John 5 Has Regrets About Leaving Rob Zombie’s Band: “It was very difficult… we made great music together!”

MÖTLEY CRÜE‘s replacement guitarist John 5, might not have a lot of tenure in the band yet, but among the legion of Crue fans he has begun to endear himself with them because of the difficult situation he finds himself in, amidst a brutal legal battle set to take place between Mick Mars and his old bandmates.

Amid accusations of the Crue’s usage of prerecorded tracks at concerts, and singer Vince Neil being caught lip synching, the shredder remains cool, calm and collected as ever. It has to take a special person to ignore all the drama and stay focused on the task at hand. The guitar great recently announced he will play some solo dates at the start of 2024, and is not sure when a new Crue album will release, in fact, he back pedaled in other interviews saying he is not sure if new Crue music will be released as ‘some singles or an album’.

No doubt, leaving his old band with Rob Zombie was the hardest decision he’s had to make.

John 5 was a recent guest on Talkin’ Rock podcast. They talked about many things, including leaving Rob Zombie‘s band, and joining the Crue. He said: “It wasn’t an easy thing to do.”

“Well, it was very difficult, of course. Because for me and Rob, for 17 years (we were) very close, had a wonderful working relationship, a friend relationship and we made so much great music together. This opportunity came, and I was like “I gotta do this for me” I want to see this through my eyes, and experience everything I can experience in my life. And, ya know, I’m happy I did it. It’s the greatest thing ever!”

He talks about ‘flying private planes around the world and playing massive stages with Motley and Def Leppard’ according to WRIF radio. “It’s just a dream, and that’s what important because there’s so many musicians or actors or artists, that are like “I don’t know. It’s a one in a million shot.” But, you gotta do it!”

He said talking to his friend Rob was “the most nervous part about the whole thing”, explaining his situation and how he felt.

John talks about the first time he actually played with the Crue (which is a funny story) touring with them.