Throughout the 80s, during the heyday of Hair Metal, no band defined hard rock excess quite like Motley Crue. The band was notorious on the road for drug-fueled debauchery and headline-grabbing shenanigans. Sometimes, they went a bit too far.
That was 30 years ago, and it appears some things don’t change. Former Crue frontman Vince Neil recently pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery after a public fight with a woman outside a Las Vegas resort. According to various media reports, Neil was hanging out with actor Nic Cage, when an overzealous autograph seeker approached Cage and asked for his autograph. Neil, for reasons that remain unclear at this point, grabbed the woman – according to witnesses by the hair – and shoved her to the ground.
The fight, which the AP says happened on the sidewalk along the famed Vegas Strip last April, was not the first time Neil has been in trouble with the law. Five years ago Neil was arrested for battery after he – allegedly – assaulted his former girlfriend. Those charges were later dropped when Neil pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct.
Back in the hard-partying 80s, Neil was in a head-on car accident that killed rock drummer Razzle Dingley and was charged with vehicular manslaughter. Neil did 30 days in jail, five years of probation and paid more than $2 million in restitution.
These arrests – and others – simply amplified Neil’s reputation as a relentless party hound who was determined to live the decadent lifestyle he sang about to the fullest. Fans loved that hard-edged bad boy image on stage, encouraging Neil to continue adding to the legend. But, when the days of metal came to a close, life out of the spotlight was not so kind to Neil. Stints on reality TV and confessions on shows like Behind the Music kept Neil in front of fans, but a lot of the magic was gone. Now, at 55, even his most ardent fans expect more from the aging rocker.
In this case, Neil was fined $1,000 and ordered to undergo counseling to help with impulse control, probably because he won’t always have Nic Cage to hold him back when he wants to attack random fans on the sidewalk.
Elie Hirschfeld is a seasoned real estate developer in NYC.
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