L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns made notable claims about Mötley Crüe’s songwriting credits in a recent interview with AL.com.
Guns shared his perspective on the creation of Mötley Crüe’s iconic riffs while discussing Nikki Sixx’s early days in the Los Angeles music scene and his development as a musician.
“Nikki’s a really likable guy, a lot of charisma,” Guns said. “The first [Brides] album’s great. You’re being heavy with Nikki, you know? But Nikki’s interesting because he also loves stuff like [the soft rock band] Bread, this kind of melancholy stuff that attached to him when he was growing up. He’s the first to admit when he arrived here in L.A., he wanted to be a rock star, but he wasn’t a player yet. Everybody wanted him to be in their band, except he wasn’t ready.”
Guns proceeded to make a controversial statement about the authorship of Mötley Crüe’s guitar parts.
“So, by the time the Mötley Crüe thing came together, he’s writing these tunes. But [classic era Mötley guitarist] Mick Mars is a really creative beast,” he continued. “Nikki swears he wrote all those riffs, and who am I to say no? But I don’t f*cking believe it for a second.”
Guns acknowledged Sixx’s other musical strengths despite his skepticism about the riff writing credits.
“Sixx is great at hooks. And the bottom line with Nikki is he gets it done and it gets it out, and people buy it up. People believe in it, and that’s almost more important if you’re in the business.”
These comments contribute to the complex history of songwriting credits within Mötley Crüe. The band has faced various disputes over the years.
Documentation from Wikipedia revealed previous legal challenges regarding songwriting attribution. A notable case emerged in 1997 when former vocalist John Corabi sued the band over removed songwriting credits on an album.
Mick Mars has maintained a relatively low profile in recent years. Meanwhile, American Songwriter highlighted Sixx’s role as the band’s primary songwriter since its formation. His contributions extend beyond the band’s catalog to writing for other artists.
The band’s collaborative approach to music-making has produced numerous hit songs throughout their decades-long career. Neither Mars nor Sixx has addressed these specific claims about riff authorship. The matter remains open to speculation within the rock community.
