Jeff Tremaine Knew He Wanted Steve-O To Tell His Infamous Mötley Crüe Story In ‘Nöthin’ But a Good Time’: “He Represents What It Was Like To Be A Fan”

They say people contain multitudes and that is certainly true of Jeff Tremaine. Best known for co-creating the hit MTV series Jackass and helming all four of the franchise’s hit movies, Tremaine has never been afraid to step outside his comfort zone. In 2019, he directed the Mötley Crüe biopic The Dirt, based on The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band by Mötley Crüe and Neil Strauss. While the movie received mixed reviews from critics (and what the heck do they know about rock n’roll, right?), fans of Mötley Crüe and the metal scene could not stream it fast enough when it premiered on Netflix.

So, when the opportunity came along to direct a docuseries— Nöthin’ But a Good Time: The Uncensored Story of ’80s Hair Metal— based on the book Nöthin’ But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the ’80s Hard Rock Explosion by Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock, Tremaine jumped at the chance. “I just finished The Dirt so it all worked out perfectly,” said Tremaine. “I had always wanted to do a music doc.” Tremaine, who moved to Los Angeles in 1989, got a first-hand look at the Sunset Strip in all its glory even though he actively tried to “avoid” the area at the time. “You couldn’t even walk down the Sunset Strip,” remembered Tremaine. Despite keeping away from the “crowded” street, Tremaine said he could tell “it was a fun world to be in.”

One person who knew that world well? Penelope Spheeris, the mastermind behind The Decline Of Western Civilization trilogy. Tremaine made sure to include Spheeris when he was deciding who to interview for the series. Tremaine explained: “She was right in the thick of scene. When The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years came out, I was just obsessed with it.” Because Spheeris had been an “influence” on him for “a long time,” Tremaine enjoyed a candid conversation with her. Spheeris even cracked a joke about Jackass on-camera.

Tremaine jumped on a Zoom with DECIDER to discuss the Paramount+ music docuseries, the power of Beavis and Butt-Head, and the resurgence of the metal scene in recent years.

DECIDER: As the director of The Dirt, you were the perfect person to helm this docuseries. How did this project come together?

JEFF TREMAINE: My old TV agent joined a production company called Spoke. They basically optioned the book that the series is based on: Nöthin’ But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the ’80s Hard Rock Explosion by Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock. I was asked if I wanted to partner up on it. I just finished The Dirt, so it all worked out perfectly. I had always wanted to do a music doc.

So, have you yourself spend a lot of time on the Sunset Strip? Were you able to go to s places like The Whisky a Go Go or Rainbow Bar and Grill that were mentioned in the docuseries?

All of them. Though, I wasn’t a huge metal fan when it was happening. I actually used to avoid the Sunset Strip when I moved out to L.A. in 1989. That was right at the height of the hair metal scene. You couldn’t even walk down the Sunset Strip. It was just so crowded, but fun. You could tell that it was a fun world to be in.

I loved that you interviewed Penelope Spheeris in the docuseries and spent time speaking about the impact of The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years. How influential was her work for you while making these series?

First of all, I really love The Decline of Western Civilization, which was about the birth of the punk rock scene in L.A. She was right in the thick of scene, documenting bands like Black Flag, The Germs, Circle Jerks, and more. When The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years came out, I was just obsessed with it. It was cool to get to talk to her because she’s been an influence on me for a long time.

I love how you included your voice asking questions in some of the interviews. That gave the documentary a more personal touch. How did you approach the interviews with so many wild characters?

It’s funny because my editor made that happen. Many of the folks we interviewed didn’t refer to the question when giving their answers, so we needed to give the viewers that context. Also, when I interviewed Penelope, she made a crack about Jackass that I thought was really warm and nice. By including little moments like that, we make the film feel more intimate than your typical music docuseries.

I liked that you interviewed fans of metal music in addition to music icons. Steve-O‘s pictures with Mötley Crüe as a kid are so iconic. How excited was he to share his experiences?

Steve-O is just super excited if you have a camera [laughs]. I knew it was important to interview a couple of people who represent what it was like to be a fan. Steve-O and Corey Taylor from Slipknot were both super articulate about their experiences. Having been acquainted with Steve-O, I knew he was a die-hard Mötley Crüe fan. He got to tell his story. I love when he says things like, “I don’t know if I could blame my drug addiction on Mötley Crüe and other ‘80s bands… but I could.”

Who do you think was your most enlightening interview?

Alan Nevin, the manager of Great White and, later, the manager of Guns N’ Roses. He has been to hell and back twice. He tells his stories so perfectly without with any ego. He’s just telling you as it was. I thought Tracii Guns was awesome. He was super honest. I didn’t know he was a founding member of Guns N’ Roses. That was news to me.

From the David Bowie/Axel Rose incident to Extreme restraining Sebastian Bach on a flight, there are so many wild tales in the docuseries. Do you have a favorite?

I have a few, but one that is really funny to me involves this guy named Al who made a lot of the leather outfits for bands in the metal scene. He was also working at Jet Propulsion Laboratories, which is the rocket factory where, like, real rockets are made. He was hired by this band called W.A.S.P to make a circular saw blade codpiece. So, he went to his co-workers at the rocket lab for advice on how to cut these steel saw blades so that they fit around some guy’s wiener. He got actual rocket scientists to tell him how to work with the materials.

After watching this docuseries, do you think people will ever doubt the power of Beavis and Butt-Head? Look what happened to Winger!

When the creators put Beavis and Butt-Head’s lame neighbor Stewart in the Winger T-Shirt… I don’t think they or anyone else realized the power of that moment. It was a funny joke at the time, but people had no idea of the consequences. Being branded “uncool” by Beavis and Butt-Head essentially tanked any career momentum Winger had going for them. The band went through hell because of that.

Though, at that point the metal scene was already coming to an end. Whether it was Beavis and Butt-Head shitting on music videos or Nirvana introducing grunge to the world and essentially nuking what was left of metal music, the cultural shift was going to happen, no matter what. The metal music scene lasted ten good years, which is longer than any scene really should last.

I love that Part 3 of the series focuses on the resurgence of the metal genre with reunion tours and festivals. Was it important for you to show that metal is forever?

I’d witnessed the resurgence of metal music by doing The Dirt. I went to Mötley Crüe’s final shows. They were huge. It was not just people my age. It was a lot of young people just loving being there and dressing up. While I was preparing to direct this docuseries, I went to a lot of smaller festivals and was shocked by the response I saw. People still go wild for bands like Kix and Vixen. While the nostalgia factor is huge for people my age, there are also new fans still popping up.

The impact of Mötley Crüe on the L.A. metal scene cannot be understated. Since you’re a Mötley Crüe expert, which three tracks of theirs would you play to convert someone to being a Cruehead?

“Livewire” or “Wildside” are great for their harder stuff. Dr. Feelgood is a great album, top to bottom. “Dr. Feelgood” is a just a great song. “Home Sweet Home,” obviously, is a very big, good feeling song. Those would be my picks.

Nöthin’ But A Good Time: The Uncensored Story of ’80s Hair Metal is available to stream on Paramount+.