"It wasn't Nikki (Sixx) playing bass" on Motley Crue's Theatre of Pain Says 'Eye Witness' Greg Leon
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- A full in bloom News Brief - Former Tommy Lee bandmate Greg Leon talks about how he met Tommy, Suite 19, Dokken, Quiet Riot, visiting during Motley Crue's Theatre of Pain sessions and seeing someone other than Nikki Sixx playing bass, and helping Mick Mars get his guitar sound.
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Intro & Outro by FOOL OF FATE
#motleycrue #mickmars #ozzyosbourne #tommylee #nikkisixx #vinceneil #quietriot #dokken
I know Greg, he's a good friend since I left WASP, I auditioned for his band The Greg Leon Invasion in 1982 before I auditioned for RATT. Years later his band supported one of our SIN concerts. He doesn't BS, so, there's got to be some truth to this.
If I was Greg I wouldn’t claim theatre! I don’t think his tone was too good in it. Shout was great! I’d like to know who was ghost playing tho….
rik did nikki play at all on those records back in the hey day ?
@@jasoncrocker5138 he likely didn't set up Mick's amps to please himself.
@80sRocker
Good question 🤔. I know he did play live; I saw him. I saw him playing the albums live, so, that's anyone's guess. There's a video on UA-cam I saw recently where they said that Nikki took bass lessons and improved, but that was later. I can't speak for his condition while on heroin. But, early on, he was very gracious to me; I still have a pair of his thigh high stiletto boots that he gave me. When their Shout at the Devil budget came in, Nikki got my number and called me and said that if I want, he's giving me one of his Ampeg V4-B bass amps sitting in SIR studios in Hollywood for free, just go pick it up. He also gave me other assorted costuming gear. He didn't have to do that. So, I'll always remember how kind he was to me.
That’s amazing! Thank you!
I read a interview about Nikki Sixx trying out for Quiet Riot ,Randy Rhoads said he didnt even know how tontune his bass,So Randy ended up giving him a bass lesson
I remember reading an interview way back in the 80s one of those Metal Edge magazines where Nikki said he wanted to play guitar so he went to a guitar shop and stole a bass. He didn't know the difference between a guitar and a bass guitar. So that's how he ended up "playing" bass.
@@goodmorningsundaymorning4533 I read that as well......
@@goodmorningsundaymorning4533 That’s true, he talks about it in the movie “decline of the western civilization”
@@goodmorningsundaymorning4533I read that article in high school (during class, lol)
Nikki described a period of time in the book "the Dirt" where he was living in Seattle in the Queen Anne neighborhood and was playing a Rickenbacker in a band. No doubt Nikki isn't that great of a player and I've heard that theft story, or something like it, a few times. But, I think he was playing bass for some time before he got down to LA.
After seeing Motley Crue perform live over the years I came to realize they were nothing more than hard rock's talentless barbie dolls,
Who somehow secured an absolutely mindblowing guitarist.
🤘M.M🤘
That’s not exactly true now is it? Put your emotions aside, the first 2 albums were killer. After Girls Girls Girls they declined.
They’re old now and have a pool in the back yard, of course they’re not the same.
dewds talkin str8 outta his ass
@@river2352 There's some great songs there. I'm a little surprised that Live Wire is only credited to Sixx. I'm pretty sure Mars decided to downpick it, probably added the natural harmonics stuff etc. You gotta be a good guitarist to make choices like that (back in the day). I doubt the song would be as good if Mars wasn't their guitarist.
Being an 80’s MetalHead, stumbling on this today was Pure Euphoria 🎸🤘
He's dope
Nikki can't play bass for shit, but he can sure write good songs.
@@derekrodriguez6030 It's always interesting to hear these little snippets on the behind the scenes junk !!
imagine me after a two bong hits
My brother was a driver and assistant (Gofer) house sitter for Mick Mars for 5 years 84-88. I was fortunate enough to meet all of them many times. I can tell you 100% that there were 2 different people that I met at 2 recording locations that were recording bass on this album. One of the guys name was Matt or Mathew, I don't remember talking with the other guy but I did see him playing bass about 3 or 4 months before it's release.
Matthew Trippe or whatever his name was. He always said he got hired by McGee around this period cause Nikki was strung out and got in a car accident and hurt his shoulder or arm and couldnt play bass. So McGeee hired Nikki look alike and he claimed he wrote some riffs for a few of the songs on the album. Played some bass. He also claimed they started the tour and Nikki was sent to rehab or something if I remember correctly so he claimed to have played bass at a few gigs till Nikki came back. To me with MCs lack of overall integrity why couldnt Matthews story or at least some portions of it not be true?
