Don’t Go Away Mad: Mötley Crüe Say Goodbye
If Mötley Crüe is a band with nine lives, then they cashed in on No. 8 a long, long time ago — and somehow kept on going. Since forming 33 (yes, THIRTY-THREE) years ago, the Crüe have survived numerous brushes with death, plenty of bad PR, a couple temporary lineup shifts, and a brief industrial-techno makeover — and they’re still alive ‘n’ kickin’.
But this week, they held a “funeral” for themselves, arriving via hearse to a Hollywood press conference decorated with their own tombstones, where they announced their breakup and final tour with opening act Alice Cooper.
“Mötley Crüe have proven themselves,” says guitarist Mick Mars, who chatted with Yahoo Music along with bandmate Tommy Lee after the conference. “I think we’ve broken a lot of ground; I think we’ve opened a lot of doors for other bands and other kinds of music … showing people they can just about do anything they want to, instead of staying within the confines of what the record company likes.”
Mars also hinted that solo projects may be in the works: “I feel the four of us have something more to do — individually.”
[Related: Mick and Tommy discuss Mötley discography]
That “something” may very well include working with up-and-coming bands, as both Mars and Lee feel the music scene is a bit lacking these days. “All the music that’s going on today is pretty mainstream in my opinion,” Mars notes, succinctly terming it “bullcrap rock.”
Lee agrees, but adds that he has hope for the future. “I always feel there is that dangerous band out there, that’s going to come up one day and just blow people away,” he notes. “Every 10 to 12 years something comes around just to p–s people off, freak them out.”
Whatever or whoever that may be, the Crüe are secure in their opinion that they’ve paved at least some of the path influential future artists will take. “When we came out, there was like 9,000 bands in L.A. that tried to sound like us, look like us,” points out Mars. “Big hair bands … who started that? Dolly Parton?!”
[Related: Mötley Crüe take over Yahoo Music’s Instagram]
One thing fans can rest assured about: The band is not going away mad, they’re just going away. And they’re doing it on their terms.
“We pride ourselves on the way we came into this thing — totally raising hell,” states Mars. “And we want to go out that way.”
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