Stephen Pearcy, the lead singer of RATT, recently revealed some interesting information about MÖTLEY CRÜE. According to Pearcy, the band had been trying to find a replacement for Mick Mars as early as the 1980s. In addition, Pearcy mentioned that Nikki Sixx, the bassist of CRÜE, was not happy with the band’s frontman, Vince Neil. These revelations shed some light on the inner workings of one of the most iconic bands in rock history.
But that’s not all. Just a month ago, drummer Carmine Appice made headlines by disclosing some details about last summer’s The Stadium Tour, which featured MÖTLEY CRÜE, DEF LEPPARD, POISON, JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS, and CLASSLESS ACT. Among the claims that Appice shared was the allegation that Nikki Sixx’s bass parts were pre-recorded. This is a serious allegation, as live performances are supposed to be just that – live. If Sixx’s parts were indeed pre-recorded, then it would raise questions about the integrity of the band’s performances.
But the controversy didn’t end there. Mick Mars, the guitarist for MÖTLEY CRÜE, filed a lawsuit against the band not long after Appice’s disclosures. In the lawsuit, Mars alleges that the band has been using backing tracks during live performances and that Sixx manipulated him into thinking he had lost his cognitive abilities and guitar skills. Mars also claims that the band reduced his share of earnings from 25% to just 5% after he decided to withdraw from touring. In addition, he alleges that a complete band meeting took place where he was “unilaterally” excluded from MÖTLEY CRÜE.
Mars’s lawsuit has sparked a lot of discussion and debate among fans of the band. Some are supportive of him, while others feel that he is being unfair to his former bandmates. Regardless of what one thinks of the lawsuit, there is no denying that it has cast a shadow over the legacy of MÖTLEY CRÜE. However, the band has shown that it is not going to let the controversy stop it from creating new music. In fact, CRÜE has already started working on new material with John 5, who replaced Mars after he retired from touring due to his battle with Ankylosing Spondylitis. It remains to be seen what the future holds for the band, but one thing is for sure – the legacy of MÖTLEY CRÜE will continue to be discussed and debated for years to come.
During a new interview on the “Waste Some Time With Jason Green” show, Pearcy reflected on CRÜE lawsuit, saying:
“Well, when I first got wind of that… Carmine‘s a great friend of mine, Carmine Appice. And when I saw that, I was just shocked that… He was so close to those guys too; Carmine was very close to everybody, and closer with Mick Mars. So unbeknownst to me too… I mean, look, I knew they did some of that tape stuff back a bit, but I didn’t know it was so overblown, which is crazy. I just didn’t like the disrespect. And you know what? I could give a sh*t, man.
“I do [solo] shows with Vince [Neil]. Vince is my brother, man… That’ll never change. We hit the Strip together. We were the gladiators together. Robbin [Crosby, late RATT guitarist] lived with Nikki. Yeah, I thought it was disrespect to brother Mick, as a gladiator. And to Carmine. I mean, holy sh*t. That kind of bummed me out.”
“You know what? Life’s short, man, and a lot of us are dropping like flies. And you’ve gotta remember — this is 40 years later. The ones that are still standing should give respect to one another,” he continued.
“So I was a little dismayed at the comment. But that’s their trip; it’s not mine. I could give a sh*t… I understand what Mick‘s going through… “It’s just a drag that it had to go there. And then it snowballed into something even bigger.”
According to Pearcy, even in the early 1980s, the CRÜE were considering replacing Mick Mars, and they had their sights set on Jake E. Lee as a potential substitute.
“They tried to get Jake E. [Lee] from my band, from Mickey Ratt, when Jake E. was in the band,” Pearcy said. It was, like, ‘Are you never satisfied? You’ve got Mick right here. You guys are already Too Fast For Love. You’re already doing your first record.’ When they released that first record, Too Fast For Love, if I’m correct, we were still hanging and they were trying to swipe Jake E. It’s very interesting to think about it, actually.”
Asked if the rumor was true that Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee initially aimed to establish a group with him and RATT guitarist Robbin Crosby prior to Vince Neil joining, Pearcy said: “You know, I don’t know. It’s, like, he [Nikki] was never really happy with him [Vince] either. Hence John Corabi. I don’t know. You know what? It’s a shame, because right now we should all be embracing this ’80s scene.
“I mean, they’re out doing the stadium thing for the second time, except there’s a little fart in the road. But it tells you how much people are still grooving on the ’80s and miss it and want it, and they really don’t give a sh*t how they get it sometimes.”