@@rocknroll6396 I remember hearing something about this all those years ago.
@@rocknroll6396 yeah, the Matthew Trippe story is a great one. Too bad he's dead...If people aren't familiar with the story, just google "Matthew Trippe Nikki Sixx" and enjoy going down that rabbit hole.
@@bdm1000 Same.I remember all the promo photos and they all conspicuously covered certain tattoos.
I looked up the last name you gave "Trippe" and found that story link.
Motley Crue was one of my favorite bands since the 1980s until this year. I've lost so much respect for them. Viva Mick Mars.
My sentiments exactly. I still love the music on those 80's records and will still play them loud, but the fake, lying, corporate shills that Motley Vanilli have become now is something I will only make fun of and never pay to see.
I feel the same. They were my first concert! I saw them on the Girls, Girls, Girls tour. When I found out Sixx was faking it onstage, I lost complete interest in the band. How could anyone stand onstage and fake it? I don't even understand that mentality. One would think after being in a band for forty years he would at least be competent at the instrument. Motley Vanilli can stick it.
I'm playing guitar (and some base) on a hobby level and it's such a delight, and to actual play yourself is the actual purpose with playing an instrument. What's the point in running around show off with an instrument without playing. It may be cool as a little kid to stand in front of the mirror, play some music in the background with an guitar, base or whatever, but NOT cool in front of a paying audience.
Check out Mars' new solo release. Motley had it's time but honestly they did Mick a favor because he has pure fire coming from his fingers. Mick is the Crue!
Ive been a crue fan since the beginning but see how full of shit they are. Now, after how they've treated Mick they can blow me.
Nikki: "Hey guys, let's use backing tracks on tour that way we can party all we want and not embarrass ourselves on stage. Besides, my fingers hurt I'm too old for this shit". Tommy: "Great idea, we can pull it off and not end up like Milli Vanilli!" Vince: "Whatever. Where's that fucking pizza I ordered"? Mick "What the bloody hell is wrong with you MoFo's! No wonder I'm so fucking depressed"?
Matthew Tripps’ story gets more believable every day.
I was thinking the same thing
100%
😂
Yes
My thoughts exactly. I knew Mathew. He used to come into the small little music store in Tampa Florida called Horizon music.
Swore that he was the bass player for Crue briefly.
Nikki auditioned for QR. Randy immediately saw the sham and instead sat with Nikki showing him bass chords. Randy could have kicked him out of the building making an awkward scene but instead took the high road to make it a learning situation.
Randy was an educator to the end.
If Randy had gone on to become a teacher.....😢.
It's not quite fair that he died, while so many other awful(personally/professionally)musicians seem to live forever.
I feel so bad for Randy's parents😭
The story of Nikki busting his shoulder and still recording SATD never made sense - especially given his apparent inability to play with a good shoulder
That's when heroin entered the picture.
listen to the bass on 'Too Fast For Love' - i have always thought there is some absolutely fantastic melodic and super-tight bass playing on that album which sounds absolutely nothing like the bare-bones bass style Nikki has since recorded. 'Public Enemy #1', 'Take Me To The Top', and the solo/bridge part of 'Starry Eyes' have some killer bass licks
all conjecture, but pretty suspicious - i'l give him credit for being a great songwriter though, he still was their leader to successfulness and got the job done
It's kind of surprising not to hear that Mick didn't play all those simple bass lines on records, as he probably could've played them in his sleep.
Man, I wore that record out!
My husband literally said the same thing before I read your comment.
Recording Too Fast For Love, they were still nobodies. If he was so bad, they wouldn’t have been so popular on the club circuit and the band would’ve just replaced him. They wouldn’t have had the budget to hire ghost players.
So, no one ever, including their supporting acts ever noticed that Nikki had been replaced on stage? Has Mick Mars commented on this?
Yeah, I wouldn't brag about the guitar tone on theater of pain.
Can anyone really trust anything Nikki Sixx says, nope. Can anyone trust anyone in the band, nope.
Has anyone watched the documentary on randy rhoads? Nikki auditioned for bass with them or quiet riot and didnt even know how to tune a bass let alone play one back then. Randy said he didnt have the time to teach him to play bass while learning and writing songs for his band.
