On Saturday January 18, 2020, The CRÜE made their debut at the BFE Club in Houston. This Mötley Crüe Tribute Band delivered a stunning performance to the delight of screaming fans. With a meticulous attention to details and a priority for authenticity, we were able to recreate the look and sounds of this iconic 80’s Glam Metal Band.
This inspired me to take a trip down Memory Lane:
Way back in 1983, in a different time, in a different world, I was a young 20 something winding down their studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, when I was conscripted by the F.I.T. Job Bank to intern for a project with a well known designer. The project involved assisting in the creation of dancer’s costumes for an entirely new concept known as a “Music Video”. So novel was the concept that the lady from the job bank said that music was meant to be heard, not watched! Remember at that time, MTV was just a fledgling second tier cable station that could not even get the broadcast rights in Manhattan! The fact that Strap Hangers in the Bridge & Tunnel communities were able to enjoy this cool new station but not the Manhattan trendsetters, sparked such an outrage that it spawned that ubiquitous ad campaign starring the top musicians of the day screaming: “I WANT MY MTV!”
The video was for a then unknown band who went by the unlikely name of Mötley Crüe. Or at least that was the name taped to the “Ditty Bags”. I had never heard of them nor did I ever meet the band members. Even if they did walk through Mr Legaspi’s studio, costume shop protocols dictates that anyone below the status of designer, could not speak or look at the performers, unless they were spoken to first. Remember, the “costumes” were to be for dancers that had not even been cast yet. But the band’s name stuck and from then on my fellow internee and I would refer to each other as the “The Motley Crew”. Once my week long internship was over, I collected my mere pittance of a stipend and got on with my life. Several months later, Manhattan Cable tired of hearing the screaming demands of their audience, added MTV to their lineup. That, and another curiosity called a “24 hour news channel”, CNN. So imagine my surprise when I am sitting in my living room watching the latest “Haircut 100” video, or whatever. All of the sudden a “Premiere Video” began playing called “Looks That Kill” by non other than “Mötley Crüe”! YOWZA! I began screaming at my roommate: “LISA COME DOWN HERE! IT’S THAT VIDEO I TOLD YOU ABOUT!!!”. We watched the video together and it was really quite stunning in it’s look and presentation. It was the first time I had seen a band combine Glam and Metal and hence a new genre was coined: “Glam Metal”. Oh yes and I caught some brief glimpses of the leg warmers on the dancers that were cut and sewn by yours truly. I was a part of Rock’nRoll History. How ‘bout that?
More importantly, who knew that nearly 36 years later I would be commissioned by a representative of “The Crüe”, a Tribute Band, to recreate their iconic Glam Metal costumes for a whole new generation! It was one of my most fun and challenging projects as I collaborated with the band members to bring back the sights and sounds of a previous era. By studying early concert footage and an abundance of images provided by The CRÜE, the original costumes were brought to life. And no, I did not have to cut and sew any leg warmers this time. Like I said, the project was challenging in the sense that many of the fabrications and embellishments were difficult to source. In particular because I live in a city that is lacking the infrastructure and skilled labor pool to support this type of business. So most of the materials had to be ordered in and finding reliable contractors to assist in the completion of the project was nearly impossible. Thankfully I was blessed to find the services of “Twisted Arrow Goods”, amazing leatherworkers here in Houston, who were able to lend their assistance to the completion of the project. Thanks to their enthusiasm and the enthusiasm of the band members, the baby was delivered in good health.
So I would like to take you on a quick journey on the making of the Mötley schemata’s based on the original designs and given a modern twist for comfort and wearability. The authenticity of the costumes served to back up the strong performance they delivered last Saturday. The CRÜE’S masterly musicianship and spot on choreography, backed by the costumes helped to nail a killer performance, bringing us all back to those heady early days of Glam Metal.
“Vince Neil”
Vince’s costume was perhaps one of the most challenging to recreate. What appears to be a skimpy little harness with a codpiece and tight pants is really a miracle of engineering. Watching some of the original concert footage of the actual band, it was a bit painful to see all of the wardrobe malfunctions occurring as the real Vince sang and danced onstage. I was determined to not allow that to happen on my watch, so I made it my imperative that every component of this costume was securely anchored in place. Another challenge of this costume was finding the appropriate studs and nail heads. In particular the triangular pyramids which were sourced from a supplier in New York City. Seeing the final outcome is like seeing a the original come back to life. It’s said that in life we all have a doppelgänger and I think that Vince has found his.
“Mick Mars”
Mick’s was probably one of the easiest to recreate as you can see the design is pretty straightforward in keeping with the artistic sensibilities of the artist. The CRÜE guitarist is an excellent musician (actually they ALL are excellent) and so comfort was the number one priority here. My goal here was to create a costume that was totally authentic but at the same time allow the wearer to apply his art on stage to the thrill of the adoring fans.
“Tommy Lee”
Even though, I had seen the “Looks that Kill” video hundreds of times, I was still bedazzled by the amount of work on his pectoral and the complexity of the design. My approach was to break down the design, section by section then putting it all together. Our biggest challenge here was to reproduce the “dimpled” studs along the lower row of the pectoral. Remember, these original costumes were built way back in 1983 and some of these embellishments no longer exist. By employing a technique called “peening” we were able to recreate the “dimple” effect from a regular domed stud. It’s a pity Tommy has to sit behind the drum kit because the audience is denied seeing his cool costume. But he is a solid drummer and his tight beats leads the rest of the musicians through the set with stunning precision!
“Nikki Sixx”
Who can forget can forget Nikki with his under eye black stripes? Here, we recreated his 2 epaulets and a bias strapped body harness which was anchored to a double cross belt. It was important that every aspect of this costume be balanced, in particular because the larger epaulet was extremely heavy and sat on the right shoulder of his playing hand, it was crucial that this component sit securely on the shoulder but not interfere with his guitar playing.
Would you like to see more?
Click on the image above to be directed to my YouTube Channel and you can see for yourself how their excellent musicianship and attention to detail served to nail an unforgettable performance. (Plus the costumes aren’t bad either!)
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