Former Motley Crue frontman John Corabi joined the band in 1992 as the replacement for original singer Vince Neil. Last year in October 2022, John 5 departed Rob Zombie’s band to become a part of Motley Crue as he replaced Mick Mars as the guitarist struggled with health issues.
The split seemed amicable enough until last month when Mars sued the band for his share of the profits, accusing bassist Nikki Sixx of “gaslighting” him into thinking that his mental faculties were declining and that memory loss was preventing him from playing the songs properly. Mars also added that the hair metal legends extensively used backing tracks, claiming that Nikki didn’t play live at well, something that the guitarist was opposed to.
Crue also addressed the issue with a counterstatement reiterating that the guitarist was unfit to perform and stating that there were no backing tracks involved in their performances, which led to many fans and musicians becoming divided between both parties.
In a new interview with Clint Switzer of the “On The Road To Rock” podcast, John Corabi was asked for his opinion on John 5 stepping in for the band’s founding guitarist Mick Mars after Mars retired from touring with Crue as a result of worsening health issues.
He said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “I love John. He’s great. And it’s weird because I have nothing but mad respect for John because I’ve known him for a gazillion years. My manager used to manage him, so I’ve known about him forever. And he is an insanely talented guitar player.”
He addressed Mick Mars’ lawsuit against Motley Crue in which the guitarist claimed that, after his announcement that he would no longer tour with the band, the rest of Motley Crue tried to remove Mars as a significant stakeholder in the group’s corporation and business holdings via a shareholders’ meeting, John said:
“None of this stuff, all the shit that’s going on between Mick and them, none of it surprises me. It doesn’t. And John’s got big shoes to fill, and he’s kind of stuck in this. And trust me, I get it, ’cause I was stuck in this shitty place as well between Motley Crue and whoever was being replaced’s fans. You know what I mean? I had to deal with the fans that were massive Vince Neil fans, and I get it. And it was awkward at times to sit and listen to the guys do interviews where they went out of their way to slag Vince. I didn’t even know the guy, so I had nothing shitty to say about him. But it is what it is, man.”
He continued: “I don’t envy John 5 at all at this point, you know what I mean? He’s kind of in a weird position, ’cause I know he adores Mick, and he’s friends with all the Motley guys, so he’s kind of in a weird position. They offered him a great gig, and he’s doing it. So trust me, I can relate.”
