Motley Crue

#1233: Mötley Imposter – Inside Scoop!

A sequel to Record Store Tales #978:  Mötley Imposter

RECORD STORE TALES #1233: Mötley Imposter – Inside Scoop!

On December 12, 2025 5:54 pm, I received the email that could shake the very foundations of Motley Crue.

I jest, of course.  I debated whether to post this or not, but ultimately decided to release it to the public.  I have removed the sender’s name for privacy, but I have not edited their text in any way.

This follows up an article I wrote in 2022 called “Mötley Imposter”.  It is the story of Matthew Trippe,who claimed to have replaced Nikki Sixx in Motley Crue at one point in the mid-80s.  Though it follows that story, the email I received is about four different bass players, not Trippe!

According to Trippe’s tale, he was hired to “be” the new Nikki, but was fired when the “real” Nikki returned to the band.  The year was 1988 and Trippe (reported in some articles as Matthew Von Trippe, getting his middle name John wrong) was featured in an issue of Kerrang.  Matthew’s claim was that the real Sixx had a dibilitating car accident in 1982, and so a lookalike (Trippe) was hired to play bass and write music with the band, with no one in the audience being any the wiser. Trippe had tattoos similar to Nikki, and dyed his hair black.  The real Nikki Sixx was having his own issues, but being replaced in the Crue was not one of them.  Kerrang broke the story in March of ’88, with lawsuits a-flyin’.  Trippe wanted compensation for what he claimed were two or three years in Motley Crue.

The lawsuits went nowhere because there was only ever one real Nikki Sixx, but the story has gone on to have a life of its own.  Trippe did go down in history as the subject of a Motley Crue song called “Say Yeah”, which is better than he probably deserved.  We covered the story on YouTube with Canadian author Brent Jensen, but that was not the last I heard about Matthew John Trippe.

The unedited email I received is below.  Apparently the real Nikki Sixx died in 1981 and was replaced by four other bassists in succession.  The current Nikki started in 1987.   Dig in below…and try not to think too hard!

hello Mike, im emailing you in regards about NIKKI SIXX, The Sixx in Motley Crue today since 1987 -present is not the original Nikki Sixx, the original sixx was Killed in a barfight in 1981, in los angeles , He was replaced by a guy named Pat Searle or sears, who isnt a good bass player but a poser. then Pat had a car accident in 1983 after the US Festival , he was replaced by other understudies which was 3 others , the first 2 of them was from Blackie Lawless previous bands SISTER AND CIRCUS CIRCUS, One is a guitar player named Randy Schatz & A bass player named Joey Palermo , they both have been friends with motley crue since the early days and the other guy is from Vince Neils former band rock candy ,he was the bass player whos tall and skinny and looks like a rock star before the 80s glam look..the guy from Rock Candy definitely was in motley crue as nikki sixx i have photos to prove it.. I dont know his name and his name isnt Joe Marks because Joe Marks has been accounted for in recent years.. the others are ghosts.the bass player from vinces former band rock candy is on google images ..he married Brandy Brandt,see his pictures without make up .,hes also in the Don”t go away mad video” hes the Sixx with the pony tail walking with tommy and mick. im not trying to dog nikki sixx or expose there secrets but the truth must come out sometime..matthew trippe was not in motley crue..he was an obsessed fan with mental issues who kind of stalked the band on tour during those days.,he did get some things right about this present nikki sixx has blue eyes not green..ive seen nikki sixx with green eyes and black or brown eyes in color pictures and it was not nikki sixx. i hope this information helps..None really cares about this information anyway..but is just food for thought. i also have pictures of these guys before motley and during motley . They all got let go becuase the Sixx we see today got stated back in the band in the late early or late 90s to play live because he sucked at playing bass and couldnt keep his time. i hope this helps..and the all probably signed NDAs too. im sure they didnt make alot of money playing that role of nikki sixx..

 

As for Trippe, who died in 2014, he never came clean about his ruse.  He did go down in history as the subject of a Motley Crue song called “Say Yeah”, which is better than he probably deserved!

REVIEW: Mötley Crüe – Cancelled (2024 EP)

MÖTLEY CRÜE – Cancelled (2024 Big Machine EP)

I’ll give Motley Crue credit for two things:  1. Giving us some decent packaging for the Cancelled EP, in the day and age of cheap-out wallets.  This has a full jewel case and booklet.  2. Employing John 5 as their new guitarist.

