MICK MARS Sidesteps Question About VINCE NEIL's 'Declining' Singing Ability: 'It Is What It Is'

In a new interview with "The Mike Calta Show", MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars was asked if it was "killing" him and the other members of the band watching singer Vince Neil "decline as a frontman and as a singer" over the years. Mars hesitated for a second before responding: "Um, well, it is what it is. The road takes a toll on everybody, really. And, um, it's kind of like family — people fall out and people come back. And it's just the way it works. It's just the way it works."

Over the last decade and a half, Neil had received harsh criticism online for his weight gain and alleged drop in vocal ability.

In May 2021, Vince struggled to complete his solo concert at the Boone Iowa River Valley Festival in Boone. Based on fan-filmed video footage of the gig posted on YouTube, the now-63-year-old rocker, who hadn't performed in more than a year and a half due to the COVID-19 pandemic, began losing his voice several songs into his set, which consisted exclusively of CRÜE classics and cover songs previously recorded by the band.

In December 2019, CRÜE manager Allen Kovac told Fox Business that "some of" the bandmembers had enlisted outside help to get in shape for CRÜE's 2022 "The Stadium Tour" with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS. Kovac was referring, in part, to criticism of Neil for his supposed diminished singing ability and weight gain.

Kovac explained: "Some of them are working with a trainer, some of them are working with a nutritionist to make themselves the best they can be. The greatest insecurity for an artist is: Is anyone going to care about my music? Is anyone going to buy a ticket? We were in November [2019] when the discussions were happening, and these guys were already into regimens of how they get ready for a tour."

Speaking specifically about Neil, Kovac added: "Let's see what Vince sings like and looks like when the tour goes out."

Sixx also said that Vince was "killing it" while working with "trainers" and "nutritionists" in preparation for "The Stadium Tour".

In April 2023, Mars filed a lawsuit against his MÖTLEY CRÜE bandmates claiming he had been unceremoniously terminated by his "brothers of 41 years."

In the complaint, Mars said the other members of CRÜE had attempted to illegally deprive him of his 25% ownership stake in the group after he made the "tragic announcement" that he could no longer tour due to an arthritic condition called ankylosing spondylitis. Mars also alleged that Nikki Sixx "did not play a single note on bass" during the entire 2022 tour, that "100% of Sixx's bass parts were nothing but recordings" and that a "significant portion" of Neil's vocals and "some of" Tommy Lee's drumming were pre-recorded.

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.