MICK MARS Admits He Never Read MÖTLEY CRÜE's Official Biography 'The Dirt'

In a new interview with Matt Pinfield of 95.5 KLOS's "New & Approved" show, MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars was asked about the first time he read the band's official biography, "The Dirt: Confessions Of The World's Most Notorious Rock Band". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I'll be honest. I didn't read it. [Laughs] I've still got, like, I don't know how many copies of the original one. I haven't really dug into it or anything. I probably will at some time, like when I'm 90 or something. [Laughs]"

"The Dirt" is the outrageous, legendary, no-holds-barred New York Times best-selling book by MÖTLEY CRÜE.

Fans have gotten glimpses into the band's crazy world of backstage scandals, celebrity love affairs, roller-coaster drug addictions, and immortal music in "The Dirt" since 2001 when the book first came out. The autobiography of Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil and Mick Mars features the full spectrum of sin and success, as well as a cautionary tale about the rock 'n' roll lifestyle.

In 2019, "The Dirt: Confessions Of The World's Most Notorious Rock Band" was made available in audiobook format from HarperAudio and Dey Street Books. The multi-voice edition was performed by Sebastian York, Roger Wayne, Fred Berman, MacLeod Andrews and Hillary Huber.

Sixx told Variety that MÖTLEY CRÜE "tossed around" the idea of narrating the audiobook themselves, but "it just didn't feel right for us," he said. He added that he and his bandmates pushed for an audiobook when "The Dirt" was first released, but in the pre-streaming audio era, there was small demand for such books on disc. "There wasn't a big enough audience to invest in it," he said. "But with technology advances, fan demand and now the movie, it was a great opportunity to release this now."

In a recent interview with Robert Cavuoto of Myglobalmind, Mars was asked if he plans to write an autobiography at some point. He responded: "I probably will, but probably — I've been saying this for the longest time — when I'm dying, so I can write it backwards. [Laughs] Is that silly? … It's cool. I like it. [Laughs] So if you wanna read it forward, you start at the back. I don't know. [Laughs]"

In 2021, Sixx released an autobiography called "The First 21: How I Became Nikki Sixx" in which he revealed family secrets and the origins of his drive to succeed. In that book, Sixx barely mentioned his MÖTLEY CRÜE bandmates Mars, Lee and Neil, who have been covered in his "The Heroin Diaries", "This Is Gonna Hurt" and the aforementioned "The Dirt".

The film version of "The Dirt" was released on Netflix in March 2019, along with an accompanying 18-song soundtrack, featuring a collection of CRÜE classics that meaningfully underscore significant moments that shape the film. The four members of the band also reunited in the studio to record four new songs for "The Dirt" soundtrack, including the single "The Dirt (Est. 1981) (feat. Machine Gun Kelly)" and CRÜE's unlikely cover of Madonna's "Like A Virgin".

Lee's autobiography, "Tommyland", was published in October 2004 by Atria Books. The 320-page book, which was originally rumored to have been titled "Ragz To Riches" (and later "Misunderstood" and "An Illustrated Man"),contained many details not included in "The Dirt: Confessions Of The World's Most Notorious Rock Band".

Neil's autobiography, "Tattoos & Tequila: To Hell And Back With One Of Rock's Most Notorious Frontmen", was released in 2010 and gave the singer gets a chance to tell his side of the story about CRÜE's rise to fame. In the book, which was written with Mike Sager, a former Washington Post reporter and contributing editor for Rolling Stone, Neil called out inconsistencies in portions of the other CRÜE books.

At the age of 27, Mars was diagnosed with the "horrifically debilitating" ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic and inflammatory form of arthritis that mainly affects the spine and pelvis. He opened up about his struggles in "The Dirt", writing that the pain "felt like someone was igniting fireworks in my bones." According to the Los Angeles Times, he underwent surgery in 2004 because of it and has dealt with a condition referred to as "bamboo spine" for years.

When Mars, a co-founding member of MÖTLEY CRÜE, announced his retirement from touring with the group in October 2022 as a result of worsening health issues, he maintained that he would remain a member of the band, with John 5 taking his place on the road. However, he filed a lawsuit against the band in April 2023, saying that, after his announcement, the rest of CRÜE tried to remove him as a significant stakeholder in the group's corporation and business holdings via a shareholders' meeting.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's attorney later described Mars's legal action as "unfortunate and completely off-base." He said Mars voted on and signed an agreement in 2008 in which he and every other bandmember agreed that "in no event shall any resigning shareholder be entitled to receive any monies attributable to live performances (i.e., tours)."

Mars — whose real name is Robert Alan Deal — served as MÖTLEY CRÜE's lead guitarist since the band's inception in 1981.

Mick's debut solo album, "The Other Side Of Mars", was released in February. The effort was made available via Mick's own label 1313, LLC, in partnership with MRI.