John 5 hopes he hasn't ruined relationship with Rob Zombie by joining Motley Crue

Motley Crue guitarist John 5 says he hopes his decision to join the band doesn't cause his longstanding friendship with Rob Zombie to fizzle out.

John 5 was announced as Crue's new guitarist late last year, replacing Mick Mars who has since been embroiled in a war of words and a legal wrangle with his former bandmates.

John 5 spent 17 years as a member of Zombie's band and the two became close friends. And while Zombie wished his departing guitarist well, John 5 admits he's worried it may change their dynamic.

He tells Sirius XM’s Trunk Nation: “I miss talking with him and texting with him. I’m more worried about him not texting me back or not replying. I think that would really break my heart. That’s the thing. I think I’d be really bummed out about that.

“I talked to Rob, and he understood. Rob is a smart, rational person. I mean, he wasn’t psyched, but he understood. And I think that was amazing of him

"He was just, like, ‘Go get ’em.’ He was fine about it.

"I called Rob and I said, ‘This is what’s happening.’ And we did a show, Louder Than Life, together, and that was my last show. But no bad blood or anything; it wasn’t anything bad. It wasn’t dramatic or anything. And Rob was super cool. He was, like, ‘Hey, I get it.’"

In the same interview, John 5 described the new material he is recording with Motley Crue as heavier than anything on their acclaimed album Shout At The Devil.