After days of speculation suggesting a MOTOGRATER reunion was in the works, Ivan Moody has stepped in to shut those rumors down.
The FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH frontman addressed the situation directly in a since-deleted video shared via his Instagram Stories, making it clear that he is not rejoining MOTOGRATER as a vocalist or member. The rumors initially gained traction following social media commentary from former MOTOGRATER member Michael “The Kidd” Stewart, as well as Moody’s own post referencing time spent with MOTOGRATER members.
According to Moody, the reality is far different from a reunion. Instead, he explained that his recent involvement is centered on protecting the band’s legacy, not reviving it as an active lineup. To that end, Moody revealed that he has acquired the trademarks to MOTOGRATER, including the band’s name and their distinctive namesake instrument. Going forward, he intends to act in a creative-director-type role.
Moody described his decision as a response to watching the band’s identity deteriorate over the past two decades.
“Through the years I’ve watched, the last two decades I’ve watched that project whittle out into dust on a memory. And it hurt. And knowing that there was so much involved with that and the way that there was so much potential and it was X’d out.”
“When [Noah “Shark” Robertson (MOTOGRATER drummer) and I] started talking, it became very evident to me that there was a lot of people in play. And there was a lot of crap, man. So I decided to buy it. And that’s what I did. I bought the trademark for MOTOGRATER and the Machine. And I patented it, the whole spiel. That way, nobody could take it anymore and it couldn’t be abused or misused.”
Rather than holding onto the trademark himself, Moody said he only ever intended to place it in what he felt were the right hands. In his view, that responsibility belonged to original MOTOGRATER drummer Chris “Crispy” Binns.
“There were just a lot of fingers being pulled in different directions and again it just dissipated. I wanted to make sure that MOTO got the legacy that it deserves,” Moody said. “So what I did was I decided to give the original trademark to the original drummer Chris Binns, better known as Crispy, because he is the most undercredited and underrated player of MOTOGRATER. He kept that band together from Day 1.”
Moody further emphasized that he never saw MOTOGRATER as his band.
“It was really his band anyway,” he added. “He was the driving force behind it. And for all intents and purposes, he and Joey [Krzywonski] were really the heart of the band itself.”
Although he ruled out fronting MOTOGRATER, Moody did suggest that he could still support the band in a limited capacity. He mentioned that his label, Ghost Ship Records, may assist with production, and that there have been conversations about possibly recording a song with Binns. However, he stressed that creative control now rests entirely with the band’s original core.
“MOTOGRATER belongs to Chris Binns and Joey and may the two of them have their way with it. Joey created the grater and Chris created the heartbeat, so as far as I’m concerned, it belongs to them and it’s in good hands and I don’t regret a minute of it,” Moody said.
Moody also used the video to vent his frustration at Michael “The Kidd” Stewart for prematurely fueling reunion rumors, saying the situation forced him to address the matter earlier than intended.
“First and foremost, to Michael ‘The Kidd‘ Stewart, you bottom-feeding bubbleheaded boob. How dare you step on my toes, spreading rumors and causing commotion,” Moody said. “I was so pissed off when I read all that man. This Michael f**king Stewart guy. Who the f**k do you think you are dude? F**king peon.”
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