Customer Reviews

Tattoos & Tequila: To Hell and Back with One of Rock's Most Notorious Frontmen

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

If you've read Motley Crue's 2001 book The Dirt, the content here may not seem all that different to you, and that's because it's not. Tattoos & Tequila is the autobiography of Motley Crue's Vince Neil, the book has new content that was not previously in The Dirt and it does go more into Vince's life and what it was like and he can certainly tell interesting stories. But a lot of it was already in The Dirt. Honestly, Tattoos & Tequila seems a bit of a cash-in, at this point there's already been The Dirt, Nikki released his book-journal, The Heroin Diaries, Tommy had Tommyland, maybe it was time for Vince to release a book. Unfortunately, it's not as good as either Nikki's or Tommy's book, it's badly written, and there are many errors (repeated sentence for one, not correctly spelling "girls" among others...), the book seems too rushed. Vince also released his new solo album Tattoos & Tequila in June so maybe they wanted to bring more cash in by writing a book, I don't know.

I feel genuinely sad for Vince, I love Motley Crue and he was a terrific singer but I certainly don't envy him. Neil got married quite a few times, had sex with a ton of women and truly lived the rock'n'roll lifestyle but he comes off as ungrateful and arrogant. In Vince's life there have been many divorces, the death of his daughter Skylar, he killed his buddy Razzle and severely injured two other people in a car accident, lawsuits, facelifts, band disputes, unsuccessful band and other struggles and interesting events. You'd think that Vince would have learned a lesson or two and try to live a more normal life and do something to help himself...but no, sadly he is still getting drunk and living the same way he lived all his life. The worst part is he probably doesn't even know it, or simply refuses to acknowledge it. At the same time there are some truths in T&T, Vince knows he's a singer for hire in Motley Crue these days and he tells the reader about it but there are other occasions where you would want more insight. For instance, he talks about Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy's wife, and says how evil he thinks he she is but doesn't tell us a whole lot of "why he hates her", he ends the part on Sharon by saying "Man, if only you knew...".

One of the book's most interesting moments comes when Nikki Sixx writes a page or two about Vince and Motley Crue. Sixx says that he feels sorry for Neil as he doesn't understand why Vince would be in a band with people he doesn't like and can barely tolerate, Nikki has kind words about Vince and considers him a friend and a big part of Motley Crue obviously. That right there should tell you something. I was surprised this part was even included in the book; but you can't help but be sorry for Vince as well.

In conclusion the book is poorly written and you don't gain any sort of respect for Vince Neil (in fact it might be the opposite) afterwards, Vince doesn't come off as someone who's learned anything from his mistakes or his life. If you're a fan of Motley Crue you might want to read Vince's autobiography and you have every right too, I too am a fan and wanted to read Tattoos and Tequila. A good co-author would've really helped Vince's book, he could have given Vince some good ideas on what the fans wanted to know or it could have an overal better and more organised book. Maybe I'd wait until the price comes down a little to buy it, 3 stars.

As a teenager, Vince Neil's face adorned just about every single inch of my room. At 35, while I may not have his posters up anymore, I still go to Crue concerts every chance I get with the zeal of a teenager. With that said, I was excited to learn more about Vince from his own words.

I wasn't disappointed in the content, per say, but the way it is written is horrendous and hideously unprofessional. In the beginning, when Vince is talking about growing up in Compton there's a section where he got knifed. Then he ate ice cream. And then somehow that turned into a crush on his teacher, and then there was an interjection out of nowhere from his mother about getting his girlfriend Tami pregnant. As a Vince fan, of course I knew about her and his son, but the book had not yet introduced her to us, and the part he was discussing before the mother's entry was from when he was 10-11 years old.

Then there's an interview with his sister, and his family apparently doesn't know if they're Spanish or Mexican but they're not Irish. What? Some of it was cool hearing about how they grew up together, but then she goes on to mention how she doesn't tell people who her brother is, except her business card mentions "Crue" at the bottom. After that she points out how she doesn't ask Vince for houses, or cars, or money, but if he wants to give them to her, that's cool. Really? Does that even need to be in the book? How is that even relevant? If anything, it makes Vince look like a cheapskate for not buying her houses/cars etc...

