In a recent chat on The Mistress Carrie Podcast, Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx talked about the band’s choice to bring in guitarist John 5 after Mick Mars decided to step back from touring. When Mistress Carrie asked if he had to have a sitdown with John 5’s bandmate and boss Rob Zombie to get John 5 on board with Mötley Crüe, Sixx responded:
“It was one of those things that I feel bad about. It wasn’t my decision. It was John’s decision. I had been talking to John as a friend during some of the frustrations with Mick’s playing, specifically on the tour. And he was my friend. And when I called him and said, ‘Wow, we’re faced with a really bad situation.’ And we talked. And he wanted to do the next-level thing in his life.”
Sixx then mentioned Rob Zombie’s reaction to John 5 joining Mötley Crüe and feeling like he was stealing him from another band:
“He’d been with Rob for a long, long time, and they were kind of coming to an end of a tour. And he talked to Rob, and Rob was not happy but understood. I still feel bad about that. That was never my intention, to go out and steal somebody from another band. That’s not what we did. But I have so much respect for Rob.”
The band eventually solved the problems even without the original members:
“It’s one of those things where I’m really happy and at the same time I’m, like… Sometimes this stuff’s f*cking hard. Like making a decision to move on without an original member. It’s not exactly as seamless as people would like it to seem. There’s some little bumps along the way, little bumps in the road.”
John 5 Is A ‘Reliable’ Guitarist
Earlier, Sixx took to X to share his thoughts about John 5. When the radio personality Mitch Lafon asked Sixx what John 5 brought to the band so far, Sixx said John 5 is a reliable guitar player:
“Being able to depend on a musician is key in a band. He’s a great player and consistent… We’re all operating on a higher frequency. I’ve known and worked with J5 for over 15 years.”
You can listen to the interview below.