Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx recently talked about the band’s decision to move forward without longtime guitarist Mick Mars, who retired last October after 41 years of service as a result of worsening health issues and he was replaced by John 5, formerly a sideman of Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson.
Regarding the decision, Sixx told Guitar World:
“We never saw it coming that Mick wasn’t going to be able to tour and was going to have to quit the band. In the middle — not even the middle — of a huge tour, we had to ask ourselves, ‘Do we want to let the fans down? Do we want to let [concert promoters] Live Nation down? Do we want to let [tourmates] Def Leppard down? Do we want to let ourselves down because an original member of our band can’t tour anymore?’ We had to have a deep, deep look into what we were going to do.”
Nikki then went on to admit that hiring John 5 was the obvious choice to step in for Mick in Crüe, adding:
“[With John] knowing all the members of the band, and me having this relationship with him writing and as friends, and even being in the studio with him writing stuff with the band for [the soundtrack to] ‘The Dirt’, it felt like a no-brainer in a horrible situation something we did not ask for or want. And then it was just kind of obvious. If there was ‘the guy’, John was the guy. Like I said, we didn’t choose this, but since we had to be put in this position, we’re very happy with where we’re at right now.”
The Crüe are currently in the middle of a mini-U.S. tour with Def Leppard. Fans can check here for the rest of the band’s tour schedule. The Crüe have also reportedly been working on a new album. The release could be later this year or in 2024, the Bob Rock-produced record will be not only their first with John 5, but their first studio album since 2018’s “Saints Of Los Angeles”.
