Nikki Sixx Believes Mick Mars Was Not To Blame About Recent Lawsuit

Nikki Sixx discussed Mötley Crüe’s current situation and Mick Mars’ departure amidst the ongoing lawsuit of the former guitarist against the band.

In an interview with Planet Rock, the bassist noted that Mötley Crüe is in a good state. Sixx mentioned that the members were supportive of Mars throughout his tenure and even with their current situation. He said:

“It’s nothing against any other musician that you play with, just that when you play with new musicians, you play differently. We’re still playing the same songs that people want to hear, but it kind of reinspires you. And I’m sure the same thing would happen if they got a new bass player. They’re like, ‘Oh wow, he’s attacking it differently.’ So it’s never about how bad anybody was.

“It’s a nice time [for Mötley Crüe], and it’s kind of inspired us to write a little bit. We love our history; we’re very proud of everything we’ve done. We’ve always been really supportive of Mick, no matter what Mick was going through. We’re just happy with where we’re at right now.”

Mars was forced to leave their latest reunion tour and retire last October due to his ongoing struggle with Ankylosing spondylitis, a form of spinal arthritis. In a previous interview with Variety, Mars claims that the rest of the band wanted him to leave the group for years saying they have been trying to replace him “since ’87.”

On April 6, Mars sued Mötley Crüe claiming that the band cut his percentage of profits from 25% to 5% after he left. Recently, Sixx clarified that when Mars’ health issues surfaced, they had to either disband or continue without him and eventually they chose to proceed.

The musician also expressed his thoughts that Mars was being misled by his representatives. He explained:

“If a member of a band tells you that they can’t tour because of health reasons, you have two choices. You can quit as a band [after] 42 years of work. Or we could look at each other and go, ‘Are we done yet?!’ We’re really peaking, and we understand [Mick’s] health issues.

“We wish him the best, and we know that he’s a little bit confused and being misled by representatives right now. But we still have to stay focused on why we’re here.”

Meanwhile, Mötley Crüe is currently in the studios making new music and is set to perform with Def Leppard on May 22 in the U.K.