Should Vince Neil Be Honored?
Brian Carvell
29 Comments
It was recently announced that Vince Neil would be receiving the 'Lifetime Achievement in Rock 'n' Roll Award,' presented to him by Vegas Rocks! Magazine. Few music related stories have ever bothered me quite as much as this one did. Personally, I think that Vince is a deplorable human being, and that fact that people are choosing to honor him rather than shun him shocks me.
My dislike for Vince has really developed over the past few years, but the primary reason has to do with his recent arrest in Las Vegas for driving under the influence (oddly enough, which occurred in the very city that is honoring him). Let's all remember that Vince was solely responsible for the death of Razzle Dingley from Hanoi Rocks many years ago, as Vince crashed his car while he was driving drunk with Razzle in the car. As tragic as that was, I did not hate Vince for that. He was a young rock star that suddenly had a lot of money, and he made a bad decision which resulted in Razzle's tragic death. However, this is an event that should have altered his life from that point forward. He robbed the world of another life, and living with that must have been horrible.... but he did not learn his lesson, and he did it again, and endangered the lives of himself and others on the road. I do not care that it was 20 plus years after the fact, because it never should have happened again. He is older and should be wiser now, but apparently he is still just as dumb as he was in his twenties. Add to that the recent allegations of domestic violence, the many accounts of fans that have met him only to have him be outright rude to them, and the lackluster performance he delivers live. I was at M3 in 2010, and Vince disappeared for three songs of a set that was less than an hour total. (Thankfully, his talented band did an amazing job, but how is Vince not present for that many songs that are being played by the Vince Neil Band)?
Yet Vince continues to do well in the world of rock. Motley Crue has embarked on a tour that is putting up successful numbers, and is expected to continue to do so throughout the summer. His solo band is doing well, his book sold many copies, and he is becoming quite the businessman (as he has really been branding his name as of late). What puzzles me is who is continuing to support him? With the recent not guilty verdict on the Casey Anthony case, the world is asking, "Where is the justice for Caylee?" Everyone seems to be upset by the idea that Casey Anthony is poised to cash-in on the tragedy that her daughter suffered, and the world seems ready to boycott anything that her name is attached to. I understand this reaction, and it makes sense as most people would not want to see an accused murderer profit for any reason.
My question to the readers of this site is this: are you going to protest and boycott any television shows featuring or books written by Casey Anthony regarding the death of her child and the trial that followed? And if you answered "yes" to that question, are you also going to attend the Motley Crue tour this summer? Finally, if your answer to both questions were "yes," then why do you support one person who we know took the life of another and yet continues to behave in the same dangerous manner, but not other who was not actually found guilty of any murder/manslaughter charges? How do you decide which murders to support and which ones you will shun (assuming Casey Anthony did, in fact, murder her daughter)? Motley Crue will be at the Mohegan Sun Arena on July 15th (about an hour from my house), and I will be nowhere near the venue that night. I do not deny the fact that Motley wrote some of the greatest songs of the genre and they put on an amazing live show, but I can not justify putting any of my money into Vince's pockets.
Where is the justice for Razzle?
Reader Comments (29)
I agree with a lot of this. He should know better than to drink and drive at his age. I've met Vince a few times and he was always very nice. Never any issues. Can't knock him there. No excuse for being rude to fans though.
You have to remember that he lost his daughter, which is also very tragic. And he also did a lot of charity work for childhood cancers (not sure if his work was more specific to Skylar's illness or not, sorry). But he has done some things that he deserves to be rewarded for, irrespective of some of the "dumb" things. Remember, he is human and he's not perfect.
And there is no similarity to Casey Anthony. She is a cold blooded child killer (in my opinion only, which has not nor ever will be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt).
So, answers are - Yes I will boycott anything to do with Casey Anthony and No I passed on Motley Crue this year. Played in TO a couple of days ago and I had no desire to go. Crue had some good tunes but I really don't like them anymore. Maybe Mick is ok, but the other guys have turned me off for various reasons.
I guess it comes down to this: what do you base a rock and roll award on?
Is it based on character traits and/or past misdeeds? If that was the case, there wouldn't be many rock stars who would be honored with anything. Yeah, Vince is a drunken buffoon with a history of bad mistakes, but he's not alone in that by any stretch.
Is it based on contributions to music? If that's the case, it is hard to make a case for Vince. He's self-admittedly the weakest member of Motley musically, and his solo stuff has been mediocre at best.
Or do you base it on some sort of overall Rockstar-ness that is hard to define, but you know it when you see it? If that's the case, then Vince is in hands down. For 30 years, he's been the charismatic front man of one of the biggest bands in history, and he's definitely earned his place in rock history.
Personally, I have no problems with him getting this, or any other awards. I also hope, and think they deserve, to find their way into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.
As far as Vince goes... I don't know if Vince deserves this award or not. I'm sure awards have been given to much worse people. Once I moved to Vegas in 1999 I ran into Vince a lot, sometimes he was drunk and sometimes he wasn't. I do remember one night after a show (not Vince) at The House of Blues we were waiting at the valet to get our cars at the same time. Vince actually approached me and started up a conversation. We chatted for close to five minutes. Seemed like a really nice guy to me.