So Nikki Sixx is another Milli Vanilli ???
Seems like Niki was more about looking like a rockstar than actually being a musician.
It always was. Very driven, very cunning, but not a virtuoso by a long shot.
He’s right, it was actually Matthew Trippe, the infamous Nikki Sixx imposter from the early 80s. 🎭
Matthew Trippe or whatever his name was. He always said he got hired by McGee around this period cause Nikki was strung out and got in a car accident and hurt his shoulder or arm and couldnt play bass. So McGeee hired Nikki look alike and he claimed he wrote some riffs for a few of the songs on the album. Played some bass. He also claimed they started the tour and Nikki was sent to rehab or something if I remember correctly so he claimed to have played bass at a few gigs till Nikki came back. To me with MCs lack of overall integrity why couldnt Matthews story or at least some portions of it not be true?
Complete fiction.
He’s talking about Mathew Tripp in the studio.
Years ago I heard about a guy named Matthew Trippe going around saying he was Nikki Sixx. I remember in a article Sixx was so pissed at him that he said if he ever saw Matthew, he'd blow his ass away.
isn't head dead now?
@@jasonmarchant4525 yeah.
@@LuisHernandez-hw7dj maybe Nikki got to him
I know for a fact through Nikki's former tech Kevin " Beavis" Briars on the 1998 - 1999 Greatest Hits Tour that Nikki was using tapes ...
I was a student at Full Sail when they first opened in 1986. Not mentioning any names but a legit A list producer told me ALL stadium rock concerts are prerecorded. The big touring companies used to haul 2-3 Otari MTR 90's or Studer A800's to get a great mix at stadiums. Of course in between songs they could always pull up the microphones. No lie.
Doesn't surprise me. Sixx was more worried about drinking and drugs than laying down descent bass lines.😊
You forgot to add: The only thing Nikki was interested in laying was your girlfriend.
Sad to hear that kind of stuff. I will always love the music they made, don't pay attention to their daily lives and what they did.
they are B league frauds
Seeing someone in the studio doesn't mean he is playing and also doesn't mean what he plays was on the records.
The back cover of Theatre of Pain that's not Nikki Sixx but his doppelganger Mike Tripp !
Was Matthew Trippe telling the truth all along?
Yup 100%
Kinda hard to perform in a studio when you're OD'd in a tearaway ambulance.
Steve Bailey. He did hundreds of ghost sessions. And Nikkis bass never made final mixes of most of their albums.
Exactly right. Steve played bass on many of these 80s records. It was well known at Musicians Institute where Steve taught at the time.
I heard it was Jim Lacefield who did Crue stuff. I hung out with Steve Bailey quite a bit back in the 90s and he was pretty hush hush about the ghost sessions. He said that once, after a few drinks , he ran his mouth at a party and wound up getting blackballed by one particular producer who didn’t take kindly to his studio secrets being revealed .
There is an interview on UA-cam with Nikki saying he always assumed someone would be redoing his bass parts after he left the studio
So many good people behind-the-scenes that you didn’t know back then. Seems like a pretty good guy to me.
Dialed. Mick's. Amps. In. Yeaaaaaaah....
Not surprised. I thought it was pretty common to have studio musicians play. Pink Floyd did. Numerous country bands do. It's often more efficient and less expensive to use studio pros.
Sixx wrote all of the songs, so clearly he was the right choice.
Hi Nichole.
No. He only wrote some lyrics. The music is all Mick.
@@johannjohann6523Most of the music and all lyrics are attributed to Nikki on the first 5 albums. If Mick was writing the music he would have his name on the credits.
Motley Crue was Nikki Sixx vision.
It worked. He can play bass now?
@@johannjohann6523 not according to the credits. And that reflects the truth.
Even Bob Rock, the producer for Dr.Feel Good said Nikki Sixx didn't play bass on that album. The same Bob Rock who produced Metallica's "Black" album.
No, Bob did not say Nikki didn't play bass. Bob simply repeated what Nikki said to him about not remembering, and for all he knew, someone could have replaced his bass parts. Fact. Not hearsay.
You had me right up until the "dial Mick's amps in" part.
Why?
Had you? This isn’t some made up story. It’s Greg Leon.
@@heyjarrod and so that means it true? The producer just did an interview recently, and he says Nikki played his parts on the albums..
The guys bio basically says his "notable" parts are stints in Quiet Riot and Dokken, and that later on with his Invasion project he toured Europe with new material and the "Myth" of his name..
