Mötley Crüe came out of retirement after the succces of their biopic “The Dirt” released in 2018 and had a successful long tour with Def Leppard across United States and Canada before the band’s original guitarist Mick Mars retired due to health reasons. In an interview with Guitar World, the guitarist John 5 recalled how he was invited to join the band this year.
John 5 recalls how he was invited to join Mötley Crüe
“I was on the road, and they were finishing up their tour. We were actually missing each other a few times. Mötley were still touring, and I went right out with my band, the Creatures. There were times when I was playing a show in the exact same city as Mötley.
“I’d be three miles away in this large club while they were in a stadium. At the end of the tour, Nikki was like, ‘You know, I think Mick’s going to retire. A tour’s coming up. We’re gonna go to Europe and South America and do all this touring.’ He said, ‘Is this something you’d be interested in?’ To be honest with you, I look at this as ‘life is very short, and I want to experience as much as I can.’ I was like, ‘Well, of course.'”
He continued:
“You know, this is my best friend. I know every single song. That’s the other thing – I didn’t have to learn any songs. I know them all. To get a new chapter, a new beginning in your life – what a gift it is. It’s hard to explain. It’s such an epiphany to receive a gift like this, to go, ‘OK, here we go.'”
“I envision staying with Mötley Crüe… As long as Mötley Crüe are around, I don’t plan on leaving – and I hope I never get fired. It’s such a wonderful band to be in. It really is a dream to be playing with your friends. It’s something I never envisioned, but I’m so thankful it’s happened,” John 5 said.