As Mötley Crüe’s reunion tour is set to begin next year, not everyone is totally on board with the circumstances that lead to original guitarist Mick Mars’ retirement from the band.
In a recent interview with the “Life In The Stocks” podcast, Corabi spoke about multiple aspects of the upcoming Motley Crue reunion. One of the biggest stories leading into the tour is the departure of Mick Mars from the band’s live lineup, and how that role will now be filled by former Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5. Corabi, knowing both parties, said the following (as transcribed by Blabbermouth):
“I do [have an opinion]. I will just say this: I know John [5] as well. He’s a brilliant — and I cannot say ‘brilliant’ loud enough — he’s a brilliant guitar player and a great dude. But the verdict for me is out until I hear a statement from Mick. The statement that we heard was put together by Mötley and their people. And I’m not totally sure I believe what they’re saying. So I’ll just leave it at that.”
Corabi later dives into his own experiences within the band, and the relationship he saw between band members:
“I don’t totally believe Mick’s reasons for leaving Mötley. And I don’t even know if he left Mötley. I believe maybe he was shown the door. Because as long as I can remember…
“Fuck, when we were doing the ‘Generation Swine’ record, they were complaining about his guitar playing then. And if you really look at all of the records they’ve done since then… The majority of the guitars on the ‘Swine’ record, which is one of the reasons why I sued the guys, are mine.
“They were complaining about Mick the whole fucking time. And I don’t know if he played on ‘New Tattoo’ — I’m not sure — but I know on ‘Red, White & Crüe’, it was D.J. Ashba; on ‘Saints Of Los Angeles’, it was D.J. Ashba; and on ‘The Dirt’ [soundtrack], it was John 5.
“I don’t know. I could be totally wrong about this, so don’t run around and fucking, whatever, put it in print yet, but I’m just saying I’m waiting for Mick’s response. The one that we’ve all heard came from Mötley and their management.”
Later in the interview, Corabi spoke on his recent interactions with Mars, and how his former bandmate’s initial unresponsiveness threw him for a loop:
“Because since that announcement came out, I’ve reached out to Mick and his wife a few times. And Mick hasn’t responded at all. And I sent [his wife] — she’s from Switzerland — so when I was there last week, I sent some photos of the Alps — I was in the Alps — and I wrote to her, and I said, ‘Hey, I’m in your motherland.’ And she wrote back.
“Then I came back, and I was, like, ‘Hey, man, how’s Mick?’ And she goes, ‘He’s fine.’ [And I said], ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ Crickets. So that’s kind of unusual behavior for Mick and [his wife]; they would normally [be] just, like, ‘Yeah, dude. Everything’s cool. Whatever.’
“I don’t know if he’s embarrassed or he’s maybe… Who knows? Maybe he’s angry and maybe he’s being told not to say anything to anybody. Maybe there’s gonna be a lawsuit. I don’t know. But I just know how those guys operate, and I would not be surprised if they didn’t say, ‘Mick, look. You’re in pain. We’ve got John 5. We’re gonna bring him in.’ Maybe throw him a bone — like every time they tour, throw him some money — but ‘we’re gonna move forward with this guy.’ It wouldn’t surprise me.”
Everyone seems to be in the same boat in regards to knowing the full truth about Mars’ departure from the band. Obviously, the singer has been struggling with Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.) for some time now and this was the primary reason given for his departure. Corabi himself admits he’s theorizing like everyone else but doubles down saying:
“Now, this is all a theory. I know about as much as you guys do. But personally, I don’t believe a word of that statement at all.”
You can listen to the full interview with “Life In The Stocks” here. Get the full rundown of the Crüe’s upcoming tour here.
Mötley Crüe Guitarist Mick Mars Officially Confirms Retirement From Touring
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