Several months ago, drum icon Carmine Appice disclosed that his friend, Mick Mars, informed him of MÖTLEY CRÜE‘s use of pre-recorded tracks during performances. This revelation sparked a series of online disputes, which ultimately led to a legal conflict between Mars and CRÜE.
One of the most noteworthy incidents that occurred was when Nikki Sixx referred to Appice as a “washed-up drummer.” Appice then responded by inviting Sixx to a “jam-off,” which resulted in a cease-and-desist letter being sent.
In a new interview with Blabbermouth, Appice was asked whether he expected his comments about Mars and CRÜE to blow, he responded: I didn’t expect it. I was talking to somebody like I’m talking to you and they asked why Mick left. I just said what Mick told me. I didn’t expect anything, but then it got out of hand. Then Nikki [Sixx] called me a ‘washed-up drummer.’ I’m far from that! I used to know Nikki. We were good friends. We lived around the corner from each other when they were doing their first or second album.
“We used to go to a ’50s café and have breakfast. We had a song with KING COBRA called ‘Raise Your Hands to Rock.’ He loved the name. He took that name and wrote another song and gave me the credit on the album. They used my bass drums on the album. We were friends. For him to say stuff about me — I didn’t say anything that people didn’t know. Now I thank him for giving me a lot of press.”
In the lawsuit, Mick alleges that MÖTLEY CRÜE reduced his share of earnings from 25 percent to a mere 5 percent after revealing his decision to withdraw from touring. Additionally, he states that the group’s attorneys made him feel as if he should appreciate this minimal portion, as they believed they had no obligation to provide him with anything. Mick also asserts that a complete band gathering took place where they chose to “unilaterally” exclude him from MÖTLEY CRÜE.
Mick consistently alleged that bassist Nikki Sixx was “gaslighting” him by suggesting his guitar abilities were declining, even though Sixx didn’t “play a single note on bass” throughout a recent tour, as stated by the guitarist. Mick asserts that all of Nikki‘s segments were pre-recorded.
