As guitarist for Mötley Crüe, John 5 is used to playing huge stadiums, however, he can't wait to get back in the clubs when plays his biggest ever UK solo tour in May. "I love playing small places because you're right here with the person when they're pounding on your foot or jumping on the stage", he says; "it's just so much fun". Talking about what to expect from the dates, badgering his Mötley bandmates to play deep tracks, and whether or not we can expect a new Crüe album, we sat down with the former David Lee Roth, Marilyn Manson, and Rob Zombie player. Que pasa; Eamon O'Neill.
Photo; Matt Wilson
Hi John, it looks like you're in your KISS Museum today!
Yeah, I'm in one of them.
Didn't you open your house a few years ago to show off some of your stuff?
It was not my house but it was my collection and it's wonderful because the KISS fans started loving KISS when they were little kids just like myself, so to open the museum up to people to come and touch the outfits or the boots or to look at things like certain posters they had or certain mirrors when they were kids, it was so emotional for them. We got to play the KISS pinball machine, and we got to do all this fun KISS trivia, so it was an experience that people had so much fun with. I was there answering questions and telling stories, so everybody had a really, really great time, but it was emotional for a lot of people.
We're here to talk about the UK tour you've got coming up, which is your biggest ever; first off, what took you so long?
I know, right?! I've been so busy, but actually I'm so busy this year, but I was adamant that I was. I told my agent; "I've got to get over there. This is what I want to do!", and we made it happen. I was talking about this before, but I want to come back every other year and just keep doing this because I love it there so much, and I have such a good time. I'm just so excited to come, I really am. I'm so, so excited to get there and play.
I was looking at the dates, and you're in the Underworld in London, for example, which is not the same as the big stages you share with Mötley Crüe.
Actually, I love it. I love it, and I'm being completely honest, I love these small venues because I am so close to the people, and that is so fun for me. I love playing small places because it's so much more pressure than playing a big place because you're right here with the person; you know when they're pounding on your foot, or they're like, jumping on the stage, and it's just it's so much fun. I've always loved playing venues like that. And it's funny you bring up Mötley Crüe because we played the Underworld [in 2023], and then we played the next day at Wembley Stadium. It was so weird, but fun.
Mötley Crüe in there must have been mind blowing for you, with like, 200 people in there.
Oh, it was the best. Yeah, I think it fits like 500 people, but it was so much fun, and there were so many people in there. I remember Tommy [Lee], because I've never seen someone so red in my life because he got so hot. I almost wanted to take a picture of him because he was so red. I've never seen anyone so red in my life! I was like; "are you okay, dude?" He was like; "whoa, it's just really hot!", and so, yeah, it was a wonderful gig, man. Someone actually made a bootleg vinyl of it and I have it, and it sounds so cool.
That's kind of cool, as bootlegging is a dodgy word, isn't it? But you wanted one for your collection!
Yeah, it's the best. I love when people do that.
You're touring in support of latest album 'Ghost' which came out in 2025, and you've doing a big chunk of that album live.
Yeah, it's so fun because we're going to do a live record too. So I love it, man. I just love playing these songs that we're playing every day. We're adding shows, and I think we're going to tell what shows are being added, but yeah, if you look at the dates after these other shows are going to be added, we're playing like every day, which is super fun. I love it. I don't want any days off.
Some of the tracks are so incredibly complicated and a world away from even the DLR Band stuff, which is where I first became aware of you.
Yeah, I just am obsessed with practicing and learning and things like that. Let me ask you something about your CD.
There are a bunch of CDs that, Dave Roth made those CDs. If there's a sticker, if it feels like like paper on the CD, then Dave did that, because I was with him when he was doing all those CDs. He did that before independent was a thing. He was in his back house making those CDs. It was incredible to see. I was like; "whoa", and that's how far along his thoughts were. He was like; "people are going to, if they want the CD, they can get it this way", and that's what happened. I thought it was so smart. It was brilliant, and he was so ahead of his time. But yeah, to answer your question, I just love to practice, and I love to learn, and I love to play. It's so much fun.
Listening to the album today with fresh ears, on 'Black Light', is that a nod to Tom Morello in there?
Oh yeah, absolutely. I love Morello, and I am the first to say I am influenced by all guitar players. I think being influenced is one of the most important things in the world because you can watch something on TV that will change your life forever until the day you die, or see a movie, or do something, or taste food that will take your life forever, and that's what happened with me with guitar. I saw there was a TV show and there was a kid playing guitar, and I was like; "oh my God", and I'm still, it's all I do all day; from just that TV show that inspired me that long ago. So yeah, like, you'll hear Morello, you'll hear Yngwie [Malmsteen] , you'll hear anything, and like, I love being inspired. It's my favourite.
Yeah, I'm in one of them.
Didn't you open your house a few years ago to show off some of your stuff?
It was not my house but it was my collection and it's wonderful because the KISS fans started loving KISS when they were little kids just like myself, so to open the museum up to people to come and touch the outfits or the boots or to look at things like certain posters they had or certain mirrors when they were kids, it was so emotional for them. We got to play the KISS pinball machine, and we got to do all this fun KISS trivia, so it was an experience that people had so much fun with. I was there answering questions and telling stories, so everybody had a really, really great time, but it was emotional for a lot of people.
We're here to talk about the UK tour you've got coming up, which is your biggest ever; first off, what took you so long?
I know, right?! I've been so busy, but actually I'm so busy this year, but I was adamant that I was. I told my agent; "I've got to get over there. This is what I want to do!", and we made it happen. I was talking about this before, but I want to come back every other year and just keep doing this because I love it there so much, and I have such a good time. I'm just so excited to come, I really am. I'm so, so excited to get there and play.
I was looking at the dates, and you're in the Underworld in London, for example, which is not the same as the big stages you share with Mötley Crüe.
Actually, I love it. I love it, and I'm being completely honest, I love these small venues because I am so close to the people, and that is so fun for me. I love playing small places because it's so much more pressure than playing a big place because you're right here with the person; you know when they're pounding on your foot, or they're like, jumping on the stage, and it's just it's so much fun. I've always loved playing venues like that. And it's funny you bring up Mötley Crüe because we played the Underworld [in 2023], and then we played the next day at Wembley Stadium. It was so weird, but fun.
Mötley Crüe in there must have been mind blowing for you, with like, 200 people in there.
Oh, it was the best. Yeah, I think it fits like 500 people, but it was so much fun, and there were so many people in there. I remember Tommy [Lee], because I've never seen someone so red in my life because he got so hot. I almost wanted to take a picture of him because he was so red. I've never seen anyone so red in my life! I was like; "are you okay, dude?" He was like; "whoa, it's just really hot!", and so, yeah, it was a wonderful gig, man. Someone actually made a bootleg vinyl of it and I have it, and it sounds so cool.
That's kind of cool, as bootlegging is a dodgy word, isn't it? But you wanted one for your collection!
Yeah, it's the best. I love when people do that.
You're touring in support of latest album 'Ghost' which came out in 2025, and you've doing a big chunk of that album live.
Yeah, it's so fun because we're going to do a live record too. So I love it, man. I just love playing these songs that we're playing every day. We're adding shows, and I think we're going to tell what shows are being added, but yeah, if you look at the dates after these other shows are going to be added, we're playing like every day, which is super fun. I love it. I don't want any days off.
Some of the tracks are so incredibly complicated and a world away from even the DLR Band stuff, which is where I first became aware of you.
Yeah, I just am obsessed with practicing and learning and things like that. Let me ask you something about your CD.
There are a bunch of CDs that, Dave Roth made those CDs. If there's a sticker, if it feels like like paper on the CD, then Dave did that, because I was with him when he was doing all those CDs. He did that before independent was a thing. He was in his back house making those CDs. It was incredible to see. I was like; "whoa", and that's how far along his thoughts were. He was like; "people are going to, if they want the CD, they can get it this way", and that's what happened. I thought it was so smart. It was brilliant, and he was so ahead of his time. But yeah, to answer your question, I just love to practice, and I love to learn, and I love to play. It's so much fun.
Listening to the album today with fresh ears, on 'Black Light', is that a nod to Tom Morello in there?
Oh yeah, absolutely. I love Morello, and I am the first to say I am influenced by all guitar players. I think being influenced is one of the most important things in the world because you can watch something on TV that will change your life forever until the day you die, or see a movie, or do something, or taste food that will take your life forever, and that's what happened with me with guitar. I saw there was a TV show and there was a kid playing guitar, and I was like; "oh my God", and I'm still, it's all I do all day; from just that TV show that inspired me that long ago. So yeah, like, you'll hear Morello, you'll hear Yngwie [Malmsteen] , you'll hear anything, and like, I love being inspired. It's my favourite.
Something I love about you as a player is, when you came into Mötley Crüe, you played those solos and parts exactly as they were recorded.
Yeah, it's our childhood, you know? Those solos are embedded in our brains, and I wanted to play them just like how they were written, just how Mick [Mars] wrote those solos. I wanted to play them because they're perfect. You can't change them. It just is not right if you change them, because they're burned in my brain and your brain like that, so I just wanted to play them just like how they were written. It's just like if you see a piece of sheet music, and you're doing a session and you're reading, you're playing, and you're like; "that doesn't really work", and change this like that; no, you don't do that, you you play how it was written. And yeah, those solos are perfect. So I love it, and it puts a smile on my face every time I walk on that stage.
The fans want to hear certain songs, but I'm a big fan of the '94 album [with John Corabi], and I think 'Generation Swine' has got some great tracks on it like 'Glitter'.
'Glitter' is great, yeah!
Have you ever tried to get the Mötley guys to play some of those songs, or have you jammed them in rehearsal?
Every time at rehearsal, I'll play 'Red Hot', I'll play 'Ten Seconds of Love', 'Bastard', 'Take Me to the Top', 'Louder in Hell', 'Glitter', 'Generation Swine', anything. I'll play all these songs all the time, and it's so fun. I love it. I love it. Love it, love it, love it. So, we're going to hit the road this summer, and I don't want to reveal what the setlist is, but it's exciting, so I'm super excited.
Even 'New Tattoo' is a beautiful song.
Oh, it's great! Yeah, it's awesome.
I want to talk to you a little bit about your guitars, specifically that Perspex Telecaster that you have with the liquid in it; it's visually stunning.
So, it's really interesting. I was at the NAMM Show, which is like a music convention that all these celebrities go to, and it's been going on since the '50s, and I was doing an autograph session, and this guy came up to me, his name is Ken Meyer, and he goes; "I build guitars". Just imagine if someone came up to you and was like; "I build guitars. What guitar would you want, out of any guitar?" And I said; "I don't know, maybe a light-up guitar and a lava guitar", and he goes; "done. I'm going to do it for you", and I was like; "oh, that was weird!" And then he left and I just continued my autograph session, and then I get a email at the management, and he's got a prototype. And this guy, Ken Meyer, is such a brilliant, brilliant maker. He was a fireman in Michigan, just a fireman, and he worked with his dad, and they would just build these guitars, and he figured out how to do this. It took a couple tries, but the liquid inside there is antifreeze, because when you travel with it, and it's freezing, that liquid would freeze, but now antifreeze, which doesn't freeze, it's green and it looks really cool, and it doesn't freeze. So how smart was that!
Yeah, it's our childhood, you know? Those solos are embedded in our brains, and I wanted to play them just like how they were written, just how Mick [Mars] wrote those solos. I wanted to play them because they're perfect. You can't change them. It just is not right if you change them, because they're burned in my brain and your brain like that, so I just wanted to play them just like how they were written. It's just like if you see a piece of sheet music, and you're doing a session and you're reading, you're playing, and you're like; "that doesn't really work", and change this like that; no, you don't do that, you you play how it was written. And yeah, those solos are perfect. So I love it, and it puts a smile on my face every time I walk on that stage.
The fans want to hear certain songs, but I'm a big fan of the '94 album [with John Corabi], and I think 'Generation Swine' has got some great tracks on it like 'Glitter'.
'Glitter' is great, yeah!
Have you ever tried to get the Mötley guys to play some of those songs, or have you jammed them in rehearsal?
Every time at rehearsal, I'll play 'Red Hot', I'll play 'Ten Seconds of Love', 'Bastard', 'Take Me to the Top', 'Louder in Hell', 'Glitter', 'Generation Swine', anything. I'll play all these songs all the time, and it's so fun. I love it. I love it. Love it, love it, love it. So, we're going to hit the road this summer, and I don't want to reveal what the setlist is, but it's exciting, so I'm super excited.
Even 'New Tattoo' is a beautiful song.
Oh, it's great! Yeah, it's awesome.
I want to talk to you a little bit about your guitars, specifically that Perspex Telecaster that you have with the liquid in it; it's visually stunning.
So, it's really interesting. I was at the NAMM Show, which is like a music convention that all these celebrities go to, and it's been going on since the '50s, and I was doing an autograph session, and this guy came up to me, his name is Ken Meyer, and he goes; "I build guitars". Just imagine if someone came up to you and was like; "I build guitars. What guitar would you want, out of any guitar?" And I said; "I don't know, maybe a light-up guitar and a lava guitar", and he goes; "done. I'm going to do it for you", and I was like; "oh, that was weird!" And then he left and I just continued my autograph session, and then I get a email at the management, and he's got a prototype. And this guy, Ken Meyer, is such a brilliant, brilliant maker. He was a fireman in Michigan, just a fireman, and he worked with his dad, and they would just build these guitars, and he figured out how to do this. It took a couple tries, but the liquid inside there is antifreeze, because when you travel with it, and it's freezing, that liquid would freeze, but now antifreeze, which doesn't freeze, it's green and it looks really cool, and it doesn't freeze. So how smart was that!
As a songwriter you've worked with Steve Perry, Paul Stanley, Lynyrd Skynyrd, David Lee Roth, and Alice Cooper; was it important for you to write with Mötley Crüe?
Yeah, the first song I wrote with them was 'The Dirt', which I love, and I really enjoy just being a part of the history of bands that I love, and personally, I came in there and I had, like, old school riffs; riffs like 'Looks That Kill' and stuff, and they were like; "ah, you know" [hesitant] like, just because I wanted that sound, that old '80s sound. But we came up with, when we were recording like 'Dogs of War' and 'Cancelled', it was very strange, because we got in this room with Bob Rock, and we all played together and recorded together, so it was so old school, and I don't think I've ever recorded anything like that. Just imagine; we had Tommy there, and then I was over here, Nikki [Sixx] was over there, and Bob was in the center, and that's how we recorded. I just thought it was so cool. So after this, you can go back and listen to that, and we just all recorded all together. I just thought that was so, so interesting and so cool.
So you've got new school riffs with an old school approach, right?
Yes, and it was really, really exciting.
Is a new album from Motley Crue something we're likely to see?
I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen after the tour. I don't know what's planned. I have no idea, but I just love being a part of it. So they just let me know what's going to happen, but right now, there's nothing planned, unfortunately.
Back to the tour, and what should people be expecting from the shows?
I would say, if you want to come to the show, you'll definitely have a great time, but to see that artist up there that is so happy to be there, I think that makes such a huge difference because I've been at shows where I'm like; "God, this guy's just going through the motions", but I am so excited to come and play, and I can't wait. I think that that means a lot to someone because it's coming from the heart, and I'm just very, very excited, and I can almost guarantee everyone's going to have a good time.
