Former Motley Crue Manager Gives His Expose About The Band

Alan Niven, who once managed both Guns N’ Roses and Mötley Crüe, is speaking out—and he’s not holding back. In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Niven expressed regret over ever being part of Mötley Crüe’s rise, offering sharp words about the band’s behavior and music.

Niven said:

“[I feel] very ambivalent about the small role I played in the progression of Mötley Crüe because I know who they are.
“I know what they’ve done to various people. I know how they’ve treated certain numbers of women. And I am not proud of contributing to that.”

A Harsh Take on Their Music

But his criticism didn’t stop there. Niven went on to question the band’s artistic value, calling their music shallow and unremarkable. He continued:

“And on top of that, someone needs to turn around and say, ‘It’s a thin catalog that they produced,’ in terms of what they produced as music.
“There’s not much there and it’s certainly not intellectually or spiritually illuminating in any way, shape or form. They are brutish entertainers, and that’s it.”

His opinion is shaped by firsthand experience. Niven worked closely with the band at a key point in their early days. Back in 1981, according to Wikipedia, he helped promote and distribute their first independently released album, Too Fast for Love. That early involvement gave him an inside look at the band long before they reached their peak popularity.

Success and Fallout in the Music Biz

Niven’s music industry career has been a roller coaster. While he may regret his role with Mötley Crüe, he played a crucial part in shaping other major rock acts. As noted in GN’R Evolution, he even convinced David Geffen to renegotiate Guns N’ Roses’ contract—a rare move that showed his skill as a manager.

Still, his professional relationships often ended in drama. VW Music Rocks reported that after his major win for GN’R, he was fired in 1991 due to internal tensions.

Now, with the benefit of hindsight, Niven’s comments paint a raw and honest picture of what it was like managing rock stars at their wildest.