MUDVAYNE singer Chad Gray believes MÖTLEY CRÜE should just call it a day and bow out
Speaking with The Jesea Lee Show, MUDVAYNE vocalist Chad Gray was asked about the first album he ever got into upon discovering music. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “My first, my cutting-teeth metal record — it’s so weird even say the band name now considering what’s going on with that band — MÖTLEY CRÜE ‘Too Fast For Love’. ‘Too Fast For Love’ and ‘Shout At The Devil’, man. Just fucking absolute game changers.
“My mom had me when she was 17 years old,” he explained. “So, I would cruise the strip with my mom and her friends, and fucking Peter Frampton and THE EAGLES and [LED] ZEPPELIN, that was what was on the radio. So that’s what I grew up with. So I grew up in a very musical household, because my mom was still young and it was basically the classic rock era in real time. So I grew up on a lot of really great music, man.
“But I’m telling you fucking what — nothing touched me like, man, the first [time I heard MÖTLEY CRÜE‘s ‘Live Wire’]. That opening riff to fucking ‘Live Wire’ was, like, ‘What?’ Like I said, I had a familiarity with music — I knew music and I knew good music — but that shit was just, like — it bit me; it fucking bit me.’
Gray went on to say that bands like METALLICA and SLAYER soon took over his musical priorities, as his love for MÖTLEY CRÜE began to shift. “The CRÜE was still CRÜE,” he said. “But ‘Theatre Of Pain’ and shit, [it was], like, full-tilt hair metal, versus ‘Shout At The Devil’. Yeah, they were wearing fucking leather and, yeah, their hair was teased up, but they looked fucking tough and they had fucking handcuffs like belts. It was just a lot of really cool heavy metal imagery, and then ‘Theatre Of Pain’ comes in, and it’s, like, pink zebra-skin fucking tights and full-tilt hair metal.
“So there are moments on [that record] — ‘Home Sweet Home’ is obviously timeless; it’s fucking an amazing song and shit. And I loved what [bassist] Nikki [Sixx] did, ’cause NikkiwasMÖTLEY CRÜE. Nikki wrote the lyrics, Nikki laid down pretty much, I think, the song beds, the rhythm arrangements and shit like that. I think he arranged a lot of stuff. I think he was pretty much the man behind it. And then you’ve got fucking [guitarist] Mick Mars who is just fucking phenomenal — just such a great, great, great player. I can’t say enough about Mick.”
Chad also touched on MÖTLEY CRÜE‘s decision to reunite and continue with John 5 following Mars‘s retirement from touring, saying: “At this point, I would just bow out. It’s not the same, dude. I’m not the guy that fucking like just wants to sit and talk shit, but I have, unfortunately… It hits me in such a pure place, and to see it just kind of turn into fucking whatever because it was such a big part of my life, and so it’s hard for me to watch.”
When asked if he thinks CRÜE “should just call it completely at this point”, Chad replied: “Unless you wanna try harder. You know what I mean? And it’s not all of ’em. [Drummer] Tommy [Lee] can still fucking play. Tommy‘s a fucking beast; I mean, he always will be.
“But that’s usually the way with drummers; they usually can stand the test of time. I get it with singers and shit like that. You lose some of your register and frequency, your pitch will drop. That’s just fucking nature. ‘Cause it has with me — my resonant pitch has definitely dropped. I can still get up there, but it’s weird. My register break is a little bit lower and different. So, it does happen, but it’s just, like, come on, man.”
In October 2022, Mick Mars, the lead guitarist of MÖTLEY CRÜE, announced his retirement from touring due to worsening health issues. Despite this, Mars affirmed his commitment to remain a member of the band, with John 5 stepping in to take his place on the road. However, Mars has since initiated legal action against MÖTLEY CRÜE in Los Angeles County’s Superior Court. He claims that following his retirement announcement, the other members of the band attempted to remove him as a significant stakeholder in the group’s corporation and business holdings through a shareholders’ meeting.
Mick Mars, born Robert Alan Deal, has been the lead guitarist of MÖTLEY CRÜE since its formation in 1981. While bassist Nikki Sixx is primarily responsible for the band’s songwriting, Mars has contributed to the creation of some of their most iconic tracks, including “Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.)“, “Girls, Girls, Girls“, and “Dr. Feelgood“.