Mick Mars: ‘Of Course’ He’s Open to Writing with Motley Crue Again

2024-02-26

Mick Mars of Motley Crue

Motley Crue – Author Anne Erickson, Photo via Ken Settle

Mick Mars and Motley Crue have been battling it out in a very public way the past year. As the story goes, Mars retired from touring with the Crue in 2023 because of dealing with ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic form of arthritis that over time makes movement more difficult. After announcing his retirement, all seemed well with the Crue. The band even sent out a release saying that Mars would “continue as a member of the band, but can no longer handle the rigors of the road.” But, that’s not where things ended. A few months later, things turned bad, and Mars filed a lawsuit against his former bandmates, alleging they were not giving him the money to which he’s entitled.

Mars said his profit share was reduced a drastic amount, specially, from 25% to 5%, after he announced his retirement from touring. The suit also alleged that Nikki Sixx didn’t “play a single note on bass” on the band’s most recent tour and instead used backing tracks. That statement was in response to Mars saying that Sixx was “gaslighting” him over his guitar abilities.

Mars also told Rolling Stone that nobody spoke to him on the 2022 Motley Crue tour. How cold is that? “A lot of the time felt like I was just playing by myself,” he said. “You know how you can be in a crowd of people and still feel alone? That’ss how I felt that whole tour. I felt used, sad, and inferior. When we played the last show (in Las Vegas on Sept. 9, 2022) I felt relieved. A lot of the pressure was gone. But I was very emotionally wounded. They weren’t just shallow wounds. They were deep ones; the kind you can’t get over.”

But, all is not lost. In a new interview with Audacy Check In, Mars sounds open to working with Crue again.

“If Motley wanted me to write songs with them again, of course I would,” the guitarist said. “But right now, I’m just me (solo). So I’m writing and it’s not Motley, and it’s how I feel. My ideas, my kind of thing. Kind of trying to reinvent myself and bring myself up to date.”

Mars just released his debut solo album, “The Other Side of Mars.” In the same interview, he said it feels good to release music as as solo artist for the first time in his life. “It took me 40 years because Motley was priority,” Mars said. “Now that I’m retired, I’m just me.” He added, “After the final (Motley Crue) tour, I really got a chance to hardcore buckle down and try to do something that more new. New to me. Reinventing myself.”

I would personally love to see the Crue and Mars patch things up. There’s far too much history and friendship here to let it all go to waste. But, time will tell if these guys ever come together again. I’ve interviewed three out of four of the members of Motley Crue, and they were all delightful, so it’s difficult for me to pick a side. I just hope these guys can come together again, somehow, someway.

Anne Erickson
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Posted by Anne Erickson | Music, Rock, Rock News

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