Former Mötley Crüe Singer John Corabi Doesn't Believe the Mick Mars Retirement Statement

"I don't totally believe Mick's reasons for leaving Mötley. And I don't even know if he left Mötley."

Photo: Frank Schwichtenberg

BY Megan LaPierrePublished Nov 30, 2022

Last month, Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars announced his retirement from touring. He shared the news in a statement after the band wrapped an extensive co-headlining North American tour with Def Leppard, citing the progression of his degenerative condition, Ankylosing Spondylitis, which prevents him from being able to meet the physical demands of life on the road. Shortly after, ex-Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 was announced as his replacement.

Former Crüe singer John Corabi, who fronted the band from 1992 to 1997, isn't sure he believes the statement made on behalf of Mars — or the one from the remaining members of the band that followed, for that matter. In a new interview on the Life in the Stocks podcast (transcribed by Blabbermouth), he said he was still waiting to hear more about the situation directly from Mars.

"I will just say this: I know John [5] as well. He's a brilliant — and I cannot say 'brilliant' loud enough — he's a brilliant guitar player and a great dude," Corabi told the interviewer. "But the verdict for me is out until I hear a statement from Mick. The statement that we heard was put together by Mötley and their people. And I'm not totally sure I believe what they're saying. And I'll leave it at that."

Oh, but of course he didn't!

"I don't totally believe Mick's reasons for leaving Mötley," the vocalist continued. "And I don't even know if he left Mötley. I believe maybe he was shown the door. Because as long as I can remember… Fuck, when we were doing the Generation Swine record, they were complaining about his guitar playing then."

Corabi went on, "And if you really look at all of the records they've done since then… The majority of the guitars on the Swine record, which is one of the reasons why I sued the guys, are mine. They were complaining about Mick the whole fucking time.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I could be totally wrong about this, so don't run around and fucking, whatever, put it in print yet, but I'm just saying I'm waiting for Mick's response. The one that we've all heard came from Mötley and their management."

Corabi also thinks Mars and his wife have been acting shifty since the announcement came out, and guesses that the guitarist may have been kicked out of the band. He theorized:

I don't know if he's embarrassed or he's maybe… Who knows? Maybe he's angry and maybe he's being told not to say anything to anybody. Maybe there's gonna be a lawsuit. I don't know. But I just know how those guys operate, and I would not be surprised if they didn't say, "Mick, look. You're in pain. We've got John 5. We're gonna bring him in." Maybe throw him a bone — like every time they tour, throw him some money — but "We're gonna move forward with this guy." It wouldn't surprise me.

This is all purely speculative, but having been ousted by the Crüe himself (though he claims it was mostly their label Elektra that insisted on bringing back Vince Neil), it's not surprising that Corabi has his suspicions. It likewise wouldn't be surprising if Nikki Sixx responds to this within the hour, because we know he loves to poke the bear, incur the wrath of the Swifties, etc.

You can listen to the full podcast episode below.

 

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