Written by Tommy Lee with Anthony Bozza
Published by Atria Books 2004


After reading Motley Crue's insanely entertaining autobiography The Dirt last year, I really got excited when I saw that their infamous drummer Tommy Lee had released a book of his own last October. For those that don't know or haven't heard of Motley Crue, (you must have been living in a bomb shelter for the last twenty years) these guys are considered to be the baddest of the bad boys in Rock/Metal. Their antics are some of the most legendary and extreme of any band, ever.

In terms of the overall quality and readability of the book itself, I would say it is not as good as The Dirt. I say this because it does not have the quality or charisma that the aforementioned has. Substance wise, it seems to be lacking, definitely not in voice, but with the comprehensive aspects and the way the story is told. I think this is just because it is all coming from Tommy Lee, as opposed to the entire Motley Crue roster. Seeing as how The Dirt is my favorite book of all time, you can see that the comparison of the two doesn't necessarily directly reflect upon the quality of Tommyland in that regard.

I tried to get my girlfriend to read this book after I completed it, and she got twenty pages in before getting disgusted by it. In her own words: "This book is horrible because Tommy Lee is an idiot." She has a point there, and she also has the ability to make a comparison between the two books. I disagree with her statement that the book is horrible though, maybe because I actually read the whole thing, or maybe because I feel like I can relate to the subject matter more universally.

I can see her being turned off by the fact that the first chapter of the book is a dialogue that takes place between Tommy Lee and his penis (aside from every other word being "dude"). I thought this was a choice way to set the mood for the rest of the book, as it spares no details on the wild life that Mr. Lee has lived.

The book deals with many of the shaping aspects of Tommy Lee's life. However, for the most part it seemed to be avoiding delving into any Motley Crue related stories, probably intentionally so that it wasn't just a lame rehash of The Dirt. Everything from Tommy's relationships with Heather Locklear and Pamela Anderson, to his time in prison, to his family life is "extensively" (I use this term loosely) covered within the pages of Tommyland. I really enjoyed reading this, and strongly recommend it to anyone that is into Motley Crue, The Dirt, or just a good book that is full of humorous stories and personal reflection, then Tommyland is for you.

Rating: 7/10

Written by Jonah
Friday, December 31, 2004