MICK MARS: 'MÖTLEY CRÜE Reunion Is Still Up In The Air'

Although MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx recently announced the possibility of a reunion tour, with Tommy Lee back on drums, CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars admits the group's official comeback is far from set in stone. "There's been talk of us reuniting, but I can't say positively that it would happen," Mars told Guitar One magazine. A lot of 'political' stuff would have to be straightened out, but the way I feel about is like, 'Put on your guitar and play — what's the big deal?' From my point of view, a reunion is still up in the air."

One of Mars' most heartfelt confessions in the pages of the band's best-selling autobiography, "The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band", was that he's suffered since his early 20s with ankylosing spondylitis, a rare degenerative bone disease. "Doctors still say there's not much known about it, but it's sort of a weird arthritic condition that fuses your bones together," Mick told Guitar One. The disease doesn't restrict his ability to play, but it does affect many areas of his life, such as his appearance. "It makes me look 10 years older than I am," Mars said. Two things that help Mars deal with his illness are an incredible sense of humor and his endless passion for the guitar. "People say, 'You should have been a comedian,' but I hold up my guitar and say, 'This is what I love, right here.' I have to live with this illness and go on with what I do, even if I have sit down on a stool to play."

Mick Mars' interview with Guitar One was published in the magazine's March 2004 issue, out on the stands now.