The Eighties in America - Salem Press (2009)

Four young men formed Mötley Crüe in the Los An-
geles Sunset Strip music club scene in 1980 and 1981,
calling themselves Nikki Sixx (Frank Ferrano,
bassist), Tommy Lee (Thomas Lee Bass, drummer),
Mick Mars (Bob Deal, guitarist), and Vince Neil (Vin-
cent Neil Wharton, vocalist). The band’s wild live
shows, which included setting Sixx on fire, attracted a
dedicated following, and in December, 1981, the
band released an album,Too Fast for Love, on their
own label. Over sixteen thousand copies sold, attract-
ing the attention of a major label, Elektra, which
rereleased the album in 1982 to strong sales. This suc-
cess was followed byShout at the Devil(1983), which
was soon certified platinum. Mötley Crüe’s remain-
ing 1980’s albums wereTheatre of Pain(1985),Girls,
Girls, Girls(1987), andDr. Feelgood(1989), all of which
were quickly certified multi-platinum.Dr. Feelgood
reached number one on theBillboard200 chart.
A major reason for Mötley Crüe’s success was ca-
ble television channel MTV, which also launched in

1981. MTV became the primary venue for music vid-
      eos, and its inclusion of heavy metal videos substan-
      tially expanded the audiences for such bands as Ozzy
      Osbourne, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, and Mötley Crüe.
      Mötley Crüe’s look and sound earned them regular
      airplay on MTV, with their most requested video be-
      ing “Home Sweet Home,” fromTheatre of Pain.
      In the mid- to late 1980’s, heavy metal bands
      could be defined by their relationship to Mötley
      Crüe. Some bands, such as Poison, followed Mötley
      Crüe’s lead. Some, such as Guns n’ Roses, modified
      their approach to create a distinctive but related
      subgenre. Some, such as Metallica, rejected them,
      attempted to define their brand of heavy metal in
      opposition to Mötley Crüe’s variety. Those groups
      that followed Mötley Crüe followed both their musi-
      cal lead and their fashion sense, which in turn had
      been influenced by movies such asThe Road Warrior
      (1981) andBlade Runner(1982). In addition, Mötley
      Crüe’s members became poster boys for bad behav-
      ior. Drug and alcohol abuse were part of the band’s
      image. Nikki Sixx overdosed on heroin and had to
      be resuscitated after his heart stopped. Sixx, Lee,
      and Neil all had serious vehicle accidents, and a pas-
      senger in Neil’s car, Razzle, the drummer for the
      band Hanoi Rocks, was killed as a result of Neil’s
      drunk driving.

Impact Mötley Crüe epitomized the excess and
decadence of the United States in the 1980’s. In

their world, there was always room for more drugs,

more sex, more outlandish behavior, and louder

music. Many bands imitated them, and many fans

strove to follow their heroes’ lead, shaping both

the course and the mainstream popularity of heavy

metal music.

Further Reading

Bukszpan, Daniel.The Encyclöpedia öf Heavy Metal.

New York: Barnes & Noble, 2003.

Christe, Ian.Sound of the Beast. New York: Harper-

Entertainment, 2003.

Mötley Crüe, with Neil Strauss.The Dirt. New York:

HarperCollins, 2001.

Simmons, Sylvie, and Malcolm Dome.Mötley Crüe:

Lüde, Crüde, and Rüde. Chessington, Surrey, En-

gland: Castle Communications, 1994.

Charles Gramlich

See also Blade Runner; Bon Jovi; Drug Abuse Resis-

tance Education (D.A.R.E.); Fashions and clothing;

Guns n’ Roses; Heavy metal; MTV; Music; Music vid-

eos; Osbourne, Ozzy; Pop music; Van Halen.

Mount St. Helens eruption

The Event Disastrous volcanic explosion

Date May 18, 1980

Place Mount St. Helens, in Washington State

The catastrophic eruption of Mount St. Helens reduced the

height of the peak by thirteen hundred feet, devastated a

blast zone of 230 square miles, exploded some 540 million

tons of volcanic ash into the atmosphere, and claimed fifty-

seven lives. The event shocked the public and led to a new

era of scientific research into vulcanology.

A series of earthquakes in late March, 1980, caused

seismologists at the University of Washington to is-

sue a public alert that an eruption of Mount St. Hel-

ens could take place in the near future. The earth-

quakes increased in frequency, until the mountain

shook almost constantly, making it probable that the

volcano’s 123-year dormancy was ending. On March

27, increased seismic activity, augmented by steam

and ash eruptions, opened a crater in the glacier-

covered peak. Officials at the United States Geologi-

cal Survey (USGS) then issued a hazard warning to

state and federal agencies. Expulsions of steam and

ash continued in April, drawing public interest and

The Eighties in America Mount St. Helens eruption
669