The word "Like" is used way too many times. "Like this one time we were like, over there in a yard, you know, next the blue house that was like kinda creepy?" My 8 year old can write a better sentence.

The book certainly gave me a different view of Vince, and unfortunately, not for the better. He's got the emotional depth of a pencil. When Razzle was killed in the accident, after they had just removed his friends bloody body off of him, his first thought was how destroyed his new car was. Wives are interchangeable. In fact, I'm surprised after number 2, any self respecting woman would even think of marrying him. The latest one, the one he calls his "partner", Lia, wife #4 - well, he just left her. You can even tell in the way he writes, even though they were together, he was pretty ambivalent about her.

There was some humor - the way he described Sharon Osbourne arriving on the 1984 tour gave me a vision of Ursula at the end of Little Mermaid. Giant, imposing, and scaring the crap out of everyone.

None of this is Vince's fault. He did what he was supposed to do. He gave the interviews, and told the tale, but the co-author failed miserably at his job. It's almost as though he plugged his voice recorder into a computer and had the computer type it up and, "Presto!" there's the book.

I wouldn't say, "Don't buy the book" because there really is quite a bit of interesting stuff, but buyer beware. You're going to want to rip your hair out when you see how poorly written it is.

I used to like Vince Neil, but after reading this book, he is completely lost. He is so scatter brained in the book, poorly written. He contradicts everything he has said in interviews and videos and denies he has said them. I have lost all respect for the guy. I think this book was just a vehicle to get a quick buck to further his addictions and finance his realestate ventures.

Wow, what a disappointment, you know? (Yeah, for those that have read it already, you'll realize that about half the sentences end with 'you know?')

This book is like a rock star that isn't able to get away from being a "rock star." It's so stereotypical. About half if not more seemed to be memories of things that might of happened. I can't believe I managed to get through the whole thing. Probably because I've always been such a Motley Crue fan at heart and I figured to give it a chance. What a waste.

About halfway through it, I started seeing a pattern of what was truth and what wasn't. The writing style changed, the feel and honesty changed. When it seemed like the truth, the book got much better, when it was full of "this is how I'm going to talk because I'm a rock star you know?" it fell very flat.

I will say that I liked hearing Vince's side to the whole Motley Crue breakup and what happened from his point of view. But I didn't need a whole book to determine that!

My suggestion: Buy it used, after reading about all the money he brags about making and just the thought of giving him more that isn't music related, makes me pretty sad. This is a total sell out. Yuck! Stick to singing Vince!

I read the majority of this book in one day. It was hard to put down. I think any fan of Motley Crue will enjoy reading the book. I thought it was interesting and at times shocking to hear about Vince Neil's sex life and his dislike of mostly everyone including his bandmates.

There's two sides to every story. In this book, we are only getting his side. Only one band member wrote a section for the book. It makes me wonder why the others wouldn't contribute anything to the book. Other people have refused as well. In other reviews, references are made about the biography The Dirt. If your going to read this book, then it makes sense to get the whole story by reading the other one as well. It would be very interesting to hear other perspectives of how things may have really happened.

Vince Neil does a lot of talking about other peoples' problems, but I'd like to know what his were? All through out the book he never owned up to his shortcomings with the band. As much as I liked the band/Vince Neil growing up, I can't take everything he says as the absolute truth. I have to question the accurateness of his personal accounts within the story. I'm not saying he's a liar, I'm just saying that how one person perceives something is different from how another will preceive something.

I do like how the book is told in a chronological order in his voice. I liked reading the excerpts from people in his life of stories that either confirm or contradict his own. What would have been better was to interview some of the people who he made mean comments about (sharon osbourne and izzy stradlin) just to see what they had to say about him and how they would describe certain instances. Then the book wouldn't have been so one sided.

