Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx has publicly defended the band’s decision to replace guitarist Mick Mars with John 5 in a recent interview with Classic Rock.
At 65, the bassist shared insights on the choice, explaining, “It was becoming harder and harder to get anything done with Mick because of his memory problems and his physical ailments. We have a lot of empathy for that.”
Despite this empathy, Sixx firmly stated, “When Mick left the band, we had to make a choice. And we made the right choice with John. We wish Mick nothing but the best.”
He emphasized his authoritative role within the band, declaring, “I run this band with an iron fist, and nobody can get in and mess with us, legally or marketing-wise.”
Sixx asserted that Mötley Crüe needed to make “a self-sufficient decision” to continue after Mars’s departure, labeling it “the right thing to do.”
He acknowledged the backlash from fans, stating, “But doing the right thing isn’t always fun, especially when fans believe we did something we didn’t do.”
Mick Mars announced his retirement from Mötley Crüe in October 2022, citing an “ongoing painful struggle” with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), an inflammatory disease.
The day after his retirement, former Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 was introduced as a live member, eventually being promoted to full-time guitarist in 2023.
In April 2023, Mars filed a lawsuit against Mötley Crüe, alleging that the band conspired to remove him from the lineup.
He claimed they were “trying to take my legacy away,” which included “my ownership of the name, the brand.”
