Maybe music is a powerful tool to bring people together, but it is not always the case in the music industry. Whether a personal feud or a professional one, there are always two artists or bands who don’t get along and want to make their feelings publicly known. Music provides a rich ground for competition, so feuds are an inevitable part of the industry.
As the bands interact with each other at various tours or events, big egos are bound to clash at some point. Perhaps it is more understandable for the artists in the same band since they spend almost every day with each other, but sometimes, the feud is between the different groups. The hostility between Mötley Crüe and Metallica also goes way back and involves an open letter between two dominant figures in those bands, Nikki Sixx and Lars Ulrich.
How Did The Feud Between Mötley Crüe And Metallica Begin?
The long-standing feud between Metallica and Mötley Crüe stems back to their early days. Mötley Crüe appeared in Hollywood’s glam scene in the early ’80s on the Sunset Strip, while Metallica was also one of the pioneers of the thrash metal scene around the same period in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Thus, the two bands shared close territories to find themselves a dedicated audience.
Later on, the feud between the two escalated when Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich accused Mötley Crüe of using a backing tape during their appearance at the American Music Awards in 1997, which was true. After hearing about Ulrich’s allegations and being highly offended by them, Crüe’s bassist Nikki Sixx responded with an aggressive open letter to the drummer.
What Did Nikki Six Say In His Open Letter To Lars Ulrich’s Allegations?
Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx was so furious with Lars Ulrich’s allegations that he felt the need to post an open letter to express his feelings on an American Online message board. In his ruthless letter, the bassist said Metallica doesn’t have a right to comment on what they did since they also did similar things in the past.
Then, Sixx also wrote that he and Tommy Lee knew Metallica had re-recorded live tapes, and they repaired all the instrument parts in Pro Tools, audio production software for making music. He accused Metallica of deceiving their fans. In his letter full of harsh words, the bassist also wrote none of this was Ulrich’s business, and it would be fair to ‘return the punch.’
Here is the open letter Nikki Sixx posted:
“Dear, Sweet, Fat, Balding, Larz (love the make-up, babe!) Taking your ever-moronic soapbox position on a subject that’s none of your f*cking business has made you out to be an a**hole as usual. Considering that I and Tommy know that your live tapes have been re-recorded.
And all your instruments were repaired in Pro Tools (and had the guts to lie to your fans and call it a ‘live’ album)… People in glass houses should not throw rocks! Considering your bullsh*t to the press, we feel it’s only fair to return the punch! You are such a poseur. Thanks for releasing that ‘load’ of the sh*t CD of yours…you made more room for us!”
You may think things calmed down between the two bands when years passed after this incident, but this was not the case. Years after, Tommy Lee posted a tweet and made fun of Lars Ulrich by sharing a photo of his face under the caption ‘Straight Outta Tempo’ to criticize his drumming abilities.
You can see the tweet below.
— T🥁mmy L33 (@MrTommyLand) September 20, 2015
