‘Tommy Lee Goes to College’ — really

Motley Crue drummer studies botany, auditions for band in reality show

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'Tommy Lee Goes to College'
Aug 15: Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee talks about his new TV show called "Tommy Lee Goes to College" with "Today" host Matt Lauer.

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updated 7:54 p.m. ET Aug. 22, 2005

LOS ANGELES - Of all the classes Tommy Lee took at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for his NBC reality show, "Tommy Lee Goes to College," the subject he really connected with was botany.

"I think I was a tree or something in a past life," the 42-year-old rocker told reporters recently, according to AP Radio. "I've always been attracted to nature. After owning several homes and landscaping them, and going to the nurseries and picking stuff out that I love, I just always have liked trees and plants and flowers.

"Call me kooky, but that's just the way it is."

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Lee, who unveiled his People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals poster at a Manhattan nightclub Monday, was hesitant about doing the TV show.

"First I was like, I don't know about this. This is kind of crazy. And then once the location came together and it was like middle America, Lincoln, Nebraska — and me ... I can just see all these crazy scenarios start poppin' up in my head," he said. "I was like, this is going to be bananas."

Lee was on campus for about a month last fall to film the program, which was endorsed by UNL officials as a way to possibly increase enrollment.

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Promotional clips of the six-part series, set to premiere Tuesday night, include shots of Lee playing drums with the Huskers marching band during halftime of last year's Baylor game at Memorial Stadium.

The Motley Crue drummer thought auditioning would be a snap.

"Drum line? I'm going to nail this," he said. "So all of a sudden, first day out there, it's around the football field, there's no like, ‘Oh, you're just in.'"

Said Lee: "I hadn't read sheet music since I was in high school."