As far as going to the Motely show this year - I saw Cruefest when Joan and The Charm City Devils opened and was bored stiff. Vince sang about every 5th word. I saw them at Rocklahoma 2011 (I didn't have to pay for the festival) and Vince sang most of the words this time, he just forgot which key they were suppose to be in. So.. NO I will skip the tour when it comes through... Not as a boycott, but because The Crue sucks live.
I just think Vince can't sing anymore and he is totally calling in his performances.
Should a person who Murdered someone be honored, Not a chance.
That being said, I think there's no comparison between Vince and Casey Anthony. Vince has to live with the accident that killed his friend. So what does that have to do with Casey that killed her little innocent daughter? Vince was not out to kill anyone, it was a tragic accident. Caylee's was not; she wanted her out of the way so she could party.
I understand he lost his daughter and that was certainly tragic, and yes, he organized some charity events in her name...certainly creating good out of a tragedy, but unless I am wrong, the Skylar Neil foundation has been quiet for some years now, and what we have now is the man that continues to put people's lives at risk when he drives drunk, that treats people like garbage, and that (allegedly) hit women. So what do we do with someone like this? Well, apparently, we buy tickets to his concerts, buy his book, and honor him with awards. It is wrong.
Vince getting behind the wheel drunk recently, to me, is no different than Casey killing her child. He knew, all too well, the consequences of his actions, and yet he did not stop. He did what he wanted to do because he is Vince Neil, and the rest of us be damned.
I don't care if he is fat, that he can't sing, or that he can't write song to save his live. My point is he is a disgrace, yet we continue to pay and now honor him.
So why do we react with shock and disgust at one morally corrupt individual (Casey) and then line up for autographs for another (Vince). How is it that people can continue to support someone like this, just because he sang songs that we all loved years ago?
And I do think he is solely responsible. As I said, Razzle made a bad decision, but he did not commit suicide. He should have known better, but it was Vince's inability to drive the vehicle due to his intoxication that directly caused Razzle's death. There is no comparative negligence for a passenger sitting in an automobile. I wish he knew better than to get in the car, but make no mistake about it...it was Vince's actions that killed him. And Vince has admitted this, and admitted to being the OJ of the 80s because he basically bought his way out of any meaningful sentence.
As far as comparing him to Anthony, she's way more evil. I live in Orlando and lemme tell ya sumthin' -- if they can f*ck sumthin' up, chances are it's gonna happen in Florida. This Casey chick is psycho and the fact they couldn't get her on Manslaughter or at the very least, Child Abuse is simply unfrickin' believable.
Look, even tho Neil's a total neanderthal f*ck-up for doin' what he did and subsequent transgressions, he didn't set out to kill
Razzle or paralyze and/or severely injure the others (Don't forget them, either, people). He didn't pre-meditate killing his 3-year-old daughter!
It duz suck, however, that his attempt at a path to redemption has been half-as*ed at best and even tho he's probably goin' to he'll in a hay basket for it, I'll try and catch theez clowns as many times as I can and can afford until Marrs knocks off.
p.s. Weirdly, I just wrote this while waiting in line at the DMV.
Also vince lost his daughter when she was a child, someone no one should have to endure. He puts on a celebrity golf tournament ever year to honor her memory and raise money for charity.
Im not saying he should win man of the year, especially in his cargo shorts an man sandals, but i think your post was more than harsh. We are all human and we all do fucked up things at times, we just do the best we can sometimes.
Vince IS a murderer. And an unrepentant one at that.
The Skylar Neil Foundation has been active every year since she passed. Vince hosts a golf tournament and sometimes an "off the strip" poker tournament. So, We have a man who to this day is donating to save children and you compare him to an accused child killer? WOW. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Official-Skylar-Neil-Foundation/68739782083?sk=pe are the events for the last couple of years for the Skylar Neil Foundation, if you need the proof.
I think we all need to look at the DISEASE of alcoholism before we pass too much blame here. I think it is a known fact Vince Neil is an alcoholic. I am not saying he should have gotten in his car and drove either time. It is a well known fact he has been in and out of rehabs repeatedly, he has also had to pay the band management lots of money for being unable to stop drinking when it was in his contract (something like 10K per drink in the mid 90ies).
On the abuse accusations. As of right now there is a no-contact order between BOTH parties. I have seen pictures of injuries on BOTH parties.
Motley Crue, as a whole, has done some great and infamous things in music. Any member of the band should be recognized for those contributions regardless of what is going on in their personal life. Why shouldn't Vince get a lifetime achievement award? He has been an artist for 30 years, more time than MOST have ever dreamed of. He has been a part of one of the most dynamic bands of the 80's who managed to reinvent themselves and become relevant once again. Let's face it Motley should never be viewed as role models. EVER. In reality what does that have to do with a life time achievement award?
To the writer of this blog, I see Vince bashed, a lot. I have never posted, I agree his voice is not what it used to be, his weight fluctuates (so what on the weight we all get heavier as we age) This particular blog was so infuriating comparing Vince to Casey that I felt I needed to post. HOW DARE YOU compare someone who lost their child to cancer to an accused child killer.