Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx: ‘I Just Think It’s Uncool’ for KISS to Use ‘Our Schtick’
Just a few years back KISS and Motley Crue toured together, and while Nikki Sixx has respect for KISS' legacy, he's not exactly thrilled with something they're doing in modern day. Sixx recently called out KISS online for replicating part of Motley Crue's stage show for their own farewell tour.
Elaborating to Kerrang!, Sixx explained, "What they did that really bothered me, and my bandmates, is [for Crüe’s farewell tour] we built these giant arms that fitted in the venue’s ceilings, that had lights in them, and we developed these things. It was a lot of work and it cost a lot of money. And these things would hide up there and then we’d use the lights to light the show. Then at the end of the set these arms would come down from the ceiling and me and Vince [Neil] would jump on them and they would take us out over the arena and that was our grand finale."
He continued, "Then I saw a video [of KISS] and they were using our arms! It was exactly our shtick! I just think it’s uncool. I think it’s uncool of the company to make the same thing again for them. I don’t know, it just bothers me. It was our last tour on earth, and something that people have posters of on their walls is now being repeated by KISS. Sure, we all use pyro and stuff, but with this we re-invented an idea, and this was our idea."
Sixx says he decided not to go to see KISS at the Forum in Los Angeles when they were in town, but he did have some positive things to say about the band's legacy. "First of all, I have to say that I really like KISS’ earlier songwriting; when I was a little kid who was learning to play music, they were a huge band. Aerosmith was always my favorite, but you can’t argue with simplicity of songs like 'Deuce' and 'Black Diamond' and 'Strutter' and Parasite,'" says Sixx. "In terms of my songwriting influences, they go into the same category as Slade or Cheap Trick. It’s very simple, hooky songwriting."
Motley Crue retired from touring at the end of 2015, but are back in the news at the moment with The Dirt movie arriving next month and new music just being released from the film's soundtrack. KISS, meanwhile, just launched the "End of the Road" farewell tour last month.
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