Legendary rock band Mötley Crüe has been making headlines lately, but not for their wild performances or antics. The recent drama between guitarist Mick Mars and the rest of the band has caught the attention of the rock world, and now, Justin Hawkins of the Darkness fame has weighed in on the situation. In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Hawkins shared his perspective on the ongoing feud and ultimately sided with the remaining Crüe members.
Despite his decision to retire from touring last October, Mars assured fans that he would continue to be a part of Mötley Crüe. However, the band’s announcement the next day implied Mars’ full retirement and revealed John 5 as his replacement, stirring up rumors. Mars recently rejected the band’s severance package offer, which consisted of 5% of earnings from the 2023 tour without his participation.
The band’s attorneys countered with a 7.5% share but required Mars to divest all interests in Mötley Crüe. Insulted, Mars launched a countersuit against his former bandmates, proposing that Vince Neil and Tommy Lee should be removed from the band due to their past legal issues. Nikki Sixx expressed sadness over Mars’ decision and hinted that lawyers and management might be influencing him.
In his YouTube video, Hawkins discussed the situation and sided with the remaining Crüe members. He emphasized that Mars would still earn money from his songwriting and publishing contributions, as well as from master recordings featuring his name. However, Justin Hawkins believed that if someone else was performing Mars’ parts on tour, it was unreasonable for Mars to expect a share of the profits.
Justin also agreed with the band’s attorney, stating that retiring from touring essentially meant resigning from the band, as their primary function is to perform live. He suggested that all parties involved should educate themselves on the partnership agreement they signed, as it likely covers this dispute. In his opinion, the remaining Mötley Crüe members have the upper hand in this situation.
The Darkness frontman’s comments on the conflict between Mars and Mötley Crüe:
“Does it seem reasonable to you guys that if you’re not on tour, you should make money from the tour that you’re not on? I mean, he’ll make money from whatever publishing and songwriting contributions he made to those songs. They’re being played in front of large numbers of people in stadiums or arenas or whatever.
So, he’ll collect on that as a songwriter. If there are pre-recorded elements of him playing the guitar, I think it’s reasonable for him to ask for a share of profits because that’s the thing; that’s entertaining folk, but if somebody else is doing his gig, I’d be inclined to say, ‘Forget it mate.’ I don’t want to get paid for something I haven’t done.”
He continued in response to the words of Crüe’s attorney, saying that retiring from touring was resigning from the band:
“I completely agree with that. I think they should educate themselves, really, because this is going to be covered in the partnership agreement that they all signed. He is asking to earn on something that he’s not doing, and they’re not even talking about cutting them out of like the master recordings that he played on and that had his name on. He’s still going to make money from those records. I actually think I’m on the side of the remaining members. I think this is going to go their way.”
So, the ongoing legal battle between Mick Mars and Mötley Crüe is still a hot topic within the rock community. Justin Hawkins’ recent comments on his YouTube channel provide a new perspective on the matter and add to the growing discussion. Ultimately, only time will tell how the situation will resolve, but it’s clear that the rock world is watching closely.
