19 Things We Learned Hanging Out Backstage With Mötley Crüe
10. The final tour is going to expand into 2015.
“I’m sure we’ll come back and do the States again,” says Neil. “There are a lot of cities we aren’t playing. We also have to do Canada, Mexico, South America, Asia, Japan and Europe. We have a long way to go.”
11. The use of pre-recorded backing vocals remains a sensitive topic.
In a recent interview with Eddie Trunk, Mars voiced his dissatisfaction with the group’s decision to supplement Neil’s vocals with pre-recorded parts. “That could get me in a lot of trouble,” he said. “Let me put it this way. I’ll say two words and you’ll know: Britney Spears… I don’t like it. I could put on a Mötley CD and play along with it all day. I don’t wanna do that.”
When asked about it now, Mars has a slightly different take. “I’d rather hear on-key vocals than not,” he says. “I guess that there are some people that don’t dig it. Some people like raw upfront stuff. I think that background vocals strengthen the band in some ways. I mean, it is what it is.”
12. Vince Neil has seriously toned down his drinking.
“I’ll have cocktails every once in a while,” he says. “I might have a glass of wine with dinner. That’s about it.”
13. Despite intense pain due to his long struggle with ankylosing spondylitis, Mick Mars remains clean.
“Some days are worse than others as far as pain,” says Mars. “But I don’t take any painkillers. That’s a big no-no. I went that route about 15 years ago, and I never want to go there again, thank you very much. It’s not a good route. The quick fix is not a way to go.”
14. Mars is considering a reunion with singer John Corabi, who fronted Mötley Crüe for a few years in the 1990s.
“John and I have been talking bout writing some stuff,” he says. ” A full-blown tour hasn’t been discussed, but it’s possible.”
15. Opinions vary about whether or not they will record new material when the tour ends.
“I don’t see that happening,” says Lee. “That’s just not on the horizon, unless it’s for the movie of The Dirt, but I can’t imagine what the purpose would be since the movie is about our history.” Vince Neil has a different take. “I see us recording stuff in the future,” he says. “Absolutely.” Nikki Sixx is somewhere in the middle. “We might make music again,” he says. “There just has to be a vehicle for it.”
16. Should they enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, expect a one-off reunion.
“If some people would get out of their own way egotistically, we would indeed reform for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” Sixx says. “But amongst my peers, the Hall of Fame has become a bit of a joke. But maybe we’ll play again for some sort of award or the Super Bowl or something.”
17. They’ve come to terms with the fact many rock critics don’t like them.
“We’ve never been a critics’ band,” says Neil. “To lots of people, we’re a quote ‘1980s band.’ Everybody wants to get rid of the 1980s. They want to go from the 1970s straight to the 1990s, but the 1980s was a huge era for music. It started a whole new type of music that sold a lot of records and people still embrace.”
18. They refused to cooperate with the Broadway musical Rock of Ages and subsequent movie.
“I specifically am not one to embrace that era of music,” says Sixx. “I don’t think we are era-specific. Rock of Ages offered us so much money. They offered us points. They offered us a percentage. We said no. It was a piece of shit movie that has nothing to do with what we believe in.”
19. The final Mötley Crüe show will be in Los Angeles.
“It’s gotta be there,” says Neil. “It’s the only place to end it. I’m hoping we do it on January 17th, 2016. It’ll be our 35th anniversary.” The exact location hasn’t been figured out yet. “There’s talk of a couple of nights at Staples or the Forum,” says Lee. “Afterwards, there might be a 1:00 a.m. show at the Whisky, where we really started this shit. I mean, fuck, we all lived around the corner from that piece of shit club. It would real nice to finish off there.”
No matter where and when it happens, Sixx has a vision of that night in his head. “I dream about getting in my car after the final bow,” he says. “I’m going to drive home, alone, with the radio off. I’m going to drive pass the Whisky, the Roxy, the Rainbow and the Troubadour. I’ll drive up to my house, put the key in the door, walk in, turn around and be like, ‘Where did all the fucking years go?’ Then I’ll close the door and wait for the next chapter.”