In a recent interview on Chicago’s Rock 95.5 radio station with Josh Klinger, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx talked about the inclusion of John 5 in MÖTLEY CRÜE‘s lineup.
John 5 stepped in as Mars‘s replacement in fall of 2022. Mick officially retired from touring with the band in October 2022 due to deteriorating health conditions.
“John was kind of like easy prey for us,” Nikki said. “It was perfect. It was, like, well, he’s a friend and he knows the band and he loves the band. And I talked to the band about it, ’cause we were put in a horrible situation. I mean, you’ve gotta imagine how much of my life is dedicated, and Tommy [Lee, CRÜE drummer] and Vince‘s life, when we were basically told that our guitar player’s leaving the band.
“And we had to really think hard about, we were, like, ‘Okay, do we let [concert promoter] Live Nation down? Do we pull off the tour and kind of screw DEF LEPPARD over? But what about our families and our fans?’ So, we had to make a really hard decision. And I feel like we made the right decision.”
“Sometimes you’ve gotta make a hard decision, and the decision was made to carry on,” Sixx continued. “And I’m glad we did. We didn’t just wing it. John had been around with us in different versions of playing, whether it was with me or other stuff. So it was hard, but the right thing to do. And now there’s kind of a new lifeblood because we’re out on the road. And then, of course, it’s a nice energy amongst me and Tommy and Vince, because we’ve known each other for 43 years, and bringing in somebody else that it feels comfortable for us, it feels like a family on stage.”
In April 2023, Mars initiated legal action against his MÖTLEY CRÜE bandmates, alleging that he was unjustly terminated by his “brothers of 41 years.”
In his lawsuit, Mars asserted that the other CRÜE members sought to unlawfully strip him of his 25% ownership stake in the band after he disclosed his inability to tour due to an arthritic condition known as ankylosing spondylitis, which he described as a “tragic announcement.” Mars also claimed that Nikki Sixx “did not play a single note on bass” during the entire 2022 tour, that “100% of Sixx‘s bass parts were nothing but recordings” and asserted that a “significant portion” of Neil‘s vocals and “some of” Tommy Lee‘s drumming were pre-recorded.
On Friday, April 26, MÖTLEY CRÜE released new single “Dogs of War” as part of band’s recent partnership with Big Machine Records based in Nashville.
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