Just sounds like somebody thats jealous the guy he didnt like, and thought couldnt play got famous and he didnt.
Greg is known for being an amp guru, look it up. I wouldn't doubt that Mick needed some kind of amp tweak to get the sound they needed, all the Greats have had people like this. EVH had people to do the same. Greg is also a great player who just never got the big break others got. Look him up as a player. No shame in not making it, tons of fantastic players never made it.
@@Myrrhkuri Looks like you just don’t understand. I give you all this great first-hand info, but you think you know more than people that personally lived through all of this. You’re probably in the middle of nowhere, and know nothing about the LA music scene. He left quiet, right, and Dokken, to pursue his own music. We could easily be talking about him instead of George Lynch, or Carlos Cavazo.
There are no guarantees, a lot of great musicians aren’t household names… while a lot of terrible musicians are. He’s not jealous at all, and never talks poorly about anyone-if you watch any of his interviews. There’s hundreds of interviews with Greg, from people in the business that know he is the go go to guy to learn about the growing heavy metal scene out of LA in the early 80s.
He’s not worried about a Wikipedia page, nor is Chet Thompson. He has nothing to prove, and nothing bad to say out anyone. He is just being honest. It’s common knowledge that Nikki and others did not play on some albums. The wrecking crew played on everyone’s albums. It’s hard for a lot of musicians to be able to deliver in the studio, and record clean tracks that can be used.
A lot of studio maneuvers and actions go on in music all the time.
Vh,Journey,Metelica,Aerosmith. On on on! It's normal, folks!
@jeddej7884 VH Journey Metilica Aerosmith the Stones all have uncredited musicians on their records genius!
@@jeddej7884 Do your homework genius!
@jeddej7884 Go & talk with an adult who knows about the Rock music industry. Then thank me latter after you google those bands son!
@jeddej7884 Stick with Miley Cirus & the Jonas bros kid! You can't handle the big boys' debates! Oh & there is no Santa Claus! Lol!!!!
I always knew Nikki didn’t play on the Too Fast For Love album. There are some neat little bass lines and tricks on it that he couldn’t have pulled off, back then. Then he had an alleged shoulder injury as an excuse for Tom Werman to take forever in the studio grinding out Nikki’s very minimal bass lines for Shout At the Devil. Not one interesting technique similar to those present on the first record appeared on the second, and they mixed those bass lines so low they are barely audible. Guess Werman didn’t want to go through it again on Theatre of Pain, so Nikki was stricken from the record. As for Mick’s guitar sound on that record, I always thought it was very unique. It was sort of both warm and melodic in a way that I don’t believe I’ve ever heard again. Always wondered how he got the sound on that particular album, and now I think there’s a sensible answer.
Well, Sue, if I were you I'd check my sources.His "alleged" shoulder injury was the real deal, I didn't take "forever,
grinding out" Nikki's bass lines, and I'd love to know what "interesting techniques"
were on the first album that you were missing on "Shout".
Several influential people in the industry, including Blackie have said Nikki just wasn't that great of a bass player. It's debatable even now if that still holds true. The bass sound he got from Dr. Feelgood was from Bob Rock, not he himself. He's surely not on the level of a Steve Harris (who is?), but it's argueable he's way behind Geddy and Lemmy. He falls somewhere between the middle and bottom of those from that era.
wild stuff coming out. It's funny though, it seems EVERYONE is coming out about this now
Thank HEAVENS for Ghost players or I wouldn’t have gotten tight drums on a certain album I did! It’s crazy when you start to find out WHOSE been on which albums haha.
All these years and never got good enough at bass...bass. Couldn't even be a bassist, much less a good bassist.
Unbelievable.
I remember seeing a segment where the doc said Nikki couldn’t play bass (SATD era) but I also wonder if Nikki played the bass lines on TFFL.
He played bass on all of there albums, Nikki did, I was around those guys for years, this is all a bunch of BS.
Sure Jan.@@TheJindelt
Dang this guy walked away from 3 huge bands.
Yeah that is the question we should keep in mind
@@TheoriaZoneStill, to think he was 3x unlucky. Most people wouldn’t have that many brushes…. Or maybe there’s a slew of those guys from that scene, you just never hear about them?
Saying he had to dial in Mick's guitar tones was when I knew he was full of shit.
