Mick Mars Addresses Legal Battle With Mötley Crüe, State Of His Health
By Andrew Magnotta @AndrewMagnotta
November 17, 2023
Mötley Crüe guitarist and cofounder Mick Mars isn't free to say much about his legal issues with his former band, but he expressed certainty in a recent interview that all will be revealed once the litigation is behind him.
Speaking with Q104.3 New York's Out of the Box with Jonathan Clarke, Mars was asked if he could say what happened between him and his longtime bandmates.
"I'd rather stay away from that one at the moment," Mars replied. "But I'll tell you, when it's all done and said, you'll know. I'd rather talk about my record [The Other Side of Mars]. I'm not trying to be a butthole, honestly."
This past spring, Mars filed a lawsuit against Mötley Crüe, accusing the band of pushing him into retirement at the conclusion of the U.S. 'Stadium Tour' last year and foisting upon him a severance agreement that would leave him with a paltry stake in the band.
Through their lawyer, Mötley Crüe called Mars' allegations "unfortunate and completely off-base" and suggested that the guitarist was being "manipulated by his manager and lawyer" into filing the complaint. The lawyer insisted that Mars' compensation upon his departure from the band was "generous," honoring his career with the band.
Regarding his health and his battle with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), which were cited as factors in his decision to retire from touring, Mars told Q104.3 that he's doing "fine," although the arthritic condition makes travel especially challenging.
"My AS is what it is; there's nothing I can do about that," Mars said. "The rigors [of touring], the hard stuff, you know, flying here, doing this, that crap, is a little difficult for me to do nowadays because [my spine] is like almost [one] solid bone. It got a little rough, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to do a lot of music, you know. As long as my brain and my hands and legs work, I'm never stopping [music]."
He added that he hasn't ruled out all live performances — some one-off shows or a short residency is a possibility — but touring isn't in his plans.
Mars' album, The Other Side of Mars, is due for release on February 23, 2024.