That’s about it.  John 5 aside, this band has acted shamefully in recent years, and giving us sub-par new material is no consolation.  Sure, it’s great that Motley are releasing new music on CD.  It’s fine that they’re working with Bob Rock again.  It’s not good that these new songs are generic and boring as hell.  This EP feels lazy.

“Cancelled” has a pounding riff.  Vince does a patented “WOAW!” at the beginning.  John absolutely smolders.  Then… the song really starts, but there’s no song here.  The lyrics are actually irritating.  As if Motley Crue ever got “cancelled,” and the less said there, the better!  The positives to the song are the riff and the shredding, both of which can be credited to John 5.  The solo even recalls the classic days for a little while.  Vince is actually singing fine for his age and stage of his career, but he sounds bored to death.  Any spark to this song sounds artificial; either from the production or the hired flashy guitarist.

The single, “Dogs of War” has never stood out.  Same formula.  Slammin’ riff, and unmemorable song.  Production and guitar.  “Don’t let those bastards get you down,” sings Vince, knowing that he’s sailing easily into retirement.

The final abomination is “Fight For Your Right”, the Beastie Boys cover, and it’s actually the best song here.  Why?  Because the Beastie Boys wrote a song!  One with some verses and a chorus that you remember to this day.  Once again though, Vince sounds bored to tears.  As if he’d rather be at another rager than in the recording studio.  Anywhere but where he was right then and there!  Tommy sounds like he’s enjoying himself, and John’s spewing guitar slag out of the speakers in a far more interesting display than anything the singer has on offer.  Whammy tricks and noisy notes galore, it’s great that John 5 is able to loan this kind of playing to Motley Crue.  Does it fit?  Does it sound like Motley Crue?  Not the Crue of old, no.  Mars had his own blues-based style and while John can play anything he wants, he’s not Mars and he’s not trying to be Mars.  If Motley Crue themselves were more interested in writing good tunes that integrate John into an actual band, we’d have potential here.

I really hate when Vince says, “Tommy!  Sixx!  5!  Let’s make some noise!”  It just doesn’t have the same vibe as “My buddies Sixx, Mick and Tom,” even though it does feel like they’re copying themselves.

Final quality control note:  This disc will not play in my brand new PC without horrible background noise, one of only two or three in my collection with that issue.

1/5 stars

VIDEO: That Time Rob Daniels Gave Me Girls, Girls, Girls

The poster appears to be a reprint but the generosity of Rob has ensured that it will live on in my music room!

 

REVIEW: Union – Live in the Galaxy (1999)

UNION – Live in the Galaxy (1999 Standback)

  • John Corabi – vocals/guitar
  • Bruce Kulick – guitar/vocals
  • Brent Fitz – drums/vocals
  • Jamie Hunting – bass/vocals

This great, forgotten Union live album should be added to the collections of any fans of John Corabi or Bruce Kulick.  Packed with great songs from Union, Motley Crue, Kiss, the Scream, and even Cheap Trick and the Beatles, this live album delivers on every level.  11 tracks live, plus two bonus studio songs.  Power to the music indeed!

There are no specifics about recording dates, but regardless the album has been well sequenced, opening with Union’s own album opener, “Old Man Wise”.   Very much a continuation of the Motley and Kiss albums of 1994 and 1997 respectively.  Mix them up with riff and groove sauce, you’d get something like “Old Man Wise”.  Bruce’s playing is always fascinating and “Crabby” was in top voice.  Grit and power are the words of the day.  This song pounds, and Bruce absolutely rules.  We go straight into the equally grooving but more upbeat “Around Again”.  Union had an excellent self-titled album out at the time, and it makes up the bulk of the album.  Fortunately the band’s original songs set a high bar.  Bruce Kulick doesn’t put out crap.  A third song from the debut, “Heavy D…” might be called a ballad, but really it’s a quiet song with heavy parts.  Or is it a heavy song with quiet parts?  It is performed with gusto in either guise.

“We’re gonna do something from Carnival of Souls!  This is called the ‘Jungle’, baby!”  Then Jamie Hunting comes in with that rolling bassline, originally played on album by Bruce himself.  Kulick’s past with Kiss makes an appearance on “Jungle”, a song Kiss never performed live, so quite a treat.  John Corabi’s spin on a Paul Stanley vocal is full of raspy power yet still appropriate.  Hearing this makes one wish that Kiss did have the balls to play it live.