@@stevemorissette5080 That's been my main sticking point. If he was so great, how come he's not become known until now? And, it seems, these "ghost" spots, are the ONLY thing he's done of note. His personal projects, seem to have never got off the ground.
If Mike Slamer can play all the guitars on Warrant’s album, somebody else can record Nikki’s bass tracks for Motley Crue. I’m not even surprised.
Well, ALMOST all the guitars. C.C. DeVille did the solo on "Cherry Pie."
The absolutely hilarious stories on this page are beyond belief. We have the engineer playing bass on "Shout", and all sorts of people playing bass everywhere else, and some guy declares with certainty that Nikki never played bass with his arm in a sling --
I have no reason on earth to report anything but the facts, and Nikki Sixx played every note on all three albums I produced. Period.
No ringers, no session guys, no stand-ins, no look-alikes. Just Nikki. Full stop.
LMFAO!!! Those stories remind me of a drunk that used to come in a bar I worked and tell me how He taught Tony Stewart to drive and once escaped Vietnam in a stolen helicopter AND dated Adrienne Barbeau, love the touch of "NOBODY touch those controls!!!" of course not, they were dialed in by the legendary Greg Leon!!
Eddie Van Halen swapped equipment with Greg, and you have a problem with him adjusting Micks amp?? LOL..
@@outoforder2162 WTF Said I have a problem with it?, I think I made it pretty clear that I think He's a BS artist and I don't believe His little studio story for a second I'll take Wermans account any day over WTF Greg Leon is, I mean "Nobody touch those dials for THE Greg Leon finally gave us the sound we've been looking for😂
So you’ll take Werman’s account over Bob Rock’s? Bless your heart. @@pycellesbeard9728
My friends cousin brother sister aunt said he ties his shoes backwards too.
After SATD these guys were done
Agreed, Lost interest after Shout also..
Pretty much, yeah.
Girls, Girls, Girls had its moments but it's true that nothing they've done since comes close to the first two albums.
@bth9318 Nobody here but you is talking about sales figures. Go ahead and follow the masses - they’ll lead you right into a Taylor Swift “concert” 🤣
@bth9318 Done = a spent force creatively
Have to remember back then there was no pro tools either you got it, punched it in or started over. My guess is that Nikki did the basic, punched in where he could but when it came time to critical punches or time savings they had a ringer play for a afternoon to clean up either the rough spots or some minor changes they had made after bass was laid down.
Dont work like that. You dont have Nikki playing the bass and then have someone else punch in here and there. There would be no consistency and result in a pile of dog sheet. Them having a ghost player come in for sessions is the most likely answer. Nikki is and always has been the biggest poser in the biz. More concerned about photo shoots and how he looks then he was recording the music and how he played. Dictionary definition of POSER IMHO.
It wasn't no Matt Tripp playing live in Motley from 1981 to when he said the real Nikki returned in '84 though. There's clear footage of the '83 US Festival and it's definitely Nikki, Frank Faranno, Tripp looked vaguely like him but not enough for that to be him at the US Festival.
"there's no clear footage of the '83 US festival." ..... Wat?!
And as far as whether or not there was a fill-in, it's not possible to go from being an innie to an outie without a hernia. Yet somehow Sixx managed it. Strange.
You didn't actually quote my comment, you inserted the word "no" into it. About his navel, where did you find closeup pics of it?@@icaanul
One thing that’s strange is this mysterious bassist Matt Tripp was stopped in Florida for speeding in Mick Mars car. Ticket is public record and clearly shows the car owner as Mick Mars and Tripps name as aka Nikki Sixx. Mick Mars never reported the car as stolen either. Strange how no one in the band admits to knowing him. Love to hear more about it but Tripp died around ten years ago so it will probably remain a mystery.
I heard a story of a “ghost” playing bass on Warrants Cherry Pie because Warrants bassists was preoccupied with cocaine at the time and what he did play at the time was discarded by the producer. That was the first time that I had heard of musicians “ghosting” on records.
I still love the echoey bass tone the studio guy got on Mr. Rainmaker 👍👍👍🤘🤘🤘
Weird... you would think Jani could have played it.
Mr. Rainmaker is an overlooked Great song that I Crank pretty often. There is another video of the session guitarist that actually played all of Uncle Tom's Cabin and Down Boys instead of Joey & Eric.
😮 Matthew Trippe claim to play bass on Theater
Nikki Sixx is a songwriter, not a musician. Everyone seems to agree he wrote the songs he is credited for. A lot of whispers that others played the parts on record.
