In a recent interview with Classic Rock, Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx recalled the difficulties of working with the former guitarist Mick Mars and explained why no one can mess with the band.
“It was becoming harder and harder and harder to get anything done with Mick because of his memory problems and just his physical ailments,” Sixx explained. “And we have a lot of empathy for that.”
“When Mick left the band, we had to make a choice. And we made the right choice with John. We wish Mick nothing but the best. I run this band with an iron fist and nobody can get in and f*ck with our band, legally, marketing-wise,” he added. The bassist also said that Mötley Crüe had to make ‘a self-sufficient decision’ about how to continue without Mars, and apparently, it was ‘the right thing to do.’
In October 2022, Mars retired from Mötley Crüe due to ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory disease. The next day, John 5 was announced as Mötley Crüe’s new live guitarist. In 2023, he became the band’s full-time guitarist.
In April 2023, Mars filed a lawsuit against Mötley Crüe, accusing the band of trying to push him out and take away his rights to the band’s name and brand. Nikki Sixx responded, saying that Mars was ‘a little bit confused and being misled by representatives.’ However, Mars won a legal victory in January when a judge ruled that Mötley Crüe had kept information from him about their business.
Even with the struggles and lawsuits, Mars is still open to working with Mötley Crüe again. “If Mötley wanted me to write songs with them again, of course I would,” the guitarist confirmed in an interview with Audacy Check In. “But right now, I’m just me [solo]. So I’m writing and it’s not Motley, and it’s how I feel. My ideas, my kind of thing. Kind of trying to reinvent myself and bring myself up to date.”
Mötley Crüe recently released their third song with John 5, called ‘Cancelled.’ This came after two other 2024 songs: ‘Dogs of War’ and a cover of the Beastie Boys’ ‘You Gotta Fight for Your Right (To Party!).’