That’s a lot of heavy rock in a row, and to lighten the mood, it’s the Union original “Love (I Don’t Need It Anymore)”, which is dedicated to a certain someone who was involved with a current event in the news at the time.  It’s a little more upbeat, a little more “Motley” and absolutely one of the best Union songs from the debut.  The chorus kills like a classic from Dr. Feelgood.  Corabi then takes us back to his earliest catalogue, The Scream’s “Man In the Moon”.  The Scream were a sort of musician’s super group, featuring Bruce Bouillet and John Alderete from Racer X.  The Scream was more mainstream than that.  This is a melodic rocker with a bluesy twist, and the band do a slamming job of it.

Bruce Kulick takes center stage on another Kiss song that was never played live, and his vocal debut:  “I Walk Alone”, which he wrote with Gene Simmons.  It begins with a short, Zeppelin-esque guitar exercise from Bruce.  As for the vocals, you gotta give Bruce credit for not going back and fixing things.  This is Kulick’s voice raw and exposed and imperfect and yet…perfect for the album.  In many ways, this is better than the Kiss version, as Bruce adds a really sweet guitar outro.

A fun unexpected cover next:  Cheap Trick’s “Surrender”!  The backing vocal abilities of the entire band enable them to easily pull this off.  You’d look at it on paper and scratch your head a bit, but it’s short work for these pros.  It’s all about the vocals.

A dramatic “Pain Behind Your Eyes” brings to the stage another soft/hard hybrid with wicked drumming and vocals.  However this is just a prelude to one of the heaviest Motley Crue songs ever:  “Power to the Music”.  Corabi takes center stage doing some screamin’ and preachin’ to the crowd.  The demanding song is handled ably by Corabi, seemingly relishing playing this awesome song live on the stage again.  They probably would have blown Motley off the stage doing the same song.

After some band intros, we get some Kulick solo wailing right into the final song “Tangerine”.  Nothing like the Zeppelin song, this is a riff-rocking groover with excellent melodic delivery by John Corabi.  Union were a melodic band, but John’s approach added the grit and grime that is like rock candy going down.  This song slays with a resilient groovy riff.

Bonus studio tracks are two:  an acoustic rendering of “October Morning Wind” from the debut, and a Beatles cover that blows away the more well know Oasis version.  First up though, the rich acoustics of “October Morning Wind” really bring warmth to a cold subject.  “My pain is measured by a sky that is old and grey,” sings John in a song that may well be about seasonal affective disorder.  Then, the Beatles cover is handled with ease.  “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” benefits from similar acoustic warmth.  It sounds live in the studio, and again the lead and backing vocals make it work seemingly without effort!

Union really made a strong impression with their first two releases, the debut and the live album.  Was it too soon for a live album?  When you look at the setlist, absolutely not.  They had enough material with which to build a very strong set of songs, needing only one true cover (the Cheap Trick song).  The bonus acoustic tracks are icing.

4.5/5 stars

 

REVIEW: Mötley Crüe – From the Beginning (2025)

MÖTLEY CRÜE – From the Beginning (2025 BMG)

There are two things that Motley Crue are really good at:  Pissing off their fans, and releasing compilations.

In 2019, the Crue released The Dirt soundtrack, featuring four new songs and 14 classics.  In 2025, with the well running very dry, they released From the Beginning, featuring no new songs in its 19 tracks, and just one new version of an old classic.

From the Beginning is at least the 7th Crue compilation of hits, depending on what you count and what you don’t (I’m not counting box sets).  This is a band that has only 10 studio albums.  The well is so dry that this compilation includes several tracks from past compilations.   So much could have been done better.

Let’s start with the fail of the packaging.  It’s always interesting when a band chooses a photo of an old lineup rather than the current one.  The inside fold out also features an old photo, meaning current guitarist John 5 is not pictured here, even though he’s on the album.  There are no liner notes, no credits, just an inner sleeve with eight past Motley Crue logos.  (Corabi’s is of course missing, as are several other mid-period Motley Crue logos.)   It’s cheap grey and black printing, no colour.  Absolutely nothing of value in the packaging for any fan, new or old.

