Top 5 Mötley Crüe Guitarist Candidates Following Mick Mars’ Retirement from Touring
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The post Top 5 Mötley Crüe Guitarist Candidates Following Mick Mars’ Retirement from Touring appeared first on Consequence.
With Mick Mars stepping away from touring, one of the highest profile guitar gigs in rock music is now on the job market. Mötley Crüe’s founding axeman will still remain a member of the band, but will no longer play live shows due to his ongoing battle with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a crippling degenerative disease that affects the spine.
In addition to his health issues, Mars is the elder statesman of the Crüe, roughly a decade older than everyone else in the band. In the infamous Crüe biography The Dirt, Mars described how he often caught flak for his age, as he was already established as a journeyman guitarist in the years prior to Mötley Crüe’s formation.
Given Mars’ experience, it’s only fitting that Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, and Vince Neil tap someone who not only fits the part but has also proven their versatility with the axe. Heavy Consequence offers up five prime candidates to take Mars’ place onstage when the Crüe return to the road next year, as the band continues its co-headlining tour with Def Leppard.
Update: Mötley Crüe have officially named our No. 1 choice John 5 as their new touring guitarist, but you can still check out what other guitarist would’ve made good candidates below.
5. Tracii Guns
L.A. Guns founder and Sunset Strip O.G. Tracii Guns certainly has the experience and skill to slot right in alongside Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, and Vince Neil. On one hand, Guns already worked with Sixx in the shortlived L.A. supergroup Brides of Destruction.
However, the two had a falling out after the dissolution of the band following its 2005 sophomore album Runaway Brides, with Sixx claiming that Guns ripped him off for “a lot of money” in a 2017 tweet, adding that he would “never” work with Guns again. So, yeah, Tracii Guns joining the Crüe is a long shot. To top it off, Guns tossed John 5’s name into the ring in a recent interview, stating that the Rob Zombie guitarist would be a “great choice” to step in for Mars.
4. Acey Slade
Current Original Misfits guitarist Acey Slade is another long shot, in that his name hasn’t really been mentioned in rumors surrounding Mars’ retirement from the road. But he certainly looks the part. Mars has maintained an almost ghostly, vampiric stage presence over the years, an aesthetic that Slade has down pat.
Slade has also played in numerous bands such as Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Dope, horror punk act Murderdolls, and more. While he might not be on the radar, he’d certainly be a good fit, quite literally.
3. Nita Strauss
Having recently exited Alice Cooper’s band, veritable shredder Nita Strauss is branching out musically. Although she just joined Demi Lovato’s live band and has gotten more active with her solo career, one of the best jobs in the business is a tough one to turn down.
And having a woman in the band just might offer a nice balance to Mötley Crüe’s infamous antics. It’s no secret that there is a certain degree of sexism in the Crüe’s ’80s anthems, not to mention the group’s misogynistic behavior back in the day (as chronicled in the film The Dirt). There’s also still a band member (Tommy Lee) who asks the audience to whip out their private parts at concerts. Regardless of the effect it might have on the band, Strauss certainly has the chops.
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2. DJ Ashba
Now we’re reaching the realm of strong possibility. DJ Ashba is a guitar veteran with history in the Los Angeles hard rock scene, having played in both Bulletboys and Guns N’ Roses. Most importantly, he was Nikki Sixx’s axeman in Sixx A.M. In a January 2022 interview, Ashba remarked that he had “no intention of doing anything further” with Sixx A.M, though he reflected positively on the band’s catalog and career.
There doesn’t appear to be any beef between Ashba and Sixx, as is the case with Tracii Guns, so Ashba could definitely be in consideration for Mars’ role in Mötley Crüe.
1. John 5
It appears that Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 has a head start on the competition. His name was already being tossed around when rumors began circulating of Mars stepping away. Most recently, John 5 was seen hanging out with Mötley Crüe for Tommy Lee’s 60th birthday bash. He also has the connection of recording music alongside Nikki Sixx in the supergroup L.A. Rats, who dropped a one-off single in 2021.
We’re gonna go out on a limb and suggest that having previously played music with Sixx is a requirement, making John 5 the top candidate for the job. He’s proven he can play all kinds of rock-oriented styles with his prolific solo output, and his current stint with Rob Zombie is evidence that he can co-exist with larger-than-life personalities, which pertains to every member of Mötley Crüe (sans Mick Mars). We wouldn’t be surprised if John 5 is announced as the band’s new touring guitarist in the coming weeks.
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Top 5 Mötley Crüe Guitarist Candidates Following Mick Mars’ Retirement from Touring
Jon Hadusek
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