Following rumors that Nikki Sixx didn’t actually play the bass in Mötley Crüe records in recent years, Tommy Henriksen shared his support for the bassist in a new chat with Guitar Interactive.
“All those people who say Nikki Sixx can’t play bass can f**k off. He’s written some of the greatest songs ever, and the motherfer killed it. He motley-ized the track and made it his own,” he said in praise of Sixx’s contributions to Crossbone Skully’s latest album, ‘Evil World Machine,’ which also features Def Leppard’s Phil Collen, Johnny Depp, Alice Cooper, and Joe Perry.
Rumors about Sixx’s bass playing started in 2023 after Mick Mars alleged that Mötley Crüe didn’t play live during stage shows. Carmine Appice added to the speculation by claiming that a musician named Carol Kaye was behind his bass parts in the studio records. Bob Rock’s memories from the recording sessions for ‘Dr. Feelgood’ didn’t help with the situation.
Rock reported in a chat back then that Sixx said he didn’t think he ever “played on any of the Mötley Crüe records. I think somebody came in at night and replaced all my parts. So, I don’t really know how to play bass.” He also noted that Sixx had bass lessons in the following years, by the time they started ‘The Dirt.’
The producer later clarified his words by sharing, “When I began working with Mötley Crüe on the ‘Dr. Feelgood’ record, the band was sober for the first time, and Nikki particularly was recovering from a very public addiction to heroin. We joked around a lot, and in his very self-deprecating style, Nikki would sayhe didn’t even remember playing on their prior records. This was Nikki’s way of saying that for the record we were working on, he was showing up todo the best he possibly could and to make the best record of the band’s career. Which we did.”
“At no time did I ever actually think Nikki didn’t play bass on Mötley Crüe’s records,” he noted. “He’s one of the most unique and talented players in the world, and his approach to the instrument is part of what has made Mötley Crüe great throughout the years.”
John 5 also denied the claims about his bandmate. He said mistakes in their live performances were proof that they actually played. As for the records, Appice implied in follow-up posts that his comments were a joke.