Moving on to the one new version of an old song:  the original 1985 recording of “Home Sweet Home” is remixed to include Dolly Parton, who has reinvented herself as a rocker recently, in duet form.  There have been many successful duets when one artist is recorded many decades later over an old song.  This is not one of them.  It sounds fake, and it sounds silly to have 2025 Dolly singing with 1985 Vince.  The guy’s not dead!  There’s no reason for this, except that 2025 Vince Neil is no match for 2025 Dolly Parton.  This congested sounding remix is truly awful, and not because of Dolly Parton.  When singing without the old Vince backing tracks, she sounds magnificent and still powerful.  Couldn’t they even get John 5 to record a new solo over top?  No; they continue to use Mick Mars on their new releases while publicly attacking him.  With all respect to the incredible Dolly Parton, this version of “Home Sweet Home” shouldn’t even count as part of the Motley Crue discography.

True to its word, From the Beginning is a chronological compilation, beginning with the common Elektra mixes of “Live Wire” and “Take Me to the Top”.  This one-two punch always serves well, and the compilation is off to a good start.  If anything, these songs sound more necessary today than ever, no matter who really played bass (which is very loud on this mastering)!  The crunch of Mick Mars’ guitar belching distortion is a satisfying sound, especially at its most primitive.  The classic suite of Shout at the Devil tracks are “Shout” itself, “Looks That Kill” and “Too Young to Fall In Love”.  Even two past superior compilations, Decade of Decadence and Greatest Hits (1998), didn’t include all three.  Decade featured just two songs per album, and excluded “Too Young”.  Greatest Hits (2009) did include all three, and most of the other songs on this set.  There’s something about these tracks that sound like they might be slightly remixed.  Wikipedia credits them as 2021 remasters, but…there’s something off.

Fortunately for the new fan making their first Motley purchase, the original “Home Sweet Home” is included in the Theater of Pain tracks, along with “Smokin’ in the Boys Room”.  For the old fan, we’ll wish they included something else like “Louder Than Hell”, but fat chance of that.  To the point, there should be a rule that “Home Sweet Home” only appears once on any single disc album.

The usual two from Girls, Girls, Girls (“Wild Side” and the title track) are followed by the usual five (yes, five) from Dr. Feelgood (title track, “Kickstart”, “Without You”, “Don’t Go Away Mad” and “Same Old Situation”).  These exact seven songs also appear on Greatest Hits (2009) though not in the same order, just in the same chunk.  Then, just like Greatest Hits, “Primal Scream” from Motley’s first compilation Decade of Decadence makes it appearance.  This song is like a wake up shot after snoozing through the same-old same-old.

At this point the compilation drops the album-by-album continuity, because as we all know, Vince Neil was fired from the band in 1992 after Decade of Decadence.  Motley doesn’t like to acknowledge several of the post-80s albums in their compilations, including Motley ’94 with John Corabi, and New Tattoo with Randy Castillo.  In this case, they also ignore 1997’s electronica-inflected reunion album Generation Swine and the new songs from the compilation albums of the era.  (These include the aforementioned Greatest Hits which had two new songs, and Red White & Crue which had four, all of varying quality.)  Instead we jump to 2008’s Saints of Las Angeles, a comeback album of sorts, and the last studio album the band would produce to date.  The title track is an appropriate addition and still kicks today with a chorus that is worthy of past glories.

Downhill from here, as we go to the irritating and completely un-memorable “The Dirt (Est. 1981)” from The Dirt soundtrack, itself a greatest hits with four new songs.  The presence of Machine Gun Kelly, who played Tommy Lee in the movie, makes this one a slog and an obvious attempt to lure in new younger fans.  Staying chronological, “Dogs of War” from the recent Cancelled EP is a nice addition since it features the current lineup and John 5 on guitar, but is otherwise forgettable.

Finally, the album closes on the Dolly duet, which we should really refer to as a fake duet since it sounds so achronological, both on the album and as a song.

For a similar but superior listening experience, just buy Greatest Hits, Decade of Decadence, or just the plain old 20th Century Masters, which at least had some text inside.

1.5/5 stars

Kickstart My Heart! Today’s chuckle

I found this video in my 2023 Facebook memories. September 22: The story of the kids on their bikes, rocking to Motley Crue. Absolutely wild!

REVIEW: 58 – Diet For A New America (2000)

58 – Diet For A New America (2000, Americoma Records)

58:  Nikki Sixx and Dave Darling with Steve Gibb (son of Barry) and somebody called Bucket Baker.

