Mötley Crüe Manager Accuses Mick Mars’ Legal Team of ‘Elder Abuse’

The Mötley Crüe/Mick Mars drama took another interesting turn thanks to a new interview from Crüe manager Allen Kovac.

Kovac spoke at length to Variety about the ongoing legal fight brought on by Mars earlier this month. Kovac referred to Mars' entire legal strategy as "a smear campaign ... misrepresenting the facts to the fans." He further noted, "What’s upsetting to me is not Mick, but his representatives, who have guided Mick to say and do harmful things to the brand he cares about so much, Mötley Crüe. He has a degenerative disease and people are taking advantage of him. It’s called elder abuse."

Variety reached out to Mars' attorney Edwin F. McPherson for comment on Kovac's numerous statements. McPherson said of the lawsuit, "This is all Mick. He is tired of being bullied. This is nobody driving the train here but Mick."

The bullying in question refers to Mars' claim that Nikki Sixx repeatedly "gaslighted" him saying he consistently forgot chords and fans were complaining about his playing. Mars told Variety in an interview following news of the lawsuit, "Those guys have been hammering on me since ’87, trying to replace me. He added, " ... It’s just frustrating for me. I’m pretty upset that they’re even pulling this crap, when I carried these bastards for years."

Meanwhile, Kovac made a point to mention that he and Sixx were integral to getting the guitarist sober in the early 2000s. Mars, himself, said he was addicted to opiates in large part to cope with the pain from the spinal disease Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.). Kovac said there was a point around the early 2000s where the band hadn't heard from Mars for over two years. He suggested he and Sixx stop by his home "and find out if he's even alive."

Kovac said, " ... When we knocked the door down, because Mick couldn’t walk, he could only crawl. He needed a hip operation. Nikki had him sleep at his house and go to some doctors where I had different people from my company taking him. He weighed all of 89 pounds. There was a documentary called ‘The Resurrection’ and it shows the debate of whether to bring Mick back. When Mick wasn’t capable, the band waited a long time while he healed. And even after healing, he was never the same, though he’s been on the road ever since. I call that support."

He continued, "I hope you print that, because that’s true, and ask Mick: How’d you get to those doctors? Did you stay at Nikki Sixx’s house when people were debating about you being in the band or not? Did you end up in the band, despite you disappearing for two and a half years and having to rehab for two years after that? I think that’s important. Did Nikki get a tattoo to show you he would never do anything to harm you? Did you try to harm him by throwing him out of the band because you thought he stole your publishing?"

Kovac added, "Did you prevail? Did he forgive you? Which he did, because we all knew he was being taken advantage of. Everyone kept him in the band, but Mick never apologized. And Nikki’s still loyal."

Long story short: This legal drama is likely far from over.

Motley Crue, through all of the obstacles (and there have been plenty), has managed to survive for four decades. It's an overwhelming thought when you think about it.

Just reading or watching The Dirt gave fans an idea of the absolutely insane things the band has gone through. From drugs to horrific tragedies and everywhere in between, The Crue has seemingly seen or done it all.

The latest chapter in the band involves the exit of Mick Mars. The guitarist retiring from touring with Mötley Crüe in October 2022 seemed to come out of nowhere. Apparently, the band thought the same.

Nikki Sixx told Guitar World, "We never saw it coming that Mick wasn’t going to be able to tour and was going to have to quit the band."

At the time, Mötley Crüe was about to hit the road again with Def Leppard following the success of The Stadium Tour. Sixx expressed that after Mars' retirement, the band didn't want to let fans, Def Leppard or tour promoter Live Nation down. This then led them to bring in guitarist John 5 to fill in for Mars. Sixx referred to the substitution as "a no-brainer in a horrible situation -- something we did not ask for or want.

Of course, a lot has played out in the press in the aftermath of Mars' retirement. To begin with, Mars filed a lawsuit against Mötley Crüe alleging his percentage of band profits was cut from 25 percent to 5 percent.

He claimed in his lawsuit the band held a meeting to "unilaterally" remove him from Mötley Crüe. He was also allegedly removed from many of the band's various corporations and LLCs. Additionally, Mars claims bassist Nikki Sixx repeatedly "gaslighted" the guitarist. Sixx told Mars he consistently forgot chords and fans were complaining about his playing. (Mars claimed in the lawsuit Sixx "did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour" and accused him of using backing tracks and pantomiming.)

While this issue is still ongoing, let us not forget they've provided rock fans with quite the catalog of songs, with a number of those tunes now considered rock/metal classics.

From the classics to the deeper cuts, here are the 40 best songs of Motley Crue, ranked.