I knew a roadie from Motleys tours in early 2000…He said they hid Nikki’s inability to place bass.He strummed notes but actually could not keep up with songs .People we’re so wasted at concerts they never knew or thought differently.Tommy always played drums ,you can’t fake that ..
There is a video of Six playing a bass solo. I said this is the worst bass player I’ve ever seen so I believe he is not playing on the albums.
The list of guest or additional musicians on Dr Feelgood is pretty long. I'm sure Nikki didn't record the bass for 'Don't Go Away Mad' and I saw him live and he didn't play it then.
Jimmy Bain played bass instead of nikki sixx??? That’s awesome 🤣🤣🤣
It becomes very obvious when you listen to the isolated bass tracks.
This is very timely news!
I remember hearing Steve lukather played guitars on a motley record.
Even if Nikki Sixx didn't play on the record (Theatre of Pain) was he not doing the live shows? Or was someone playing the bass backstage?
Backing track. It was possible then and he is confirmed to be doing it now. He is, was, and always will be a poser.
That's just sad. Can he even play bass?@@icaanul
Also, Geoff Workman the engineer played bass on Shout At The Devil.
Geoff (RIP)? where did you get that from? I'm not going to rag on the guy, cuz he's no longer here. But no, he didn't play the bass on any Shout tracks.
Now THAT one is the prizewinner for ridiculous declaration of the day....
@@tomwerman5960 I've had many this week. If this is Tom, I'm a huge fan
Nice to see the photo of Matt Trippe you included,, I for one can't wait for the day the truth is revealed, unfortunately it's to late for Matt, but he deserves the recognition for his time in the Crue.
This isn't hard to believe.
Greg has a lot of great back stories.
Yeah, STORIES is correct!
A lot of these metal bands have different people play in the studio for the albums. It's no secret Nikki Sixx is trash on bass but he brings other things to the table.
Nikki is good at lyrics which is good bc Vince can't sing OR write.
You think he’s good at lyrics? Oooook….@@williamlangeii4012
Crazy nikki wrote the songs but couldn't play his bass lol
Nikki could never play. Motley was just a show nothing more. Mick and Tommy were the talent.
Metal Vanilli!
This guy is the damn Forrest Gump of rock he plays in the best metal albums or bashes others 2 make himself look good well Nikki sixx is not a point 2 compare urself with cause a fukn dead man can play bass better than Nikki
The whole "ghost player" discussion kinda reminds me of Megadeth recording So Far... So Good.... So What. Apparently, the original guitarist (that would replace Chris Poland) landed the gig, but he was in over his head and he didn't have the chops to create any solos, etc, so wanted his guitar teacher (Jeff Young) to write them and teach them to him. Megadeth eventually booted the other guy (can't remember his name) and hired Jeff Young. Not exactly a "ghost player" story, but interesting nonetheless.
I talked to Greg on Facebook before. That EP of Dokken demos shows him on the cover, but he told me he did NOT play on those songs. He said he doesn't know who is on those demos (I've since learned it was Don, Juan Croucier, and Greg Pecka), but as for the cover, the label that put it out used whatever old photo they could find, which is the photo of Gary Holland, Greg, Don, and a bass player they hired for a German tour, Gary Link.
I laughed at hearing gene simmons says 'hey sometimes, when Im in concert its like I get possessed while playing and the playing doesnt match the song so we use backing tracks for the album' when kiss got caught with backing tracks on kiss Alive. But damn, a lot of bands it seems does it. I think nikki talked sh** about gene...lol, karma....its real
Cool stuff!
Well I must give Nikki this.. he can hustle his ass off.. he's a millionaire and didn't have to create the music.. but he did write the songs
Some are great at BS; Nikki Vanilli is one of the best!
Frank is a master manipulator & con artist. His talent is grifting.
Not the first time I've heard this accusation.
So it’s true Nikki was is a poser bassist , interesting how shit got done back then, Greg is the real deal/musician ..
I was the Drummer with Greg for about 2 years in the GL Invasion with Jeroen Boss on Bass exactly at this time period Theatre Of Pain was released. He was nowhere near those guys.
He also asked me back to play the first Rocklahoma with him in 1997.
These are Greg’s lies, he can tell them however he wants!
Greg is is own worst enemy. His career is a testimony of this fact. Nuff said.
The BIG problem Nikki has imo is he has contradicted himself SO many times over decades. Expect Nikki and his very tender glass jaw to reply on Twitter in another rant.
