Mötley Crüe
“They're starting a residency in Las Vegas at the end of this year, so they just keep coming up with great music and experiences for their fans. Just to be associated with an act like this in any way shape or form, is absolutely nuts. We all know their rock and roll anthems and obviously, we all know Dr. Feelgood, their multi platinum record! So when you get the call to work with a band like this, you're gonna get nervous and want to do your best work. It's not everyday that you get to be side by side with Tommy Lee bashing the shit out of his drums for two hours.”
“How I came to work with Mötley Crüe is a great story of happenstance that really starts with my director/cinematographer/editor/drone pilot friend, Sam Shapiro. He is one of Danny Wimmer Presents Inc., long-time cinematographers. Sam's been working on festivals for DWP for many years now, like Aftershock, Louder Than Life, Sonic Temple and Welcome to Rockville. When you get hired by DWP, you get to shoot 30+ bands a day over four days, seven weekends a year, which is pretty nuts!”
“Sam also travels all over the world with Mötley Crüe, in the same way I used to with KoЯn. So we both have a very similar approach to working with big bands. For many years now, Sam and I have both been working together for DWP shooting music festivals together and beyond.”
“About a year and half ago, Sam calls me saying Mötley Crüe are back in the recording studio again. He said they'll be at NRG in North Hollywood, which is one of the most notorious recording studios in LA. So this is a really big deal as it's the first time in years that Mötley Crüe has been back in the recording studio working with their new guitarist, John 5 and legendary music producer, Bob Rock. Sam then tells me, that it's all happening at 8am the next day, and that he is on another job and can't make it!”
“I hadn't even met Mötley Crüe before this project. And this was going to be the very first time in years, that the guys were going to be in the recording studio working on music together. What a story. It was absolutely insane when you think about it.”
“When I showed up at eight in the morning, there's this giant birthday cake on the recording desk for Bob Rock's 69th birthday. The band rolls in, and then Bob shows up, and everybody starts singing happy birthday. And here I am, documenting the whole thing. It was only after the cake was cut, that I got to shake everybody's hand and introduce myself.”
“Then they all got into the live room and started to jam live all together in a circle looking at each other and feeding off of each other, which is pretty rare in this day and age. And here I was being the invisible man in the middle of them capturing it all.”
“I don't know how old Tommy Lee is, but he had the energy of a 16 year old in the recording studio. When he was in the control room listening back to the takes, he was geeking out on his own music like a kid again. You can see it in the footage - he is head banging and fucking throwing stuff around because he's genuinely excited about doing new shit with his brothers. That's something their fans probably wouldn't have got to know if it wasn't captured on film.”
“Music is such a big part of me. I am a music lover first and a cinematographer second. It's such a big part of my life that I can anticipate what any musician is going to do next. Because I shoot mostly in unscripted environments, being able to anticipate important moments is critical. If there's a private conversation or a big moment with the producer, you have to be two steps ahead of those moments. When you are documenting these kinds of unguarded moments, you also need to know when to stop rolling.”
“This is one of the most important parts of the band and cinematographer relationship. When the band wants its conversations to be private, you have to visually make it crystal clear that you are aware it's a private moment, and that you've stopped recording on every single device. That's part of your professionalism. If you're trying to catch the gossip, or whatever, you're never gonna get a call back. So you've got to be on top of all this when you're invited to be part of these special moments, especially in the sanctuary of the recording studio.”
“Having worked with Mötley Crüe on Dogs of War in 2023, Sam Shapiro asked me to help again with their concert at the Troubadour a year and a half later. This event was part of the band's ‘Hollywood Takeover' where they were playing all of the famous Sunset Strip venues, like the Roxy and The Whisky a Go Go to celebrate the release of their new music. The Troubadour is like a cat-box because it is so small. So to have a gigantic band like that playing in such a small venue was pretty wild.”
“Working as second camera with Sam at this concert was nuts. And we were also rubbing elbows with the legendary rock photographer, Ross Halfin at the same time. Mötley Crüe hadn't played a small venue like this in a very long time, so we knew this was going to be big. We knew the band were going to appear on the street in front of the Troubadour in the middle of the fans. So Sam and I had to really strategize on how we were going to shoot such an epic entrance. Concerts like Mötley Crüe at the Troubadour, remind you of why this is the best career in the world.”
