TOMMY LEE Says Being In College Is 'A Lot Of Fun And A Lot Of Work'

L. Kent Wolgamott of the Lincoln Journal Star is reporting that former MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee loves horticulture, finds chemistry to be unbelievably hard and was shocked when he found out he had to be out of bed at 6 a.m. in order to be on the Memorial Stadium field by 7 for band practice.

That early rising schedule is just one of the jarring lifestyle changes that Lee has encountered in "Tommy Lee Goes To College", the tentative title of a NBC reality television show that has been filming on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus since early October.

"This is the total fish out of water experience for me," Lee said at a brief Sunday (Nov. 7) press conference. "I didn't have the opportunity to go to college. I was busy touring since the age of 17. So this is completely strange and bizarre, but a lot of fun and a lot of work."

The work is a result of an intense filming schedule, but also because the 42-year-old Lee is taking his classroom work seriously. He's taking a chemistry class, American literature and horticulture in addition to his work with the band.

"It's the real deal," Lee said. "I'm playing catch up since we jumped in in the middle of the semester. I'm studying my ass off trying to keep up and take the tests. It's been a while since I've studied, since high school. It's a lot of work, a lot of work."

Lee has had an other experience common to college students. Studying has put a serious damper on partying.

"Really, we're working and I'm studying a lot," he said. "So there's not a ton of that (socializing). But I have hung out with a bunch of people. I've gone out here on the town a few nights, not many, maybe one or two the whole time we've been here. It's a cool place, cool people, a cool city."

Lee said he's gained more from being in Lincoln than just getting his face on television.

"I've learned a lot and we're definitely having fun making the show," he said. "I've met some great professors who have these great analogies. It's been really a cool experience. I'm glad I actually had the opportunity to even do this." Read more.