Former Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars is featured in an in-depth interview with Guitar World, discussing his new album, The Other Side Of Mars, and his career with Mötley Crüe. Amn excerpt is available below.
Guitar World: The album is very aggressive and dark. You’ve talked about your influences quite a bit – people like Hendrix, Beck, Clapton and Michael Bloomfield. Did you ever record that kind of stuff?
Mars: "Not more blues-oriented songs. I wrote these songs when I had the blues, so I guess they’re blues songs – the dark side of the blues. (Laughs) I was thinking about that because I get texts from people like, ‘Hey, I wanted to hear some blues.’ You never know – maybe I’ll add a Paul Butterfield-type song, like when they did The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw (1967), some really cool stuff and tight horns. I can go any way I want.”
Guitar World: Did you think that would be too much of a left curve for your old Crüe fans?
Mars: "I think Mick Mars fans understand that I love the blues, and I think a lot of them were expecting a blues record. I don’t know; I had to do something a little more than that."
Guitar World: In your view, what was the peak period for Mötley Crüe? When did the band sound the way you wanted?
Mars: "I mean, Mötley Crüe was a whole different animal from what I’m doing. Writing the anthems and Girls, Girls, Girls was what the band was all about. I like some of the early stuff, like Too Fast for Love. Then it got a little sideways and then it got back on track. It’s ups and downs. Mötley Crüe is what it is – and still is."
Guitar World: In your view, should the band have stuck to their guns and quit touring after the "farewell" tour?
Mars: "Do you know what I was really thinking at that point when we signed that big huge contract thing and made a big deal of it and stuff? That Mötley actually were over touring. There was no mention about putting out a record again or anything else. I was into that."
Read the complete interview here.
Orders for The Other Side Of Mars can be placed at this location. Available configurations include a 180G LP and CD, signed and unsigned.
Tracklisting:
"Loyal To The Lie"
"Broken On The Inside"
"Alone"
"Killing Breed"
"Memories"
"Right Side Of Wrong"
"Ready To Roll"
"Undone"
"Ain't Going Back"
"LA Noir"
"Undone" video:
"Right Side Of Wrong" video:
"Loyal To The Lie" video:
