Guitarist John 5 has opened up on the tall task of replacing some of rock and metal's most respected players in a new interview. Speaking to Metal Hammer in their special end of year issue, 5 - who played with the likes of Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie and Van Halen legend David Lee Roth before replacing Mick Mars in Mötley Crüe - explains that he's often felt like a bit of a misfit in whichever band he ends up joining.
“I’ve had this every time I’ve joined a band," he confirms. "With Marilyn Manson, it was, ‘He’s got platinum hair’ and with Rob Zombie, it was, ‘Oh, look, he doesn’t fit in...' With Mötley Crüe, it was the same thing. But that’s OK, because people aren’t used to it, so it makes sense [for them to be confused]. It would be like if you went to McDonald’s, and all of a sudden the Golden Arches were a different colour. You’re like, ‘Hey, wait a minute...’ So, I can understand it. It’s how things are.”
5 goes on to establish that the key to replacing or replicating iconic guitar players is to not go too crazy with trying to put your own spin on their music, choosing instead to play their songs as faithfully as possible.
“I have such respect for the music and the artist, and the person that I’m stepping in for," he says. "Be it Eddie Van Halen, Mick Mars or anyone like that, I have such respect for them. I show respect by playing the songs just as they were written. I’m not trying to do my own thing.
"As long as you play the parts directly and do a good job at it, everything will be OK, because that’s what people want," he continues. "They love these bands that they’ve seen their whole lives. I do only join musicians that I’ve loved most of my life as well. It makes it easier on me. It’s easier for the audience, too, because there have been a lot of people who joined certain bands, and were like, ‘Oh, I never really even listened to them before’, and that idea is just so foreign to me.”
John 5 was confirmed as Mick Mars' replacement in Mötley Crüe in 2022 following weeks of speculation after Mars was forced to retire from the band due to ongoing health issues.
"No doubt will it take an absolutely outstanding musician to fill Mick's shoes so we are grateful that our good friend, John 5 has agreed to come on board and join us moving forward," the band noted in a statement, with 5 himself adding that he was "honoured to carry on Mick's legacy."
Read more from John 5 in the latest issue of Metal Hammer, out now.
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