her or anything like that, but that was the most disrespectful bulls*** I've ever experienced in my life.'
Lee had more to say, you can read that here.