Mick Mars might be in the midst of a lengthy legal battle with Mötley Crüe, but that doesn't mean he can't give his replacement John 5 his flowers.
The group's long-time guitarist — he was with them from their conception in 1981 until 2022 — told Guitar World this week that he has no ill will toward John 5, who performed with Rob Zombie for several years before joining the Crüe.
"Well, I've never disliked John, I've always liked him and still do," Mars said. "He's been a really good friend of mine for a long time. So I think they've made a very, very wise choice with John."
Despite being pretty clear that all bridges with his former bandmates had been burned, Mars also reflected positively on his time with the group.
"In terms of that body of work, I'm very proud of it. I have all my plaques hanging around," he revealed. "For me, it became too much of a burden for me to tour. I tried to be as up-front as I could with them, saying, 'I just can't do this anymore!' because of my AS [Ankylosing Spondylitis] condition. It stunk, but yeah… I'm proud of everything Mötley Crüe did and everything we achieved together."
As the Crüe move on with John 5, Mars himself is branching out with a solo album scheduled to arrive on February 23 featuring a star-studded cast of guests from the metal world. Check out the lead single for The Other Side of Mars below.
The group's long-time guitarist — he was with them from their conception in 1981 until 2022 — told Guitar World this week that he has no ill will toward John 5, who performed with Rob Zombie for several years before joining the Crüe.
"Well, I've never disliked John, I've always liked him and still do," Mars said. "He's been a really good friend of mine for a long time. So I think they've made a very, very wise choice with John."
Despite being pretty clear that all bridges with his former bandmates had been burned, Mars also reflected positively on his time with the group.
"In terms of that body of work, I'm very proud of it. I have all my plaques hanging around," he revealed. "For me, it became too much of a burden for me to tour. I tried to be as up-front as I could with them, saying, 'I just can't do this anymore!' because of my AS [Ankylosing Spondylitis] condition. It stunk, but yeah… I'm proud of everything Mötley Crüe did and everything we achieved together."
As the Crüe move on with John 5, Mars himself is branching out with a solo album scheduled to arrive on February 23 featuring a star-studded cast of guests from the metal world. Check out the lead single for The Other Side of Mars below.