John 5 Plays across the UK and Europe in May 2026. Tickets and VIP meet and greets available at https://john-5.com/
Tue 05 May Southampton, UK The 1865
Wed 06 May Exeter, UK. Phoenix
Thu 07 May Bristol, UK Thekla
Fri 08 May Manchester, UK Club Academy
Sat 09 May Newcastle, UK Newcastle University
Sun 10 May Glasgow, UK Slay
Tue 12 May Chester, UK Live Rooms
Wed 13 May Wolverhampton, UK KK's Steelmill
Thu 14 May London, UK Underworld
Fri 15 May Milton Keynes, UK Craufurd Arms
Sat 16 May Southend On Sea, UK Chinnerys
Sun 17 May Brighton, UK Concorde 2
Tue 19 May Tilburg, NL Hall Of Fame
Wed 20 May Leeuwarden,NL Neushoorn
Fri 22 May Ghent, BE Winter Circus
Sat 23 May Cologne, DE Club Volta
Sun 24 May Hamburg, DE Molotow
Tue 26 May Krakow, PL Hype Park
Wed 27 May Prague, CZ Rock Café
Thu 28 May Munich, DE Live Evil
Yeah, the first song I wrote with them was 'The Dirt', which I love, and I really enjoy just being a part of the history of bands that I love, and personally, I came in there and I had, like, old school riffs; riffs like 'Looks That Kill' and stuff, and they were like; "ah, you know" [hesitant] like, just because I wanted that sound, that old '80s sound. But we came up with, when we were recording like 'Dogs of War' and 'Cancelled', it was very strange, because we got in this room with Bob Rock, and we all played together and recorded together, so it was so old school, and I don't think I've ever recorded anything like that. Just imagine; we had Tommy there, and then I was over here, Nikki [Sixx] was over there, and Bob was in the center, and that's how we recorded. I just thought it was so cool. So after this, you can go back and listen to that, and we just all recorded all together. I just thought that was so, so interesting and so cool.
So you've got new school riffs with an old school approach, right?
Yes, and it was really, really exciting.
Is a new album from Motley Crue something we're likely to see?
I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen after the tour. I don't know what's planned. I have no idea, but I just love being a part of it. So they just let me know what's going to happen, but right now, there's nothing planned, unfortunately.
Back to the tour, and what should people be expecting from the shows?
I would say, if you want to come to the show, you'll definitely have a great time, but to see that artist up there that is so happy to be there, I think that makes such a huge difference because I've been at shows where I'm like; "God, this guy's just going through the motions", but I am so excited to come and play, and I can't wait. I think that that means a lot to someone because it's coming from the heart, and I'm just very, very excited, and I can almost guarantee everyone's going to have a good time.
John 5 Plays across the UK and Europe in May 2026. Tickets and VIP meet and greets available at https://john-5.com/
Tue 05 May Southampton, UK The 1865
Wed 06 May Exeter, UK. Phoenix
Thu 07 May Bristol, UK Thekla
Fri 08 May Manchester, UK Club Academy
Sat 09 May Newcastle, UK Newcastle University
Sun 10 May Glasgow, UK Slay
Tue 12 May Chester, UK Live Rooms
Wed 13 May Wolverhampton, UK KK's Steelmill
Thu 14 May London, UK Underworld
Fri 15 May Milton Keynes, UK Craufurd Arms
Sat 16 May Southend On Sea, UK Chinnerys
Sun 17 May Brighton, UK Concorde 2
Tue 19 May Tilburg, NL Hall Of Fame
Wed 20 May Leeuwarden,NL Neushoorn
Fri 22 May Ghent, BE Winter Circus
Sat 23 May Cologne, DE Club Volta
Sun 24 May Hamburg, DE Molotow
Tue 26 May Krakow, PL Hype Park
Wed 27 May Prague, CZ Rock Café
Thu 28 May Munich, DE Live Evil
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