Some interesting comments from Nikki. But I do think it's unfair to blame Tommy entirely for their shift in sound in the 90's and to blame Scott Humphry alone for alienating Mick. Nikki was always the leader so he needs to take his share of the responsibility for trend hopping and for taking Mick for granted. And the camaraderie thing. A band exists creatively in the studio and interpersonally live. They were no longer a creative band (which Nikki has acknowledged straight up) and they didn't need to be aware of each other enough live because of their overuse of backing tapes. If it's three instruments and a vocalist you've got to be hyper aware of each other to sound good. When each individual only has to be aware of the tapes that are keeping the trains running on time you might as well be four guys in four different rooms.
if you watch the lats show Nikki bailed out so quickly when they bowed ot the crowd and they left the home sweet home stage so quick was really kind of sad to see
It's also funny to me that Nikki talks about Tommy's changing musical interests AND how he (Nikki) is a punk rocker at heart. Then why did he make all those SixxAM albums where every song sounds like it's written for 14 year old girls who just found out that Daddy took their cell phone away?
It's interesting and noteworthy that Mick mentions an actual producer (Michael Wagener) and studio when he talks about his album that he hopes will be released "at the beginning of the year". Then again the rational side of me wonders if Mick is confused and thinks it's actually 2010 right now and so we've got another ten year wait ahead of us. Seems bizarre to me though, by September 20th you should be able to know with certainly whether an album will be released in January. Especially one you've been working on since electricity was invented. The article also mentions that Michael Wagener produced Mick's first studio work with a band called Vendetta right before Mick joined Motley Crue. The name 'Vendetta' sort of rings a bell but I know nothing of an album Mick played on before Motley. And I forgetting something?
Wow, no kidding. That pic looks downright bizarre. Looks like Tommy just took first prize in a Tom Savini look-alike contest, Mick looks like they dug up Joey Ramone, Nikki looks like he couldn't decide if he should dress 60s, 70 or 80s so he went with all of the above and Vince's face is now square.
I don't remember the chronology of Mick's bands and I can't find my copy of The Dirt to clarify. I thought White Horse was from much earlier, like 1977/1978. I do remember Nikki talking in the Uncensored video about first seeing Mick in a band called Spiders and Cowboys. Either way, I'm not aware of any band recording of Mick before Motley Crue. The article specifically mentions Michael Wagener doing the Vendetta album with specific quotes about it from Mick.
There are Mick recordings before Motley and what's interesting is he reused some of his solo ideas in Crue songs. The Sleaze Patrol Files: Mick Mars 3: Bob’s Deal With The Crue
I always found nikki to be weird with his relationship to the guys. He had no idea what happened to mick. He and Tommy had a falling out before new tattoo then again a few tears ago, and him and Vince seem close now even though nikki was the primary one to fire him
I love the Crue but this is same nonsense that's been going on for years. Supposedly Generation Swine was such a big divider among the band but it's really stupid considering Vince did Carved in Stone, Nikki 58 and Sixx Am, Tommy MOM and his solo records. Mick wasn't happy but I get it and they should have been more inclusive of him letting him contribute more on the post reunion albums....hell the Crue should have released a double album or two albums in the same year considering how creative and diverse they can be....but their dysfunction and lack of willingness to experiment has been disappointing. I think James Michael was ok and DJ for their contributions but Mick should have been the priority Disclaimer I saw a show in the final your and had a lot of fun, the Dirt was fun to watch on Netflix and I enjoyed one of the new tracks.
I don't think Mick's stuff was replaced by DJ on SOLA but I have a feeling he may have been heavily coached/pushed to go in a certain direction which I think may have caused a bit of a rift as well.
Yes I got that you were talking about Swine...I was just speculating that the outside writers on SOLA could have further isolated Mick from the band. Thanks
Does anybody feel like they have ANY sense of Mick Mars as a songwriter? Because I don't. In that most recent 'update' about his album Mick says "It's hard to reinvent yourself, but that's what I'm doing now. I'm trying to reinvent the way that I approach music writing." And it also mentions that he's "working with an orchestrator and arranger to help him with certain parts in his songs". I've always viewed Motley Crue as four separate and unique guys but I never doubted for one second that the songs were a construct of Nikki Sixx. The other three guys were perfect as players and as personalities but their value was building on Nikki's ideas and using him as a sounding board for which of their ideas was usable. I've said that I think Theatre of Pain contains the most 'Mick Mars' playing on any Crue album. His playing is slippery, like a perfect blend of older rock players added to the 80's stew instead of trying to out Eddie Van Halen the Eddie Van Halen clones. But Mick only has three song writing credits on TOP, and curiously to me none of them is Home Sweet Home. Because I feel like the solo section of Home Sweet Home is the pinnacle of Mick's brilliance and it's so vital to the song that I feel like he deserves a co-write for his contribution. Every note he plays (and constructed) from 2.02 to 2.52 is just absolute perfection and I'd be shocked if any Motley Crue fan wouldn't rate it amongst the best things Mick ever played. But again that's building onto a song, so how can I have any sense of Mick's song writing style? Mick has three co-writes on GirlsX3 (title track, Dancing on Glass, Bad Boy Boogie) and a whopping eight on Dr. Feelgood. But the Crue was already getting more and more generic by this time to the point where there was a lot of filler. All those years ago Mick talked about his future solo album being his more bluesy side. Now? Who the hell knows. I'm certainly interested to hear it but it's impossible to get excited about it. I don't have clue one about Mick as a writer even from Motley Crue so how could I form any anticipation or excitement about where he might take his song writing next? This is where it baffles me when Mick talks about 'not losing too many fans'. Mick is a complete blank. Motley Crue couldn't sell a lot of albums now so I hope he realizes that on his own his sales will be minimal. And let's be honest, nobody knows who Mick Mars is so virtually every sale will be to a Crue fan. And we've all got this built in empathy and love for Mick so we're going to be more forgiving. It'll be a ten dollar purchase in a lifetime of supporting the band. Where we'll drag Nikki over the coals for writing another soundtrack to a first menstruation or Tommy for writing another soundtrack to an identity crisis, Mick will get a wider berth. And the album will sink like a stone no matter how good it is. Is there a touring strategy in 2020 for a 70 year old guitar player on his debut album?
I agree with pretty much everything you said above.....although I read "reinvent the way I approach music writing" as "I have no idea where to go with this thing".... and yet I am still so excited to hear Micks album...and the fact I have no idea what to expect makes it even more exciting. My only hope is we get that signature Mick Mars guitar sound, and not this wash down sound that has appeared on recent Crue tracks. Will it sell?...no. Will he tour?....No
I had a heart attack three days ago and as I was being brought into the operating room to have the stent put in Motley Crue's "Kickstart My Heart" was playing on the radio. I had to laugh at the situation.
Doing really well. I am home now and resting. I just couldn't believe the song that was on as I lay there getting worked on. It helped calm me down quite a bit.
Hope you get back to full fitness real soon. Although if you have to rest and recuperate, this is a great time of year to do so with all the new releases coming out. Sit back, chill and enjoy. Take care my friend.
