Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee Faces Possible Lawsuit over Drum Rollercoaster
The drum rollercoaster has become a major attraction at Motley Crue‘s live shows, but there’s someone ready to challenge the notion that Tommy Lee or the band came up with the idea on their own.
TMZ reports that engineer Scott King sent a letter to the band’s legal team, claiming that Lee turned down his pitch for the drum rollercoaster 20 years ago, then decided to proceed with it as his own for the band’s 2011 tour.
King says he never received a penny from the band, and he’s looking for compensation after pitching the idea back in 1991. He claims he’s ready to sue if need be, but the band’s legal team isn’t giving into the threats. They sent back their own letter insisting that King never approached Lee or offered the idea to the drummer. Plus, they add, that King’s model, that tracks all over the stage, is nothing like the band’s current stationary “drum ring.”
Lee has stated in the past, “Whenever the drummer started his drum solo, I wondered why people would leave to go get a beer, buy a t-shirt, restroom, whatever!! I wanted to show people what happens behind the drum set, so I decided to expose it all by flipping the drums vertical, upside-down, making them disappear and fly over the audiences heads!”
When asked about where the idea for his current kit came from, he added, “The coaster stems from when I started doing all that other s— years ago. It’s become one of those things where everyone is always asking, ‘What’s next? What’s next?’ That kind of pressure gets you thinking.”
So far, no lawsuit has been filed.