Carmine Appice still stands by his earlier comments about Nikki Sixx and using backing tracks.
In a new interview with Classic Album Review, the drummer was asked how healthy it is to use backing tracks in live performances. He replied saying that it was terrible:
“It’s terrible. I got into this big fight with Nikki Sixx about that which I didn’t mean to do anything. Somebody asked me about Jeff Beck and they asked me about Mick [Mars]. I was talking to Mick and Mick told me what he told me and I just said it to somebody and it blew up all over the place, but I think that’s terrible. It’s like Milli Vanilli back in the day. Their career got destroyed from that. I mean I could see if you want to put it some vocals or background vocals or something or keyboard.”
He added his understanding as to why people would be using backing tracks:
“Some guys do that I could see that you had a little depth to it but to do it on bass and drums and guitars I mean there are a lot of people doing that. Boy, that’s terrible.”
Appice Says Mick Mars Wasn’t Happy In Mötley Crüe
Mars announced in October 2022 that he was retiring from touring due to health issues. After his retirement, Appice discussed his departure in another interview and said:
“Mick told me, ‘When I was on ‘The Stadium Tour’, I was not happy.’ Basically, everything was on tape; it was all planned out and ultimately a lot of crap. And Mick is a pretty good player, and so to now let him loose and play the way he wants, that was never going to work for him. The truth is that everything has been weird for a while with Mötley Crüe, and Mick didn’t like that everything was on tape. Mick told me that people that came to see it could tell that it was all pre-recorded and that everything was on tape.”
He added:
“When you play in a stadium like that, you can hear a lot of things come to the monitors or what doesn’t. And with Vince’s [Neil] vocals, bass, drums, guitars, and all the other stuff, it was obvious that it was all on tape.”
A month after the rocker’s comments, Mars filed a lawsuit against the band and claimed that after his announcement, the rest of the band tried to remove him as a major shareholder in the group’s business through a shareholders’ meeting. Mars also claimed Nikki Sixx ‘did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour.’
Sixx Says Appice Is ‘Washed Up’
Appice’s comments on Mick Mars’ departure from Mötley Crüe caused a controversy between the two.
Sixx was silent for a while about his former bandmate’s exit from the band. In March last year, the bassist addressed Appice’s comments with a tweet. He wrote:
“Love how people talk FOR us without talking TO us. This is why the media has lost credibility. Obviously by printing BS they make money off of advertising and we’re not into that clickbait game. When the truth comes out it will be FROM us.”
He added in another tweet:
“A washed up drummer trying to speak for us? And bottom feeder media running with it to make money off of lies? Welcome to the sad new world of LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME.”
Appice also mentioned in another interview that the two had known each other for a long time since their touring days together. They used to hang out, but Appice admitted he hasn’t spoken to Sixx recently. He feels that Sixx has become ‘less approachable’ since achieving fame.
You can watch the interview below.