Joe Rogan Experience #2520 - Tommy Lee
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Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Tommy Lee's son, 29, is getting married after seven years with his partner, a choice Tommy Lee is proud of for its stability, contrasting his own chaotic past.
- ❖The Rolling Stones, even in their 80s, perform with incredible energy, with Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood reportedly 'hammered' just 20 minutes before going on stage.
- ❖Rick Springfield, at 76, performs 'Jesse's Girl' with the same passion and physical intensity as if he just wrote it, inspiring Tommy Lee and Joe Rogan.
- ❖The music industry is oversaturated, with Spotify releasing 300,000 songs daily, making it difficult for new, original music to gain traction.
- ❖The infamous Billy Squier music video for 'Rock Me Tonight' in 1984 is widely cited as the sole reason his career as a singles musician ended, due to its 'effeminate' portrayal.
- ❖Tommy Lee's drumming involves complex, physically demanding stunts like gyroscoped drum risers that spin 360 degrees, requiring immense core strength and leaving him on oxygen after a 9-minute solo.
- ❖Bonsai cultivation serves as a meditative, grounding hobby for Tommy Lee, offering a complete contrast to his rockstar life and helping him 'check out' for hours daily.
- ❖Japanese Zen gardens are designed with no straight paths and winding bridges to intentionally slow visitors down and encourage presence and appreciation of the moment.
- ❖Music possesses a profound power to change one's physical and emotional state, acting as a 'drug' or 'fuel' that can give energy and goosebumps.
- ❖The Earth and our entire solar system are constantly hurtling through space, having moved over 15 trillion miles since Mötley Crüe's debut in 1980.
- ❖Ferrari's recent electric car design is criticized for being 'ugly' and 'boring,' a stark departure from their classic, artistic designs like the 458 Italia and SF90.
- ❖Tommy Lee finds immense reward in seeing multiple generations of fans at Mötley Crüe shows, with parents bringing their children who are equally enthusiastic about the music.
Insights
1The Enduring Physicality of Drumming
Tommy Lee highlights that drumming is one of the most athletic endeavors in music. He measures that he covers 13.3 miles during a two-hour show, burning an immense amount of calories. The physical demands are so high that he requires an oxygen bottle after complex drum solos, and it takes significant endurance to maintain this level of performance.
Tommy Lee recounts wearing a pedometer during a two-hour show, which registered 13.3 miles. He describes the physical exertion of his gyroscoped drum risers, which spin 360 degrees, requiring him to push against gravity and use an oxygen bottle after a 9-minute solo.
2Zen Garden Design for Presence and Mindfulness
Japanese Zen gardens are deliberately designed with no straight paths, whether walking paths or bridges. This architectural choice is strategic: to slow people down, prevent them from seeing everything at once, and force them to be present and take in each moment as they navigate the space. This intentional design fosters a sense of peace and mindfulness.
Tommy Lee explains that in Zen gardens, 'you'll never find a straight path... They specifically and strategically curve the path to slow you down.' He adds that 'nothing becomes revealed to you until you come around that corner,' encouraging visitors to 'stop at each corner and look out and just take it in and be present.'
3The Music Industry's Content Overload Dilemma
The sheer volume of new music released daily (e.g., 300,000 songs on Spotify) creates a 'static' environment where it's incredibly difficult for even good, authentic music to be discovered. This overabundance makes it challenging for both artists and fans to keep up, leading to a situation where only 'undeniable' content can truly break through the noise.
Tommy Lee states, 'Spotify releases like 300,000 songs a day. Who the f*** is listening to all this music?' He notes that 'the excess of it, it's just static and it's really blown a hole through for... original stuff.'
4The Power of Music to Alter State
Music has a profound, almost drug-like ability to change one's physical and emotional state. A 'great song' can instantly provide energy, evoke goosebumps, and create an infectious feeling that takes over the body, acting as a powerful emotional and physiological stimulant.
Joe Rogan describes Mötley Crüe's 'Kickstart My Heart' as 'fuel' and a 'drug' that makes him 'get stronger' when working out. Tommy Lee agrees, calling it 'infectious' and capable of giving 'goosebumps,' changing the 'frequency of your actual soul.'
5A Single Music Video's Career-Ending Impact
The 1984 music video for Billy Squier's 'Rock Me Tonight' is widely believed to have single-handedly derailed his highly successful career. The video, which depicted Squier in an 'effeminate' and 'weird' manner, alienated his fanbase and led to an immediate decline in concert ticket sales, despite his previous status as a rock sex symbol.
Joe Rogan recounts the Billy Squier story, noting the video was 'very effeminate' and 'really weird,' causing high school kids to react with 'What the f***, bro? That s***'s gay, bro.' A book, 'I Want My MTV,' described it as 'one of the worst ever,' and Squier's concert ticket sales 'immediately declined.'
