Motley Crue Latest Artists To Blame “Rock Star” For Their Woes

Rock Star has already been blamed for scuttling the Jane’s Addiction reunion, and now Motley Crue has decided that they want to get in on the blame-reality-TV game, filing a lawsuit claiming that Tommy Lee’s involvement in the show–as well as the Tommy Lee Goes To College project–caused damage to the band’s bottom line:

Plaintiffs Lee, Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil and Mick Mars allege that Stubner and his company, Sanctuary Management Group, over-promoted Lee’s unsuccessful side projects while dropping the ball with Mötley Crüe, which, per the complaint, grossed more than $30 million on its worldwide Red, White & Crüe tour but sustained damages because Lee was not available at the band’s disposal, causing them to perform fewer dates.

Lee’s packed schedule also prevented him from promptly joining his band mates in the studio in 2006 to record an album that, per an agreement they had with Wal-Mart, was supposed to be released this year.

Stubner acknowledged during a meeting at his office in December 2005 that Lee was “overexposed,” the lawsuit states, and agreed that Lee should be “exclusively available” to record, tour and film a movie supporting the tour.

But, then came Rock Star: Supernova in 2006, and Lee’s unavailability supposedly forced Mötley Crüe to cancel 40 shows and lose more than $8 million in ticket and merchandise sales.

The show’s lackluster ratings and the so-so success Supernova achieved after the fact “diminished the public’s interest in Lee and their overall perception of his musical talents,” the lawsuit reads.

The show did that? Because we were pretty sure that the ball started rolling down that particular hill when Generation Swine hit the shelves.

Mötley Crüe Accuses Manager of Dirty Dealings [E! Online]