Who knows if this is true - Nikki 'did' become an average bassist, that solo he did on the 87 tour was fucking brilliant imo. Short but it was bloody good, that the gig when 'Jack' came out, Nikki + Tommy skulled it down. Nikki has always been the lyrical driver of the band and NO ONE can ever take this fact away from him.
They have ghost writers that get paid a flat fee and then they (nikki) get the credit!! Its all a lie. Just like Ozzy did with Bark at the moon. You think Ozzy wrote that song or any on that album? No it was Jake and he got paid out!
@@pava2237 Exactly. But let's not begrudge these people their fantasy.
Why would anyone want to take that away from him? Have you read his lyrics? They’re cringey AF. I wouldn’t want credit for writing that embarrassing sh**. A 60yr old man writing, “It’s all about the Sex”. 🙄
@@lopear111 What’s even more embarrassing is how many 60 year old’s are still swinging from Frank Feranna’s ball bag. Pathetic.
Yea brilliant deep lyrics like ' I'd say we're still kickin ass '
😂
I wouldn't go out of my way to tell anyone I played on that record :)
Nikki did not play bass on the first 3 albums, maybe more. You can see a tutorial on my channel.
its funny because TFFL probably has the most intricate and complicated bass lines of any Crue album and he admittedly barely knew how to play then, there's no way he played on the album
Rubbish. He played in the studio and he plays them with ease live. Please provide legit links to your claims.
Wrong. Period. Were you there ? I was.
@@tomwerman5960 Yeah I was there. You and Nikki were passed out at the recording console. I stopped by to drop off some bass strings, and before you awoke, I laid down most of the tracks.. Coke is a hell of a drug 🙄
@@zachary_attackeryAnd yet we still to this day have know no one else other Nikki who actually played on it. They didn’t have time nor money to get someone else either.
Gene Simmons filled in on bass.
gene simmons is a better bass player than nikki sixx and thats saying something
Gene is a great bass player you fuckin idiot
That's bellow the belt lol with simmons there's 3 more strings then he needs
Irony of the movie portraying the guitarist being unable to play the parts instead of Nikki 💀
Greg Leon is like Al Bundy speaking of his high school football heydays 😆Oh the bitterness! oh the wall going up!
Nah Al Bundy is actually believable 😂
He's not bitter. It sounds like you might be though.
I’ve known Greg for years. He is a very cool and positive individual. He still plays and records music and loves it. Bitter is the last word I would use to describe Greg. Fame was never his main goal. It was making great music. If you ever heard him play you would know. Also many of the songs on the first Dokken album were his not George Lynch.
They weren't his, Don played them.
The story of what’s the guys name… is true… the guy who said he was put in Motley Crue and was in the band! Matthew Trippe!
Nikki could write songs
You sure about that???
@@donaldcummings8407 pretty sure, one of my friends was an assistant tour manager for Crue back in 81/82 and he told me Nikki had a lot of writing talent, I guess he could write riffs/music well. not sure though
@@chrischoir3594 Why is it always "a friend or associate of a friend?" Anyways, there are people in the industry today that still think pop stars are writing their own music and call them talented. Also, tour managers are just 1 tiny step above techs in the touring world except for when it actually comes to instruments and playing. Then the techs are above a tour manager. Not to mention an assistant. Tour managers don't know shit.
@@icaanul well my friend was a semi successful producer and he was a genius musician so I respect his opinion on Nikki. In my view there is always some YT shill who thinks he knows about music and they don't !! tag-ur-it !!! Nikki had song talent and a vision. Motley were a great band in their prime. Saw them many times in small venues and they could play well. Also I produced lots of band and I was in many bands and I worked on records where we had brought in studio players since everybody has a bad day and often times the A&R reps and rec execs force the producer and bands to use ghost studio players. It was very common in the 60s/70s/80s. Aerosmith, Beachboys, Stones, The Who, Doors, Pinkfloyd, KISS all used studio players. Even the Beatles did early on. It is something that happens even with the biggest best bands. More bands than you think use ghosts. Often times the records were heavily edited with computers or razor back then. Varispeed was used frequently as was punching in always. Nobody is perfect. What matters in R&R is record sales and concert tickets, not what shill keyboard warriors think. ura keyboard player?? lol
Anyone remember that guy who claimed he recorded w crue when nikki broke his arm in his car accident ? It falls right in w the timeline of doc Mcgee , theatre of pain recordings , maybe that dude was telling the truth , he looked just like nikki , and played way better , too late now , he is dead . His name was matthew trippe , i still have a issue of kerrang w him doing a article about how they screwed him out of royalties , and doc tried to have him killed , etc ……weird , now it all seems possible
I've talked to Doc McGhee himself about the guy. "Nuts." "Had serious mental problems."
