Breakups are hard. There are lots of hurt feelings, miscommunications, resentful jabs, and friends picking sides. This goes for people leaving bands just as much as it does a marriage or a friendship. Bands are relationships and relationships can get ugly.
After completing their 2022 stadium tour, Motley Crue announced that longtime guitarist Mick Mars would be leaving the band. Shortly afterward, John 5 was announced as his replacement. Although the official reason given for the lineup change was Mars’ long-term illness, friend and former Ozzy Osbourne drummer Carmine Appice says otherwise as per an interview:
“[Mars] told me, ‘When I was on the Stadium Tour, I was not happy.’ Basically, everything was on tape; it was all planned out and ultimately a lot of crap. … The truth is that everything has been weird for a while with Motley Crue… Mick told me that people that came to see it could tell that it was all pre-recorded and that everything was on tape.
Appice went on to say that Mars “would travel alone on a bus while the other guys flew everywhere,” and continued: “He said, ‘Man, these guys are pissing their money away, flying to every gig.’ They were all busy still trying to be rock stars, and Mick just wanted to play the music. … [T]here were a lot of disagreements. I think he was just done.” According to Appice, Mars rejected the idea when he was told about Motley Crue’s tour with Def Leppard’s world tour, saying “You can do it. I’m not going out with you for this.”
Crue bassist Nikki Sixx appeared nonplussed by Appice’s comments. Earlier this week, he indirectly addressed the situation on Twitter by saying: “Love how people talk FOR us without talking TO us. This is why the media has lost credibility. Obviously by printing BS they make money off of advertising and we’re not into that clickbait game. When the truth comes out it will be FROM us.”
Sixx clarified these comments during a later Q&A on Twitter: “A washed-up drummer trying to speak for us? And bottom feeder media running with it to make money off of lies? Welcome to the sad new world of LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME,” he wrote.
https://twitter.com/NikkiSixx/status/1636061307106627584?cxt=HHwWgMDQjebFurQtAAAA
https://twitter.com/NikkiSixx/status/1636079858337071104