Regardless, I enjoyed the book because it leaves you with many questions still to be answered.

Vince has such a bad taste in his mouth over Motley Crue, and that's a shame. Like another reviewer stated previously, the book is nothing more than a long series of interviews. Throughout the book, I just got disgusted at how, Vince hasn't learned anything from his mistakes. He can't be alone, he keeps getting married and cheating on these women. Cheating to him is just a way of life. He continues to drink despite the trouble he's been in, which blows my mind. His current wife stated that he still takes pills. I think age will be Vince's biggest enemy. He's followed Sammy Hagar's business model, and has ventured out. He goes on about all of the things he is doing.

The book is a long laundry list of girls he has slept with, and a tribute to his partying lifestyle to which he still maintains. You think the guy would stop marrying women, and save himself some money. You think he could sober up. Time will catch up to him, no matter how many facelifts he gets, or women he sleeps with.

If you have already read "The Dirt" or Nikki Sixx's "The Heroin Diaries", you will find nothing new in Vince Niel's book. The is no storyline in the biography, seems like the story is going nowhere. The interesting insights and points Vince Neil wants to tell, have already been told in "The Dirt". It seems like the book has been put out as a part of promoting his other buisnesses(restaurents, tattoo shops and teguila company) - the convacation with the ghost writer even takes place in one of Niel's restaurents in Vegas. All his other companies are heavely promoted during the book.

It seems like the book never comes around to talk about what the reader wants to read. The only thing I took with me after reading the book, was a perception of a person who never learned from his mistakes, not sure Vince Niel has reached that conclusion him self though.

I like Motley Crue but this book is the worst. It is not worth buying.

Stick with something else.

The guy has issues where he cannot be alone, so he has to be with any woman. So

we we'll marry them. Give me a break. Typical rock and roll crap.

If he hates the guys in MC then why do it, for the cash.

Typical crap from a insecure singer. Spend your money on something else.

Wow, after reading this, I know where the problem lies in Motley Crue! Vince Neil's book does nothing for him, except to make himself out to be an ungrateful, spoiled bore. He goes on and on and on about how awful Nikki, Tommy and Mick are, yet never acknowledges any of his own flaws. I got so tired of hearing how women just flock to him, and about his constant cheating on his wives. Everything was poor Vince, everybody mistreats him, the other guys are so mean, wah, wah, wah. Really Vince, get over yourself. The Dirt, The Heroin Diaries and Tommyland were all good reads, but unless you want to lower your opinion of Vince, save your money and don't bother with this book. The guy is so delusional, he thinks that any day now The Vince Neil Band will be selling out arenas!

First and foremost, I am a huge 40 year old Motley Crue fan and they have been my all time fav band since 1981. Reading the Dirt was an eye opening expierience into the world of Motley. Reading Vinces new autobiography "Tattoos and Tequila" is mostly a rehash of the Dirt but with tidbits of more info in some areas and sections written by his ex-wives. Besides the new interviews and the events that have taken place since 2001's release of the Dirt, its the same read. The book is not well written. It is full of typos and it is easy to see the co-author just recorded what Vince said and then put it to print. Vince has shown himself to be a complete moron in this book. He complains about Motley, about Nikki, Tommy and Mick and blames them for everything, never once admitting he may have been in the wrong as well. As I said, Vince bashes Motley at every turn and admits he's on a "contract" status with them but boasts about all his restaurant, airline, clothes and tattoo businesses, his cars and what not, not ever saying thank you to Motley or the fans for providing him these nice perks as it sure as heck isn't his solo career making him any money. The book seems to be full of lies. He is on his fourth marriage and according to his latest wife, he still drinks, pops pills and what not. Vince says he's clean. It's very easy to see Vince only cares about himself. I lost respect for Vince after reading the Dirt and now I have NONE after reading this book. After reading the Dirt, Heroine Diaries and Tommyland, I sense Vince is the major problem in Motley, not Nikki, Tommy or Mick.