Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars, 72, recently engaged in a revealing interview with Rolling Stone, speaking out about how he feels like his exit from the band was unfair. Mars was a co-founding member of the band, and officially exited as the lead guitarist in 2022.
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Mars spoke about what he experienced during his years working with the band, and how he feels as though his legacy is being stripped from him. Mars told Rolling Stone, “When they wanted to get high and f— everything up, I covered for them. Now they’re trying to take my legacy away, my part of Mötley Crüe, my ownership of the name, the brand.
“How can you fire Mr. Heinz from Heinz ketchup? He owns it. Frank Sinatra’s or Jimi Hendrix’s legacy goes on forever, and their heirs continue to profit from it,” Mars added. “They’re trying to take that away from me. I’m not going to let them.”
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Mars was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis when he was 27, a disease of the spine that causes intense pain. It was reported that at the time of Mötley Crüe‘s 2022 tour, Mars was suffering from a hunch, had trouble moving his body, and was almost always in severe pain. Mars finished performing at the 36-show tour before disclosing to his long-time bandmates that this would be the last tour he would embark on, but it seems as though that was taken as him wanting out of the band forever.
In October 2022, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, and Tommy Lee released a statement that read, “While change is never easy, we accept Mick’s decision to retire from the band due to the challenges with his health. We will carry out Mick’s wish and continue to tour the world as planned in 2023.” Mars how now claimed during the recent Rolling Stone interview that he never intended to leave the band, and he feels as though he was fired from the group he was a founding member of. Mars has since filed a lawsuit against his former bandmates and the band’s touring companies.
Later in the interview, Mars told the outlet, “We were different when we came out of the Sunset Strip. The rough spots were rough spots, and hard to deal with, but I got to see the world and play with a group that was this successful. So I don’t regret anything … besides Generation Swine.”
Mars was asked what advice he has for protecting one’s own legacy, and he replied, “Be a little more aggressive. Stay out of neutral. Be a voice for yourself. I don’t like conflict, but if I could go back, I’d be more involved.”
(Photo Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation)