It’s a tell-tale sign when a member of Motley Crue names an album after a Vegan health book! This album has no teeth. It also has no songs to speak of.  I guess Nikki and Darling took a random approach to the record, to be really experimental, and that’s cool.  It doesn’t mean the results were any good to listen to though.

It’s been…man, probably close to 20 years since I sold this CD. I did give it a try. I was exploring all kinds of music at the time from Zappa to Prodigy to Miles Davis but this is just loaded with non-songs and electro-techno-crapology.  There was only one song that I liked, which was called “Piece of Candy”.  It’s like…bad Beck, I guess.  I also remember a very lame spoken word thing called “El Paso” which sounded like an outtake from Alex Lifeson’s Victor album — but not as good lyrically or musically.

There is one cover:  “Alone Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan.  (Radio Station Girl loved that stupid song.)  There is also a re-released “Song To Slit Your Wrist By”, a Japanese Generation Swine bonus track.

I’ve read some people praising this album for being “different”. No, it’s not different. It’s different from Motley Crue. But, unfortunately, there were a hundred bands peddling this techno-rock-junk at the time.  Does Nikki Sixx chase trends, or not?  Well, here’s 58 to add credence to his theory.

1.5/5 stars.

Rock Daydream Nation: Mötley Crüe – Best Song, Worst Song, Every Album! – with Peter Kerr, Melissa Nee, Joe B and Mike Ladano

Whether it’s a fun and easy episode, or a challenging deep dive, I always enjoy sitting in with Peter Kerr on Rock Daydream Nation. Peter has been on a roll lately with a great viral interview with former Motley Crue singer John Corabi.  Congrats Peter on that great chat!

In this episode, we break down the best song and worst song from every Motley Crue album.  Joining us were Joe B. and Melissa Nee, with whom we also tackled Theater of Pain.  They found this episode a challenge, as they were forced to listen to a lot of albums that might have been a big of a slog.  However we all did our duties!  As we go through the songs, you also get a sense of our album ranking too, though we didn’t do an official tally.  There was some consensus, a little disagreement, and overall a sense of relief to be finished this exercise!

And yes…once again, I sing on another person’s channel.  How long before I’m blacklisted for singing?  And swearing?  And quoting bad lyrics?

I also go on a massive rant regarding the Generation Swine album that makes for good TV.

Check out the show!

My Music Corner: Temporary Replacement Singers

This week, I was honoured to be on John Clauser’s My Music Corner one more time, to discuss Temporary Replacement Singers in the 1990s.  We tackled four singers and four bands.  My choice:  “Corabi Crue”, aka “Motley ’94”, perhaps the most underrated of them all.  We talked the genesis, highlights, lowlights, and how it all ended.  I’ll let John tell the story from here:

Anthrax‬ ‪Iron Maiden‬, Motley Crue, and Judas Priest ‬ all went through a period from the 90s into the 2000s where either the original singer (or more known singer) left the band, and they were temporarily replaced. What became of the music made during the era for each band?

On this, I moderate a discussion between Mike Ladano, Peter Jones, Jake Not From State Farm, and my co-captain John The Music Nut as we look into each band.

 

Rock Daydream Nation: Mötley Crüe – can we defend Theatre of Pain?

This’ll get the trolls out!  Nothing gets the Motley fans in a tizzy more than critiquing a favourite album, or praising a later one with the wrong lead singer.  Our rock heroes are not infallible, and Theater of Pain might be the best example of this.  After two screamin’ and bangin’ hard rock/heavy metal albums, Motley made a slight change of image & sound, and left us in a Theater of Pain….

Peter Kerr of Rock Daydream Nation assembled a killer crew for this topic. With Joe B., John Clauser, Steve Deluxe, Melissa Nee and myself, we talk memories, impressions then and now, and most importantly, the songs.  We discuss every elephant in the room, from the tragic car crash that ended a life, addictions, and direction (or lack thereof).  This tumultuous period of Motley history is full of drama, superstardom, great music videos, and tragedy.

I’m excited to watch this show that I was proud to be a small part of.  Theater of Pain is one of my favourite musical topics, and I think we fairly covered all the bases here, and them some.  How do you feel about Theater of Pain?

Debuts at 8:00 AM E.S.T. on May 22 2024.