Tommy Lee on his new album “ANDRO,” Starbucks, cooking, and how you correctly say “gyro”

Mötley Crüe drummer, Tommy Lee, stays busy with a variety of projects

While known to many millions of people as the beloved drummer of Mötley Crüe, Tommy Lee has always kept busy with a variety of projects. Beyond a solo career as a musician, he wrote the New York Times best-seller Tommyland, as well as co-authoring the best-selling The Dirt, which was later adapted into a Netflix-released film, and starring in and producing three different television shows.

Mötley Crüe’s Summer 2020 stadium tour with Poison, Def Leppard and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts is currently on hold, but Tommy Lee himself has new music to speak of. ANDRO is a full-length album and it is slated for release on October 16, 2020. Two tracks from ANDRO have already been released, “Knock Me Down” (featuring Killvein) and “Tops” (featuring Push Push), and both of those songs have music videos directed by Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst.

Although a touring musician for 40-ish years, Tommy Lee is surprisingly no stranger when it comes to cooking or fine foods. We spoke about this and plenty more within our June 12, 2020 conversation via Zoom. As you’ll hear from the full chat on the Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz podcast, he was a blast to speak with no matter the topic.

For more on Lee and ANDRO check out his website for details.

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Highlights from a June 2020 interview with Tommy Lee

On his abilities in the kitchen, as shown on an episode of AXS TV’s Rock & Roll Road Trip With Sammy Hagar:

Tommy Lee: I love to cook. I just saw Sammy a few days ago, he’s doing really well, I love that guy… My Greek mother taught me a lot. My father cooked also, not all the time, mostly all the big holiday dinners… Maybe even more than cooking, I enjoy the time. It’s that weird quiet time of preparing, chopping and getting things ready and prepping and tasting as you’re going. That whole kind of ritual, I get to check out for a little while. Does that make sense?

On whether cooking Greek food is his specialty:

Tommy Lee: It’s one of them. My mom taught me, it’s the go-to dish when you’re not feeling well, I guess it would be the American version of a chicken soup or a matzoh ball kind of a soup. It always makes you feel good, it’s called Avgolemono, it’s an egg and lemon soup with chicken and orzo, which looks like a fatter rice… Of course Lamb Souvlaki, you marinate that the day before. I’ve had recipes from her that I’ve saved and I still use today. I love cooking, man, it’s a cool indoor sport. (laughs)

On the proper pronunciation of “gyro”:

Tommy Lee: It’s “year-roh”… It’s so funny when people call it a “jye-roh.”

On whether it’s true that he has a Starbucks in his home, per an old episode of MTV Cribs:

Tommy Lee: Of course it’s still here! (shows drink) This is actually my new jam, I just found out about these, I learned about it on the golf course. It’s called a Transfusion. It’s ginger ale with a little splash of grape juice, that’s a “virgin” Transfusion, a real one would have vodka in it. This is a virgin! I just switched over, but I’ve had a couple of cappuccinos this morning. Yes, Starbucks is actually right next to the studio door. It’s right outside the studio. (laughs)

I lived up in Malibu at the top of Mulholland, and to go down to Starbucks was literally a 20-minute trek down to Starbucks and 20-minutes back, that’s like a 40-minute run to get a freakin’ coffee. I think I was complaining one day because I was tired of doing that and I was complaining to my accountant and I was like, “I would just kill if there was a Starbucks that was closer, or I had one in my house.” I was just bulls***ing, really, and he goes, “I represent several of the Starbucks chains, let me make some phone calls and see if I can get the people who do the installs with the machinery.” He made a couple of calls and boom, they came over and installed the machines and the grinders and the pump flavors, you name it. The whole deal — they brought me the green Starbucks apron… It’s a legit Starbucks down here, it’s crazy. (laughs)

On whether he ever wears said Starbucks apron:

Tommy Lee: I usually don’t wear the apron, but it’s fun to have.

Do you know anyone else who has a Starbucks in their home? Would you want a Starbucks in your home? Give us all the details in the comments below.