"So that's why I'm a skinny f***." Motley Crue's Tommy Lee on the physical demands of being a rock drummer

Tommy Lee performs with Motley Crue at Marvel Stadium on November 14, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia.
(Image credit: Sam Tabone/WireImage)

Tommy Lee says the physical demands of drumming for a rock band like Motley Crue for so many years is the reason he is a "skinny f***".

Lee, 63, has maintained the same trim physique throughout his career, despite eating "whatever the f*** I wanna eat."

And the reason for that, he says, is the sportsman-like level of workout he puts in every time he gets behind the kit.

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He tells the Joe Rogan Experience: "I was like, 'how come I've weighed the same weight since f***ing high school until today. That's f***ing weird.' And I eat kind of whatever the f*** I wanna eat.

"I don't diet or have some strict regimented food program. I was, like, 'I gotta see.' I got like a pedometer you clip on to your shoe, like joggers would use.

"You just clipped it on your shoe, and it told you how many miles you did. So I get one, I clip it on. I'm, like, 'I wonder how many miles I'm doing after a two-hour show.' I know I'm sweaty as f***, and after the show, all I hear is ringing in my ear, and I'm wrecked; I'm done.

"And I took it off after the show, and I looked down, and it said 13.3 miles. And I was, like, 'so that's why I'm a skinny fuck.'"

Playing drums in a rock band is "more like a sport," Lee adds. "And you're the f***ing heartbeat, man. People say your band's only as good as your drummer, and that's really true.

"And I'm not just saying that because I'm a drummer. But a drummer has a lot of responsibility. Everybody, all the people that you see out there that are moving. I'm responsible for a lot of that.

"And I'm not saying for all of it, but you sort of set the pace and you're making people physically move. That takes a lot of work. The amount of energy you're putting out you're getting back, and you're seeing it.

"And you're, like, 'f***, I'm driving here.' And that's a cool place to be. But it is a responsibility, and it is physical, and it's draining. But it's f***ing rad. I live for it."

The full interview can be viewed below.

Joe Rogan Experience #2520 - Tommy Lee - YouTube Joe Rogan Experience #2520 - Tommy Lee - YouTube
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Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022. 

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