The debate over whether Sebastian Bach was nearly the frontman of Mötley Crüe has been reignited. In a fresh interview with Canada’s “The Metal Voice,” the former Skid Row vocalist doubled down on his long-standing assertion that he was formally invited to replace Vince Neil over thirty years ago—an invitation he says was extended by bassist Nikki Sixx himself.
The potential lineup change dates back to the turbulent period in 1992 when Neil was ousted from the group. While John Corabi ultimately landed the gig, Bach maintains that he was in the running until label politics intervened.
Speaking to “The Metal Voice,” Bach detailed the events of that era, stating that the offer was not just a casual suggestion but a serious proposition made in a room full of witnesses.
“Well, I was never in the band, but I rehearsed with the band,” Bach told (via Blabbermouth). “I rehearsed with them, and Nikki [Sixx, Mötley Crüe bassist] asked me to join the band at the rehearsal in front of everybody. And then we had phone calls about that in the weeks after that, with Doug Thaler, the [then-Mötley Crüe] manager. And then it came down to the fact that Atlantic Records [Skid Row‘s record label] would not let that happen. So, nothing happened. But I definitely rehearsed with them, and there’s an MTV interview with them where they say the same thing.”
When the interviewer, Jimmy Kay, suggested that Bach‘s vocal power could have created something special with the Crüe, the singer pivoted to offer respect to the man who currently holds the mic.
“Well, I’m always gonna be a fan of that music no matter what, so… But I’m very happy for Vince. Vince Neil‘s the singer of Mötley Crüe. And he’s been through having strokes and everything and he’s still gonna be going on tour, so way to go, Vince.”
Bach‘s refusal to back down recalls a heated public spat between him and Sixx from 2013. It began when Bach tweeted a fan confirming the story, prompting Sixx to publicly deny the events ever took place.
At the time, Sixx fired off a tweet on September 13, 2013, dismissing Bach‘s claims as a marketing ploy.
“Someone needs attention to try and sell some books,” Sixx wrote, before adding: “I always liked the term ‘washed up.'”
Bach, however, defended his integrity on Facebook, providing a vivid account of the day in question. He recalled specific details about who drove him to the studio and the reaction of the crew.
“I was driven to rehearsal by Tommy Lee, and I spent a full day singing the Mötley Crüe set with the band Mötley Crüe,” Bach wrote in his defense. “I remember the songs that Nikki asked me to sing that day. I remember the whole road crew’s ecstatic reaction to us jamming together all day. And I remember Nikki‘s very generous, kind offer, at the end of our rehearsal, for me to join the band Mötley Crüe. I remember his exact words that he said to me in front of his whole road crew, Tommy and Mick [Mars] as well. It’s not every day that your hero asks you to join his band.”
He further insisted that he had no reason to fabricate the memory.
“I am not simply ‘making this up’… I am not a liar. I am working on my book right now and I look forward to you all reading it. I plan on my book having even more information in it than one of my tweets does.”
Interestingly, archival footage seems to support at least part of Bach‘s narrative. In a 1994 interview with Riki Rachtman on MTV‘s “Headbangers Ball,” Sixx himself admitted that Bach was one of the singers they jammed with to test the waters after Neil‘s departure.
“We said we owed it to ourselves to at least see what it felt like [to have a different singer],” Sixx stated in the 1994 clip. “At times when Vince was out of town or off doing whatever he was into doing, Sebastian Bach would come down and hang out with us. And we’d be rehearsing. We need a singer to rehearse. So he’d sing. Steve Perry from Journey came down one time just to hang out and meet everybody. And he was singing. So we kind of had a feeling what it would be like to have a different singer. And we said, the least we could do is try it on for size before we, you know, end it. And we met John [Corabi] and it was magic.”
