Recently, drummer Carmine Appice claimed that guitarist Mick Mars left the band because he “was not happy” with the rest of Mötley Crüe. Appice said Mars didn’t like that much of the band’s performance was pre-recorded, and that his relationship with his bandmates had strained.
“The truth is that everything has been weird for a while with Mötley Crüe, and Mick didn’t like that everything was on tape,” Appice said. “Mick told me that people that came to see it could tell that it was all pre-recorded and that everything was on tape.”
Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx fired back against Appice on Twitter saying: “A washed up drummer trying to speak for us? And bottom feeder media running with it to make money off of lies? Welcome to the sad new world of LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME.”
Now it appears Appice’s claims have merit, as TMZ has reported that Mars is suing the rest of the band.
In his lawsuit, Mars said he made it clear he could still record with the band and do limited performances despite his health struggles. His lawsuit alleges that Mötley Crüe cut his percentage of profits from 25% to 5% after he announced he was retiring from regular touring. He also said that the band’s lawyers made him feel that he should be grateful for that 5%, because the band felt they didn’t owe him anything.
Mars also said there was a band meeting where the rest of the group decided to “unilaterally” remove him from Mötley Crüe.
Mars also accused Sixx of “gaslighting” him about his guitar skills diminishing, and he countered that Sixx didn’t “play a single note on bass” during last year’s Stadium Tour.
According to Variety: “During much of the band’s recent tenure, Sixx continually ‘gaslighted’ Mars by telling him that he had some sort of cognitive dysfunction, and that his guitar playing was sub-par, claiming that Mars forgot chords, and sometimes started playing the wrong songs.
“Astonishingly, Sixx made these claims about Mars’s playing while he (Sixx) did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour,” the lawsuit continues. “Ironically, 100% of Sixx’s bass parts were nothing but recordings. Sixx was seen fist pumping in the air with his strumming hand, while the bass part was playing. In fact, a significant portion of Vince Neil’s vocals were also pre-recorded. Even some of Tommy Lee’s drum parts were recordings. Some fans actually noticed that Lee was walking toward his drum set as they heard his drum part begin.
“Mars, at times on the tour, did play the wrong chords, but not due to any cognitive dysfunction,” the lawsuit continues. “He was playing live, and his in-ear monitors were constantly malfunctioning, causing Mars to be unable to hear his own instrument. The fact is that Mars is rarely mocked or criticized online. He is a quiet member of the group, who shows up to play, and puts his heart and soul into each performance. Conversely, other band members are often criticized online, particularly Neil, who is routinely torn to shreds for, among other things, not remembering the songs.”
Mars wants to review the band’s finances to make sure he’s getting what he feels he deserves.
Mars’ lawsuit also gives merit to former singer John Corabi’s claims that he didn’t believe that the guitarist willfully left the band.
Appice also recently challenged Sixx to a jam-off to see who was more proficient at their respective instrument.
“I want to respond to Nikki Sixx’s comments about me being a ‘washed-up drummer,’” said Appice. “I want to challenge him [Nikki Sixx] to a jam off to see who the better musician on their respective instrument is. Since your article in Ultimate Guitar started this whole brew-ha-ha, I felt we should give this statement to you and let you run with it.”
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