Tommy Lee calls out musicians self-promoting while Los Angeles is burning

(Image credit: Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)

Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee has hit out at fellow musicians who're taking a 'business as usual' approach to promoting upcoming releases and tours on social media while wildfires continue to devastate his hometown, Los Angeles.

Posting on Instagram, Lee wrote, “Makes me fucking sick to see most people just caring on a posting on lame ass social media! Guys right now nobody gives a flying fuck when your record drops or the next concert is when so many people are in the middle of one of the biggest disasters of all time!”

“I get that some comic relief is always needed, but Jesus Christ leave it all alone and maybe just stop and see who needs help if you can.”

Entirely reasonable and laudable comments, though at the time of posting, the drummer was presumably unaware that whoever runs the social media accounts for his own band were actually sharing similar self-promotion posts: as observant writers for the Metal Injection website noticed and have pointed out, on January 13, Motley Crue were encouraging fans to buy tickets for their upcoming Las Vegas residency in March on Instagram Reels.

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The fires raging across Los Angeles have already claimed 24 lives, destroyed thousands of properties, and led to the evacuation of more than 180,000 people. Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith and Primus guitarist Larry LaLonde are among those who have lost their homes, and legendary producer Bob Clearmountain found his Mix This! recording studio gutted by the fires.

On January 9, Public Enemy's Chuck D took to social media to chastise those using his band's song Burn Hollywood Burn to soundtrack their social media posts about the crisis, calling on those doing so to “learn the history.”

“Please don’t use our song on your reels and pictures of this horrifying natural disaster," he wrote on Instagram, on a post captioned 'PRAY 4 LA'.

“Burn Hollywood Burn is a protest song,” he explained. “Extracted from the Watts rebellion monikered by the Magnificent Montague in 1965 against inequality when he said ‘Burn baby burn’ across the air. We made mind revolution songs aimed at a one-sided exploitation by a[n] industry. Has nothing to do with families, losing everything they have in a natural disaster.”

“Godspeed to those in loss.”

Artists

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.