John 5 hopes he hasn't ruined relationship with Rob Zombie by joining Motley Crue

A picture of John 5 performing alongside Rob Zombie
(Image credit: Photo by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)

Motley Crue guitarist John 5 says he hopes his decision to join the band doesn't cause his longstanding friendship with Rob Zombie to fizzle out.

John 5 was announced as Crue's new guitarist late last year, replacing Mick Mars who has since been embroiled in a war of words and a legal wrangle with his former bandmates.

John 5 spent 17 years as a member of Zombie's band and the two became close friends. And while Zombie wished his departing guitarist well, John 5 admits he's worried it may change their dynamic.

He tells Sirius XM’s Trunk Nation: “I miss talking with him and texting with him. I’m more worried about him not texting me back or not replying. I think that would really break my heart. That’s the thing. I think I’d be really bummed out about that.

“I talked to Rob, and he understood. Rob is a smart, rational person. I mean, he wasn’t psyched, but he understood. And I think that was amazing of him

"He was just, like, ‘Go get ’em.’ He was fine about it.

"I called Rob and I said, ‘This is what’s happening.’ And we did a show, Louder Than Life, together, and that was my last show. But no bad blood or anything; it wasn’t anything bad. It wasn’t dramatic or anything. And Rob was super cool. He was, like, ‘Hey, I get it.’"

In the same interview, John 5 described the new material he is recording with Motley Crue as heavier than anything on their acclaimed album Shout At The Devil.

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.