Before the Drum Risers, Tommy Lee Had a Very Different Side Hustle
Rock king Tommy Lee has revealed that long before Mötley Crüe came knocking, he briefly made money as a male escort—and apparently kept the receipts.
Lee shared the unexpected chapter while visiting Armchair Expert, hosted by Dax Shepard with co-host Monica Padman. The drummer joined the show for a wide-ranging conversation about his upbringing, finding refuge behind a drum kit, building Mötley Crüe and the winding road that led to rock superstardom.
Somewhere along that road came a side hustle that paid far better than the weekly allowance Lee was living on at the time.
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Revisit Tommy Lee’s road to rock stardom
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According to Lee, the dates paid about $500 each at a time when he was receiving only around $20 a week. He recalled doing roughly nine or ten dates, most of which involved dinner and companionship.
But not every evening ended with a polite check and goodbye. Lee said some of the older women who booked him expected more than conversation once dinner was over.
The story lands as one more wild pre-fame detail in a life already packed with enough excess, chaos and rock mythology to fill several autobiographies. Before the arena tours, drum solos and Sunset Strip legend, Tommy Lee was simply looking for a way to make real money—and found one that paid considerably better than allowance.
Lee’s appearance also moves beyond the headline-ready confession, touching on his childhood between Greece and California, ballet’s unexpected influence on his performance style, dropping out of school after landing a record deal and Mötley Crüe’s rise from Hollywood clubs to worldwide fame.
Watch Tommy Lee’s Full Armchair Expert Conversation
Tommy Lee sits down with Dax Shepard and Monica Padman for the complete conversation covering his childhood, drumming, Mötley Crüe and the unexpected hustle he had before fame.
The additional archival clip comes from a later chapter in Lee’s life, capturing him inside a Los Angeles boot shop on the eve of his wedding to Heather Locklear. Lee explains that the shop made Mötley Crüe’s stage boots and that he stopped in for a custom pair of white boots for the ceremony.
Watch Tommy Lee Shop for Wedding Boots Before Marrying Heather Locklear
In the vintage interview, Lee talks about ordering custom white boots in Los Angeles one day before his wedding to Dynasty star Heather Locklear.
Source: Armchair Expert.
