JOHN 5 Doesn't Know If MÖTLEY CRÜE Will Record New Full-Length Album: 'But Whatever They Do, I'll Be There'

In a new interview with Robert Filipowski of Poland's Teraz Rock, John 5 was asked what it was like to join MÖTLEY CRÜE in 2022 as the replacement for the band's original guitarist Mick Mars. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've known [the guys in MÖTLEY CRÜE] for years and years and years and years. I was very close with them. Actually, I would talk to [MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist] Nikki [Sixx] every day — multiple times a day. I don't think there was a day that I didn't talk to him, for years and years and years. So we were really close. And Mick was retiring, and they said, 'Would you wanna join?' And I said, 'Absolutely.' Because I want to experience as much as I can in life. I just want to experience as much as I can. And I think that is important in life, because you don't wanna miss certain opportunities."

After Filipowski noted that it was "big shoes to fill" when John 5 replaced Mars, the guitarist concurred. "It absolutely is," he said. "Every single band, every single band you can think of, has a different member, like not all original members. Every band. Every single band. I can't think of any from the '70s, '80s, '90s or early 2000s that have the same bandmembers. But Mick has been in the band for 40 years, and he gave a lot to the world. He gave 40 years of his life. And me and Mick, we would talk all the time too. We were really good friends, and we still are. So it was good. When they asked me to join and he was happy it was me, it was all good. It was so exciting, though, because we all love MÖTLEY CRÜE, and it was very, very exciting to be up on that stage with those guys. Even though I talked to them all the time, it was different being up on stage with them."

John 5 also talked about working with MÖTLEY CRÜE in the studio on the "Cancelled" EP, which came out in October 2024. The three-song effort contained the title track, MÖTLEY CRÜE's cover version of the BEASTIE BOYS classic "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)" and "Dogs Of War", which was first made available in April 2024. All three songs were recorded in April 2023 with longtime producer Bob Rock.

"Oh, man, me and Nikki, we've written lots of songs, written and recorded lots of songs together," John 5 said. "So it was really fun. But to do it with Motley, it was exciting. It was all exciting. And those important things you store in your head and you can really, really remember. Those are things that you'll never forget. It was very special doing 'Dogs Of War' and 'Cancelled'. And I did 'The Dirt' with them, that song [for the Netflix movie of the same name]. So we did a lot of MÖTLEY songs together.

"This life has been a real dream come true, I'll tell you," John 5 added. "It's been a real dream come true. It's very odd to even sit here and talk about it, to talk about all these things that have happened, because it's such a dream."

Asked if he thinks MÖTLEY CRÜE will record a new album at some point in the not-too-distant future, John 5 said: "I don't know. I'm not sure. I don't know what the future holds, but whatever they do, I'll be there."

Back in October 2023, Mars was asked by Guitar World magazine if he was still on speaking terms with John 5. Mick said: "Well, I've never disliked John. I've always liked him and still do. He's been a really good friend of mine for a long time. So I think [MÖTLEY CRÜE] made a very, very wise choice with John."

In May 2023, John 5 said he and Mick had a "great respect for each other," and that Mars even contacted him after John 5 was officially named MÖTLEY CRÜE's new guitarist.

"Me and Mick, we talk all the time," John 5 noted during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". "We exchange Christmas gifts and things like that. When I was announced as the guitar player, he was one of the very first texts I got. He said, 'You're gonna kill it.' It's good, because it's not like some stranger coming in. We have a great respect for each other."

MÖTLEY CRÜE's upcoming "The Return Of Carnival Of Sins" tour will celebrate the 20th anniversary of CRÜE's groundbreaking 2005-2006 "Carnival Of Sins" tour and the 45th anniversary of the band. The 33-city Live Nation-produced trek will kick off on July 17, 2026 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania at the Pavilion at Star Lake and will feature support acts EXTREME and TESLA.

MÖTLEY CRÜE said that $1 from every ticket sold for "The Return Of Carnival Of Sins" will be donated to ASAP! (After School Arts Program) through the Mötley Crüe Giveback Initiative to fund hands-on arts programs for young people.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's latest Las Vegas residency launched on September 12, 2025 and at Dolby Live at Park MGM and ran through October 3, 2025. The shows had initially been set for the spring of 2025 but were rescheduled after frontman Vince Neil revealed he had suffered a stroke at Christmas 2024.

In September 2025, Vince revealed that he had actually had a series of strokes before he suffered the "big one" in his sleep Christmas 2024 night, rendering him unable to get out of bed when he woke up the next day.

When MÖTLEY CRÜE originally postponed the Las Vegas residency, the band said it was because Neil needed a "medical procedure," but offered no further details.