MICK MARS Wanted His Solo Album To Have A Lot Of 'Diversity': I Wanted 'To Take You On A Little Short Journey'

In a new interview with Eric Dahl of Fox 17 Rock & Review, MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars spoke about the musical direction of his debut solo album, "The Other Side Of Mars", which as released on February 23. The effort was made available via Mick's own label 1313, LLC, in partnership with MRI. After Dahl noted that Mars clearly didn't want to repeat what he had already done with CRÜE on his solo LP, Mick said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No. Absolutely not… There's a lot of diversity in what I listened to when I was growing up — every[thing] from blues to GENTLE GIANT, KING CRIMSON and [KING CRIMSON guitarist] Robert Fripp and all between. A lot of blues, that kind of thing."

Mick went on to say that it was important for him to cover a lot of different ground on "The Other Side Of Mars". "Diversity, I felt, was — or is; not always — but is missing nowadays in [a lot of the music]. I purposely wrote this way, in this manner, to take you on a little short journey. Every song you hear, you're imagining or seeing a different landscape or whatever; it's a music scape, I guess. But I wanted to put that across to show that I'm not just this [one-dimensional player and songwriter]."

When Dahl suggested that Mars's recent revelation that he was already working on his second solo album was "a heck of a pace" for someone who has just released his solo debut, Mick said: "Not really, because things have been floating around for quite a while. I was very dedicated to my band. And so it's, like, when I'm freed up to do what it is that I can do, 'The Other Side Of Mars' comes out of it."

Birmingham, Alabama rocker Jacob Bunton collaborated extensively with Mars on "The Other Side Of Mars".

Bunton had previously worked with former GUNS N' ROSES drummer Steven Adler and CINDERELLA frontman Tom Keifer, and has songwriting credits with Mariah Carey, Steven Tyler and Smokey Robinson, among others.

Bunton sings lead on all but two of the 12 songs on "The Other Side Of Mars".

Other guests on the LP include WINGER/ALICE COOPER keyboardist Paul Taylor, KORN drummer Ray Luzier, and Brion Gamboa, who handled lead vocals on the songs "Undone" and "Killing Breed".

Bunton previously fronted the Alabama bands MARS ELECTRIC and LYNAM.

Last month, Mick told Joe Rock of the WBAB radio station that he wanted to take the music on his second solo album in a slightly different direction from what he did on "The Other Side Of Mars". "Another level. It has to be that way," he explained. "I'm not a youngster. And I'm not a depressed dark guy or nothing like that. But when you start getting older, you start going, like, 'I don't wanna do that again. Let's try this or move up or go a different level,' instead of putting the same repetitious kind of thing, which is [what you sometimes do when you are stuck in an] album-tour,-album tour [cycle]. And a lot of times, when that does happen, you find yourself kind of repeating yourself, and it gets to be pretty much samey after a while. So I'm fortunate enough to be old — I made it to here — but to be able to change my music, my next step. I don't wanna stay on this level. I have to take it up a notch every time. And if I get to do a third [album], it'll be a notch again, of course."

Regarding which guest musicians he would like to possibly approach about appearing on his second solo album, Mick said: "I think of different things, I guess. I was, at one point, just kind of like fantasizing about it. I don't even know if it would work. But I was thinking, like, Slash [GUNS N' ROSES] is a bud, and calling Slash in and going, 'Hey, come on in there and goof around.' And Doug Pinnick [KING'S X], just to play bass — not to sing, but for his bass playing. And I think that the fans would kind of dig that, but I don't know what would come out of it. But I'm willing to take the chance, of course.

"As far as other things go, let's take it back a bit and go, a lot of people were expecting more of a blues album [from me this time around]," he continued. "Maybe I could throw a blues song on there, but the 'cry in your beer' kind of blues, but the kind that you just wanna get up and fight. After having a couple beers, I'm gonna beat up this [guy]. But, yeah, I can do that kind of stuff. I'm so open, and I have so much freedom to take my project anywhere, of course, and any direction. It's all open. It's a great feeling, really a great feeling just to express myself any way I want. I could go out and get, let's say, an unknown female singer and just totally have something that's so different than what you would expect from me. I don't know if people do know what they expect, 'cause I don't what I'm doing next. I do know what I'm doing next, but I don't know."

When Mars announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE 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 has since filed a lawsuit against MÖTLEY CRÜE in Los Angeles County's Superior Court, claiming 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.

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