Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee and guitarist John 5 discussed John 5 joining the band as Mick Mars’s replacement during a question-and-answer session at the “Sunset Strip” edition of the Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp.
Tommy Lee explained what changed after John 5 joined the band, saying: “When John came in, and with all due respect to Mick Mars, [John] brought this f*cking fire, this new fire and excitement to every one of us. It was just this giant, like… I don’t know, man. Shit just got really, really good.”
“And he’s an incredible guitar player, and he’s a sweetheart. To me, that never happens. Like, you’re a really good musician, but you’re an asshole. And he’s… [John] 5 is everything.”
John 5 then recalled how he got the call to join the band: “I was on tour, and [the Mötley Crüe] guys were on tour. So they were doing ‘The Stadium Tour’, and I was on tour with Zombie. And then I got the call when I was on tour. And I was, like, ‘Yeah.’ And Nikki [Sixx, Mötley Crüe bassist] gave me [a list of] the songs [to learn] and he goes, ‘Okay, learn these.’ And I’m thinking to myself, ‘I know these songs. I’ve known [these songs] forever. I know these songs just like the whole world knows these songs.’ So it was wonderful. I was super excited.”
“[I would hang out] with [the Mötley Crüe] guys all the time [before], but [now] it was different. And when I got into the room, I was, like, ‘All right, I’m excited for the first day of rehearsal.’ And it was the only day I was late. I was, like, an hour late. And everybody was there. And I’ve never been late ever in my life, because… I don’t know if Nikki did it on purpose and he said, ‘Hey, we’re rehearsing at 1:00,’ and everyone got there at noon. Yeah, but it was great.”
“It’s just been a dream. It’s just been so much fun. All we do is laugh and have a great time. When we’re on stage and people watch us on stage, we’re, like, yucking it up even on there. So it’s just been a dream. It’s been an absolute dream come true.”
John 5’s arrival followed Mick Mars’s decision to step back from touring with Mötley Crüe. Mars announced in October 2022 that he was retiring from touring because of his worsening ankylosing spondylitis, while maintaining that he would remain a member of the band.
Mötley Crüe subsequently announced John 5 as Mars’s replacement for its upcoming touring commitments. The change later became the subject of a legal dispute when Mars sued the band in April 2023, alleging that the group had attempted to remove him from its business interests after he stepped back from touring. The band disputed his claims.
Before joining Mötley Crüe, John 5 had already established himself as a prominent guitarist and songwriter. His career included work with David Lee Roth, Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, as well as a solo career. His official biography describes him as someone who “started his career as a ‘hired gun,'” before working full-time with major rock artists.
John 5 also brought previous experience with Rob Zombie to the Mötley Crüe lineup. He had been a member of Zombie’s band for years and had contributed to the group’s music, giving him extensive experience performing large-scale hard rock shows before taking on the Crüe catalog.
The guitarist made his live debut with Mötley Crüe during the band’s 2023 touring cycle with Def Leppard and other acts. The run followed the original “The Stadium Tour” era and marked the first major series of shows in which John 5 performed as the band’s full-time replacement for Mars, with coverage identifying him as the guitarist continuing in Mars’s stead.
