Vince Neil Claims ‘No Idea’ About Metallica Feud, Hangs Up On Interviewer [Audio]
Vince Neil went on Portland’s 105.9 The Brew to discuss Motley Crue’s final tour, and things took a turn for the uncomfortable when the host of Tanner in the Morning brought up the long-standing Metallica feud. The Motley Crue singer said that he had no idea there was a feud between his band and Metallica, deflected the interviewer’s questions, and then hung up the phone.
The interview began with talk of Motley Crue’s final tour, and Neil went on at length about the pyrotechnics they have added, and how happy he is with the set list. Then Tanner pointed out that fans have wondered whether or not this will actually be the band’s last hurrah.
Asked if Motley Crue might set up shop in Vegas, or stage a reunion if the price is right, Neil said that this is it for the band. “No, Motley Crue is done,” Neil told Tanner. “Motley Crue is over.”
Last year, Neil claimed that Motley Crue would stop touring, but that the band could still play together in the future.
Then Tanner brings up the rumored feud between Motley Crue and Metallica, which has supposedly been going on since at least the late 1990s. According to Tanner, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich accused Motley Crue of using a backing tape at a live performance in 1997. Tanner then starts to read a vintage 1997 AOL post by Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx, tearing into Ulrich, but it’s already clear that Vince Neil is not interested in the subject.
Vince starts to interrupt Tanner, so the host stops reading and asks what the deal is with Motley Crue and Metallica.
“You’d have to ask Nikki about that,” Vince tells Tanner. “I had no idea there was anything between us and Metallica, until I read it. I had no idea.”
Tanner then brings up Tommy Lee’s recent Twitter post, where the Motley Crue drummer blasted Metallica’s Ulrich.
— T?mmy L33 (@MrTommyLand) September 20, 2015
“I know. I know, I saw it,” Vince tells Tanner. “But like I said, to comment on it, I had nothing to do with it. Like I said, I had no idea there was any bad blood between us and Metallica.”
Neil goes on to make the bizarre claim that there is no lip-syncing in rock and roll.
“There is no lip-syncing in rock and roll; I mean, it just doesn’t happen. So it’s kind of stupid thing to even talk about, because, I mean, anybody who goes to the show can tell there’s no lip-syncing involved. It’s pretty lame.”
Vince Neil may have a narrow view of what constitutes “rock and roll” in which that statement makes sense, but lip-syncing has been “in rock and roll” since the start. Everyone remembers Milli Vanilli’s fall from grace, Ashlee Simpson’s bizarre lip-sync breakdown hoedown on Saturday Night Live, and a host of other instances that don’t strictly involve rock and roll. But according to the New York Times, American Bandstand used pre-recorded vocals and instrumentals exclusively.
According to Metal Sucks, Vince himself has admitted to problems with his Las Vegas set list that may have required a little help from some tape. That isn’t an admission that Neil has ever used a pre-recorded vocal track, but it is strange to claim that nobody has ever done it in the history of rock music.
Tanner persisted with his questioning about the supposed feud between Motley Crue and Metallica, but Vince wasn’t willing to engage on the subject. According to Entertainment Weekly, Vince Neil hung up on Tanner as the host attempted to wrap up the interview.
The full audio of the interview is available below.
Do you think Tanner went too far in pushing Vince Neil to talk about the Metallica feud, or was Vince too touchy?
[Photos by Bryan Steffy and Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images Entertainment]