Bottom Line
The '432 Hz vs. 440 Hz' conspiracy theory suggests that historical music was tuned to 432 Hz, believed to be more harmonious with nature, but was later shifted to 440 Hz (by figures like Hitler) to create a more aggressive frequency for military purposes.
This theory, while speculative, highlights the deep-seated belief in the physiological and psychological impact of sound frequencies beyond conscious perception. It suggests that the very 'tuning' of our sonic environment could subtly influence collective mood and behavior.
Explore the therapeutic applications of specific sound frequencies for healing, mood regulation, or performance enhancement, potentially developing 'sound therapy' products or experiences that leverage these hypothesized effects, moving beyond anecdotal sound baths to more targeted interventions.
The design of Ferrari's new electric car is perceived as a significant aesthetic and philosophical departure, resembling a 'phone design' rather than a classic 'work of art,' potentially due to designers from tech backgrounds.
This reflects a tension between traditional brand identity (rooted in art, passion, and engineering sound) and the demands of modern technology (minimalism, electric power). It suggests that applying design principles from one industry (tech) directly to another (luxury performance cars) can alienate core customers if it compromises the brand's essence.
For luxury brands transitioning to new technologies (e.g., EV), there's an opportunity to deeply integrate traditional design philosophies and sensory experiences (like engine sound) into new forms, rather than simply adopting generic 'modern' aesthetics. This could involve creating 'auditory signatures' for electric vehicles or maintaining tactile elements that evoke heritage, ensuring the 'soul' of the brand isn't lost in the technological shift.
Key Concepts
The Paradox of Abundance
In an age of extreme content saturation (e.g., 300,000 songs daily on Spotify), the sheer volume creates 'static,' making it harder for truly exceptional or 'undeniable' content to break through. This paradox suggests that more choice doesn't always lead to better discovery or appreciation of quality.
The Balancing Act of Extremes
Tommy Lee exemplifies how individuals in high-octane, chaotic professions (like rockstardom) often seek out diametrically opposed, calming hobbies (like bonsai) to achieve mental and emotional equilibrium. This model highlights the human need for counter-balancing forces in one's life to maintain sanity and well-being.
Lessons
- Integrate a 'balancing hobby' into your routine: If your professional life is high-stress or chaotic, find a hobby that offers a complete contrast, like Tommy Lee's bonsai, to provide mental escape and grounding.
- Practice intentional presence: Adopt principles from Zen garden design by consciously slowing down and being present in your daily activities, especially when transitioning between tasks or environments, to reduce mental clutter.
- Curate your content consumption: Be mindful of the overwhelming volume of digital content. Actively seek out 'undeniable' or authentic experiences and art that truly resonate, rather than passively consuming whatever is most accessible, to avoid 'static' and maintain focus.
Notable Moments
Tommy Lee recounts Mötley Crüe opening for the Rolling Stones, witnessing Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood 'hammered' 20 minutes before going on stage, only to transform into '100% f***ing rocking out' once the lights came on.
This anecdote illustrates the legendary professionalism and almost supernatural ability of seasoned performers to 'flip a switch' and deliver a flawless show, regardless of their pre-stage state, highlighting a unique aspect of rockstar endurance and mastery.
Tommy Lee describes his father's role in building early Mötley Crüe stage elements, including a drum riser with lights and even homemade pyro devices using gunpowder in the backyard.
This reveals the DIY, raw, and often dangerous origins of early rock spectacle, showcasing the dedication and unconventional support system that contributed to the band's iconic stage presence before professional production teams were involved.
Joe Rogan and Tommy Lee discuss the concept of the solar system not being stationary but constantly 'hurling through space,' meaning Earth has traveled over 15 trillion miles since Mötley Crüe's debut in 1980.
This moment provides a profound, mind-bending perspective on time and existence, contrasting the personal journey of a rockstar with the vast, continuous movement of the universe, making the human experience feel simultaneously significant and minuscule.
Quotes
"I'm so proud that he did exactly the opposite of his dad."
"It's just that little like I don't know that little pirate thing starts to happen."
"I'm just lucky to be here. I'm I'm lucky I get to do this. I always say to people like there's there's a couple of things that are involved with that whole thing. There's some luck, some talent, some timing of things. And when those things kind of all line up, um, and it happens for you, it just happens at f***ing supersonic speeds where like a lot of it's a f***ing blur."
"It's just an encapsulation of emotion with sound frequencies that just changes your physical state."
"The number one objective is to get you to slow the f*** down."
"I think I was a f***ing tree like in a past life because I I'm I'm I'm like maybe you were a tree too. I'm like you like the I don't know if you're like this gnarly about it but every time I go into a city the first thing I look look at is the trees."
"You lost years of your life in the f***ing car."
"The world was a different place. People were different. Information was different. Our version of reality was different."
"Enzo believed that the music that you should be listening to is the sound of the engine."
Q&A
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