TOMMY LEE IS A PUTZ

For all the awesome things about being famous — y’know, the money, the women, the drugs, all the free swag, the fact that your job is do something you(‘re supposed to) love to a crowd of thousands of admirers who will all literally stand up and applaud you and your work — I’m sure that it has its downsides, too. Being a public figure means that the paparazzi might follow you around and take pictures of you, your personal life will at times become public knowledge, and smart ass bloggers all over the internet probably feel like they have a right to discuss and judge your actions and call you mean names, like “putz.”

That being said, it’s worth noting that most famous people chose to try and get famous, and Tommy Lee isn’t well known for, like, accidentally falling down a well or saving a puppy from oncoming traffic or something — he’s a performer. He’s well known for selling millions of records and playing his drums in front of millions of fans all over the world and being on reality television shows and writing books about his life and wearing loud clothing that helps make him the center of attention and going to clubs and parties and sleeping with and/or marrying women who are also attention whores. And that’s fine! That’s a choice he’s made in life. I’m not judging. I’m just saying, if he’s gonna be TOMMY LEE, SUPERSTAHHHH!, he must be aware that, yes, there are going to be some consequences.

And yet, this dude had the balls to post the below (highly articulate) message on his Facebook page yesterday:

A few thoughts on this:

1. Again, Tommy Lee CHOSE to pursue fame — as he himself says, “Nobody put me where I am but ME!” (I think that the other members of Motley Crue, Tom Zutaut, Heather Locklear, and Pamela Anderson might disagree, but I understand what he’s trying to say.) He could have walked away at any time — hell, Izzy Stradlin quit Guns N’ Roses in 1991, just two months after the Use Your Illusion albums came out, at the height of that band’s fame, and basically dropped off the face of the planet. It IS possible to say “I don’t like this and I don’t wanna do it anymore.” But Tommy Lee never said that. In fact, all evidence suggests that he LOVES being a celebrity. So, again, he should be aware that taking pictures with fans — y’know, the people who support him and allow him to lead the lifestyle he does — is part of the game. Tommy Lee has probably taken so many photos with so many fans that he’s long since forgotten most of them, but to the fans who get to pose with him, well, he probably MADE THEIR LIFE. He should be gracious about it.
2. It is possible to POLITELY decline to take a photo with a fan with the situation is not appropriate. I once saw an A-List movie star do so because he was with his kids, just trying to be a dad. I think that’s totally cool. A fan should recognize when it’s maybe not the best time to ask for a photo. But to put out a blanket statement like this is saying “NO PHOTOS EVER?” Why would you do that?
3. As Bring Back Glam points out, Tommy Lee and his bandmates routinely charge “$1,500 per ticket for the Motley Crue VIP Experience,” at which fans can not only meet the members of the group, but also… have their photo taken with them. So, in other words, Tommy Lee doesn’t mind taking pictures with fans — so long as he’s being handsomely rewarded for his troubles.

So. Like I said: What. A. PUTZ.

Weigh in with your thoughts below. I suspect some of you disagree with my stance.

-AR