Greg needs to name that bass player then - or it didn't happen.
look up MattTrippe.. he might be the ghost bassist.. he adamantly claimed he was a bassist co-writer and performer for Motley back around that time.
Nikki SUXX is a showman, not a musician.
@ConservativeKirbyXIcKXI Sorry, but that dude is not the first person to say that. Marketing is a hell of a thing. You believe the Frank Feranna marketing machine.
SIXX wrote most of the songs, Writing makes you the quarter back...
@@sshoel I hope he can pass a football better than he can pass being a musician.
@@JohnDoe-ny1wp Talking to you is like Master Baiting, The feeling is there it's just the emotion and thought is nil.
@@sshoel Just like Ozzy wrote the songs on BATM? 40 years later and you're still not getting the joke.
The bass player could be Matthew Trippe.
I want to go ahead and announce here, in front of everyone, my name is Rob Sanzone, and I played bass on the Theater of Pain album.
😂
I was one years old but I also played on it!
Prove It
:..... and I put Motley Crue together "....
OK
The real nikki is dead around 1985 . His doppelganger doesnt know how to play bass but around feelgood he played on some songs
Sayyyy whaaaaaat?!?
Lol yeah gotta hear more of this!!?
That sounds like the Paul McCartney rumor 😅
@@RootzRockBandwhat immediately came to mind
Greg Leon was also in Greg Leon Invasion with Jake E. Lee on guitar. Mick and Tommy were good in the studio unlike Vince and Nikki. The part about dialing Mick's amp in is a bit hard to believe. According to Tom Werman, Mick was one of the greatest players he ever worked with in the studio and had an excellent understanding of tone and the production process. That being said I always hated Mick's tone on Theatre. It's very dry, toneless, and phoned-in. I suspect this was more due to how rushed it was. It's this one, boring monotone. If you imagine a Boss Overdrive through a JCM 800 with all the tone dialed out. I don't blame this on Mick, Werman or even the sound engineer, but rather the studio for rushing the process. Once the record label execs push a deadline it is out of your hands.
I don't doubt that Mars knew what he wanted in the studio but Mars isn't an amp tech and Greg always has. He's a very reputable amp guru in Cali. I don't doubt that do to many factors a guitarist may not be getting the sound they want, having a person like Greg that tweeked settings or did some kind of amp electrical tweak isn't far fetched, especially if he and Tommy knew or hung out all the time. Players especially back then were always experimenting with tunes, bias, voltage, transformers, etc.
The tone could have been changed during mixing, also. Mick always was great and his live tone is sick. I doubt he played that album with a shit tone coming through the speakers, maybe Nikki changed it in post to tone it down?
Greg Leon is hard to believe period. If you can't believe half of his lie, why then believe in the whole lie?
I think it had t do with Mick not using a LP into a Marshall. Its simple. And if they weren't getting the sounds they like then they could have just gone to the same studio and used the same gear as SATD or TFFL.
Mick is awesome and can really jam. But on the whole Theater of Pain I noticed a turn towards more pop and it sounded like some of the licks were reused. It's like I heard the Smokin' in the Boys Room lick and other borrowed ones in there more than once. Nothing could beat the Shout album, and when Girls came out and I played it in my car the first time, my excitement noticeably dropped to the point where my co-pilot friend said "Hey bands change and don't always sound the same." Well except AC-DC for a while in the 80s there. Been a Crue fan since 1983 and never knew Nikki couldn't play bass. This is news to me. I didn't even know Ace was replaced in the studio until the internet came out with different session player names for Criss and Ace. I did know Nikki's empty guitar case story probably from back when he told it on their first video tape special in 1986. I was a little put off with Theater when it came out even though I had a few faves on it but Shout was a hard act to follow. But I was just so devastated with most of Girls. Bad Boy Boogie?? GTFO.
I believe it, but MC was still a great band. I was shocked to find out joe perry did not play the lead on train kept a rolling.. it was steve hunter who had just stepped in and recorded it. Just the way the business is for some I guess.
This guy is either a huge liar or the most awesome dude in the universe.