John Corabi Doesn’t ‘Believe’ Motley Crue’s Mick Mars Statement, Calls John 5 ‘Brilliant’

Former Motley Crue lead singer John Corabi is having trouble believing things are as they seem in the influential hair metal band. In a new interview, the ex-Crue member expressed that he didn’t “believe” the group’s October statement revealing that founding Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars was stepping down from touring with the act.

That statement said Mars was leaving the group for health reasons, due to his ongoing struggle with an inflammatory arthritis disease. Subsequently, Crue announced that guitarist John 5 (Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Alice Cooper) would take his place.

Hear Corabi’s interview near the bottom of this post.

“I know John [5] as well,” Corabi told the podcast Life in the Stocks on Tuesday (Nov. 29). “He’s a brilliant — and I cannot say ‘brilliant’ loud enough — he’s a brilliant guitar player and a great dude. But the verdict for me is out until I hear a statement from Mick. The statement that we heard was put together by Motley and their people. And I’m not totally sure I believe what they’re saying. So I’ll just leave it at that.” (via Blabbermouth)

Later in the interview, he clarified, “I don’t totally believe Mick’s reasons for leaving Motley. And I don’t even know if he left Motley. I believe maybe he was shown the door.”

Still, Corabi cautioned, “I could be totally wrong about this, so don’t run around and fucking, whatever, put it in print yet. But I’m just saying I’m waiting for Mick’s response. The one that we’ve all heard came from Motley and their management.”

On Oct. 26, Motley Crue released a statement that said, “Mick Mars, co-founder and lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Motley Crue for the past 41 years, has announced today that due to his ongoing painful struggle with Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.), he will no longer be able to tour with the band. Mick will continue as a member of the band, but can no longer handle the rigors of the road. A.S. is an extremely painful and crippling degenerative disease, which affects the spine.”

A day later (Oct. 27), the band added, “We will carry out Mick’s wish and continue to tour the world as planned in 2023. No doubt will it take an absolutely outstanding musician to fill Mick’s shoes so we are grateful that our good friend, John 5, has agreed to come on board and join us moving forward.”

Mars is a co-founding member of Motley Crue along with the band’s current lineup of Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee. The band initially played what was meant to be their final tour in 2015.

With John 5, Motley Crue will launch a new world tour with Def Leppard in 2023. The two toured America together this year. See the upcoming dates below. Get tickets here.

John Corabi Talks to Life in the Stocks – Nov. 29, 2022

Motley Crue + Def Leppard 2023 World Tour Dates

Feb. 10 – Atlantic City, N.J. @ Hard Rock Live
Feb. 11 – Atlantic City, N.J. @ Hard Rock Live
Feb. 18 – Mexico City, Mexico @ Foro Sol
Feb. 21 – Monterrey, Mexico @ Estadio Banorte
Feb. 25 – Bogota, Colombia @ Parque Simon Bolivar
Feb. 28 – Lima, Peru @ Estadio Nacional
March 3 – Santiago, Chile @ Estadio Bicentenario
March 7 – Sao Paulo, Brazil @ Allianz Parque
March 9 – Curitiba, Brazil @ Estadio Couto Pereira
March 11 – Porto Alegre, Brazil @ Arena do Gremio
May 22 – Sheffield, England @ Bramall Lane
May 25 – Monchengladbach, Germany @ Sparkassen
May 27 – Munich, Germany @ Koenigsplatz
May 29 – Budapest, Hungary @ MVM Dome
May 31 – Krakow, Poland @ Tauron Arena
June 2 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Prague Rocks
June 3 – Hannover, Germany @ Expo Plaza
June 7 – Solvesborg, Sweden @ Sweden Rock
June 9 – Hyvinkaa, Finland @ RockFest
June 11 – Trondheim, Norway @ Trondheim Rocks
June 14 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Copenhell
June 18 – Dessel, Belgium @ Graspop
June 20 – Milan, Italy @ Ippodromo
June 23 – Lisbon, Portugal @ Passeio Maritimo
June 24 – Rivas-Vaciamadrid, Spain @ Auditorio Rios
June 27 – Thun, Switzerland @ Stockhorn Arena
July 1 – London, England @ Wembley Stadium
July 2 – Lytham, England @ Lytham Festival
July 4 – Dublin, Ireland @ Marlay Park
July 6 – Glasgow, Scotland @ Hampden Park