MICK MARS On MÖTLEY CRÜE: ‘I Carried These Bastards For Years’

MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars has given his first interview since filing a lawsuit against the band, amidst claims of unfair payment for a group that he was integral in starting and playing with for over 40 years

Attorney Edwin McPherson filed the lawsuit on behalf of Mick Mars in Los Angeles County’s Superior Court on Thursday (April 6), requesting that all corporate entities associated with MÖTLEY CRÜE reveal their records related to their business dealings after Mick notified the band that he would be retiring from the road due to his ongoing struggles with his arthritic condition ankylosing spondylitis.

Mick says in the lawsuit that MÖTLEY CRÜE cut his percentage of profits after he announced he would no longer be touring with the group. He also claims the band’s lawyers made him feel like he should be grateful for the small cut he was offered. Mars also claims a band meeting was held where the group decided to “unilaterally” remove him from MÖTLEY CRÜE altogether.

Speaking with Variety, Mick Mars said about the other members of MÖTLEY CRÜE: “Those guys have been hammering on me since ’87, trying to replace me. They haven’t been able to do that, because I’m the guitar player. I helped form this band. It’s my name I came up with [the MÖTLEY CRÜE moniker], my ideas, my money that I had from a backer to start this band. It wouldn’t have gone anywhere.

“And then to be hearing stuff from people like Bob Daisley from Ozzy Osbourne‘s band, when we were touring with them, and Carmine Appice… [In his 2014 memoir, Bob Daisley recounted a conversation he had with the other members of MÖTLEY CRÜE back in 1984, when they had allegedly asked his advice on how to go about firing Mars, to which he strongly advised against. Daisley also retold the story recently in a talk that was featured on BLABBERMOUTH.NET.]

“The thing that they keep pushing, for many years, is that I have a bad memory. And that’s full-blown, out-of-proportion crap. Around 2012, when they first started saying that my memory was bad and I didn’t remember the songs, I came home and saw all my doctors, because I keep myself together, because I’m an old bastard. They had all the 10th Street people there [from the band’s management] — probably about five or six people — [versus] all my doctors going: “There’s nothing wrong with him.” And now they’re still playing that game with me.

“So, no, the truth is: I want to retire from touring because of my AS [Ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory, arthritic disease that causes vertebrae to fuse]. I don’t have a problem remembering the songs. I don’t have a problem with any of that stuff. But I do have a problem with them, constantly, the whole time, telling me that I lost my memory. No. Wrong. That’s wrong. Absolutely wrong.

“But my stupid body is telling me ‘No, don’t do that’ [stay on the road]. You know, I’m gonna be 72 years old, and I’ve been touring with these guys 41 years, helping build the brand, helping do this and that. And you’re served with papers and going, this is crazy. This is stupid. I mean, come on.”

Discussing his recent allegations that all of Nikki Sixx‘s bass parts were pre-recorded as well as some of the singing and drum parts during the band’s last tour, Mars said: “Yes, on this particular tour, Nikki’s bass was 100% recorded. Tommy’s [Lee] drums, to the best of my knowledge, there was a lot.

“I can’t say he did all of it recorded, but there were some reports from people in the audience that said, ‘Oh, I heard the drums playing, but there’s no Tommy on there. The song started, and there’s no drummer.’ Stuff like that. And actually everything that we did on that stadium tour was on tape, because if we didn’t, if we missed a part, the tape would keep rolling and you’d miss it.

“Anyway, that was the worst 36 gigs ever had with the band,” he added. “It was 36 [instead of the originally scheduled 12] because they knew I wanted to retire from it after that. [Mars says in the suit he did not want to do the extra two dozen dates that got added but went along with it.] I don’t know, and I can’t say I positively know, but I have a pretty good feeling that they wanted me gone anyway. Because they’ve been wanting that since forever. It’s just frustrating for me. I’m pretty upset that they’re even pulling this crap, when I carried these bastards for years.”

Mick continued: “I think that those guys are hoping that I’ll just fold and lay down. Because I’ve done that many times. But this thing that I helped build for 41 years, I’m sorry, you’re not gonna take that from me. I worked very hard for that. It’s mine. I’m keeping it. You can’t have it. Sorry. But they’re well prepared, I can already tell you, because I’ve known them that long too. But I’m not backing down. I’m not gonna fold. And we’ll see what happens. I’m most definitely not afraid of them, or intimidated or anything else.”

Touching on whether he thinks MÖTLEY CRÜE fans will be upset to find out that the group are “not a band of brothers, per se,” Mick said: “Well, of course bands hate each other. Well, that’s the way it works. Every band hates each other, right? But it’s hard to predict. There’s gonna be a lot of disappointed people, and there’s gonna be a lot of ones who go, ‘Yeah, tell me something new.’ But on the stage, all the band members are like a unit, until they’re off the stage and then they’re not anymore.

“I can’t put a number on it, but there’s gonna be a lot of people going: ‘What the hell is wrong with these guys? You know, Mick just wants to have some peace,'” he added. “I mean, I’m an old man! [Laughs] I think some people will really, really care and go, ‘No Mick Mars, no band.’ But they say that about everybody (who leaves a group). It is what it is. And like I said, I’m a part of this company that made this name. I’m not gonna let anybody take it from me — anybody.”

Check out the entire interview at Variety.com