For over four decades, Mötley Crüe thrived as on-off glam rock mainstays – with the core lineup of guitarist Mick Mars, drummer Tommy Lee, and singer Vince Neil, completed by bassist Nikki Sixx, remaining a near-constant.
Yet in October 2022, Mars publicly announced his retirement due to ongoing health issues, a move that initially seemed voluntary. He was swiftly replaced by John 5.
A series of very public disputes followed, culminating in an ongoing lawsuit over unpaid royalties. Further claims include accusations that the band forced Mars to sell off his remaining share in Mötley Crüe and public comments alleging that the rest of the band mimed their parts during the 2022 stadium tour with Def Leppard, Poison, and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts.
In a new interview with Guitar World, Sixx has shed more light on the circumstances surrounding the lineup change.
“Listen, we were forced. Guy's gotta choose: you want to break up? Do you want to fuck over Live Nation? You want to screw Def Leppard? All those tickets, all that planning that we'd done because one of your band members is too ill to perform live?” Sixx tells GW.
As for the decision to force Mars out after a 41-year career, Sixx insists making the call was far from easy.
“We really had to think about it, bro. Like, do you think we wanted to take the grief we took, and end up in a lawsuit? But what were we supposed to do? Go home and fucking mow the lawn? It's like your fucking football team; if one of your guys can't play anymore, they bring in another guy.”
All the necessary decisions were made to keep the band going – no easy task, considering the group are coming up on its 44th anniversary in 2025.
“We're still here, and we are still creative,” he asserts. “We're able to tour – and not tour to the point in the old days where you break the spirit of the human beings. We get to go out, play some badass shows, reinvent the band here or there, and really enjoy this time.”
Guitar World's full interview with Nikki Sixx will be published later this month.
