The Truth About Nikki Sixx's Feud With Metallica

Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx is indeed "one of the first names that springs to mind when you think of pure rock 'n' roll madness" and Metallica are bona fide metal icons. What do they have to fight about? Apparently, Mötley Crüe and Metallica have beef that goes way back; according to Loaded Radio, the hostility dates back to the Crüe's time in Hollywood's Sunset Strip glam and hair metal scene and Metallica's groundbreaking work in San Francisco thrash metal.

In 1997, things escalated when Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich accused Mötley Crüe of using a backing tape while playing at the American Music Awards. A furious Sixx responded by posting an "open letter" to Ulrich that started out bad ("Dear, Sweet, Fat, Balding, Larz (love the make-up, babe!) Taking your ever-moronic soapbox position on a subject that's NONE of your f*****g business has made you out to be an a*****e as usual...") and ended worse ("People in glass houses should NOT throw rocks!!! considering you decided to take your b******t to the press, we feel its only fair to return the punch!!"). Considering the amount of makeup Sixx and the rest of the Crüe have worn over the years, the glass houses line is a particularly odd choice of words on Sixx's part.

One might think by the time the members of Metallica and Mötley Crüe were beyond middle age they would forget past feuds. Not so much.

In 2015, Crüe drummer Tommy Lee reignited the rivalry when he posted a Tweet featuring a picture of Lars Ulrich (above) with the words "Straight Outta Tempo" superimposed over his face. Lee presumably used a meme maker intended to promote the 2015 N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton to create this mocking tribute. Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil preferred to stay out of the fray, actually hanging up on the host during a radio interview when asked about the bands' fights, stating, "You have to ask Nikki about that, 'cos I had no idea there was anything between us and Metallica until I read it," reports the Houston Chronicle.

Perhaps now the bands can finally relax and enjoy their status as elder rock statesmen. In fact, just last year, Mötley Crüe covered Madonna's "Like A Virgin" for the soundtrack of their biopic The Dirt, and according to Nikki Sixx, their song included a small, apparently sincere tribute to Metallica. In an interview with Billboard, Sixx notes "there's a part of the song does this little gahnk-guh-guh-guh-guh-guh-gahnk that Mick [Mars] does, a bit of a nod to Metallica because [when] Metallica heard the Dr. Feelgood album, [they] used Bob Rock to make the Black Album." Yes, Mötley Crüe and Metallica once shared a producer; perhaps now they can share the satisfaction of long, successful careers without insulting one another.