MTLEY CRE's VINCE NEIL: 'We Are The Last Of The Rock Stars'

Frank De Blase of RochesterCityNewspaper.com recently conducted an interview with MTLEY CRE singer Vince Neil. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

RochesterCityNewspaper.com: After 30 years at it, who is showing up to CRE shows?

Vince: Well, you look out there and it's not only fans that grew up with us, but there are 12-year-old and 13-year-old kids with "Shout At The Devil" T-shirts on. It's really a diverse crowd; an attorney standing next to a biker and little kids on their dad's shoulders for their first concert experience. And there are just as many girls as there are guys - maybe even more girls than guys. Either way we're filling the places up like we always have.

RochesterCityNewspaper.com: What do you suppose is MTLEY CRE's lasting appeal?

Vince: People like to talk about us. Individually we're a bunch of idiots, and together we're one big crazy idiot.

RochesterCityNewspaper.com: A big crazy idiot that has survived in spite of itself.

Vince: Exactly. And when the four of us get together there's really magic there, and the fans see that when they come hear us play. It doesn't feel like we've been together 30 years. I still feel like we're playing the Whisky A Go-Go. We're still the same guys. We feed off the audience. They're going crazy and we're just having a good time out there.

RochesterCityNewspaper.com: Besides outside projects and artistic endeavors, what's something MTLEY CRE hasn't done yet?

Vince: We've pretty much done everything. I mean, we're not going to change styles. MTLEY CRE is MTLEY CRE. We're just going to continue making records and touring. We plan on doing Cre Fest 3 and bringing on a whole new batch of bands.

RochesterCityNewspaper.com: What is your advice to young bands coming up in your wake?

Vince: I'd say give 'em a show. Give 'em something to talk about. That's what we've always been about. When people leave a MTLEY CRE concert they go, "Fuck man, now that was cool." If you go out there and stand there and play your music... That's good for some kinds of bands, but it's not good for rock 'n' roll.

RochesterCityNewspaper.com: Why does it seem that you guys are the last of the rock stars?

Vince: It's really weird. A lot of bands just kind of don't care. They don't care about image, they don't care about the way they look, they don't care about putting on a show. This is entertainment, and they walk on stage wearing the same thing they wore getting there. And it loses it. It loses the magic of being a rock star. I think you're right; we are the last of the rock stars.

Read the entire interview from RochesterCityNewspaper.com.