Motley Crue frontman Nikki Sixx recently spoke highly about the band’s new touring guitarist John 5.
Nikki Sixx opens up on John 5
Rumors recently emerged that John 5 might be eyeing to replace Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars. The band has officially recruited John 5 following Mick Mars’s decision to no longer tour with the band.
Taking to Twitter, Sixx said John 5 “checks all the boxes” to fill the shoes of Mick Mars, who recently announced his retirement from the road.
The bassist responded to several fans’ questions during his #AskSixx Twitter segment on Friday. One user asked why the band chose 5, who has played with dozens of classic rock musicians and has served as Rob Zombie’s guitarist since 2005.
“He checks all the boxes,” Sixx wrote. “He’s [an] insane player. Has respect for our music, is funny as fuck and has history with us and we’ve written some pretty big hits together.”
He also said about what Mick Mars told him about quitting, “He’s been a soldier along with us for 4 decades. We will continue to carrying our legacy to Generations of fans and honor Mick’s request for us to keep touring as Motley Crue.”
Sixx and 5 co-wrote three original Motley Crue songs — “The Dirt (Est. 1981),” “Ride With the Devil” and “Crash and Burn” — that appeared on the soundtrack to Netflix’s 2019 adaptation of The Dirt. The duo also collaborated with Desmond Child on Meat Loaf’s “The Monster Is Loose,” off 2006’s Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose. Last year, Sixx and 5 debuted the L.A. Rats supergroup, which also features Zombie and Ozzy Osbourne drummer Tommy Clufetos.
5’s enlistment marks the first time in Motley Crue’s 40-plus-year history that Mars won’t be handling six-string duties. The guitarist has struggled for decades with ankylosing spondylitis, a type of arthritis that causes inflammation in the joints and ligaments of the spine and results in pain and stiffness.
Motley Crue announced Mars’ retirement from touring earlier this week, clarifying that he “will continue as a member of the band, but can no longer handle the rigors of the road.” In his own statement, 5 added, “I’m honored to carry on Mick’s legacy and am looking forward to playing these songs.”
