A play by dramatist David Lucarelli has drawn the ire of Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx.
This week, the rock musician indicated that advertising for Lucarelli’s stage production The Crue: Underneath the Dirt Lies the Truth, which is based on the band, uses both Motley Crue’s trademark and his likeness without permission, suggesting copyright infringement.
An Eventbrite webpage for The Crue: Underneath the Dirt shows that the play bills itself as “A Completely Unauthorized Play About the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band.” It also shows a photo illustration of Sixx that takes after his look in an old Motley Crue photos.
On Monday (May 9), Sixx issued a statement after being made aware of the play.
“Fans of Motley Crue have asked about a new play by David Zucarelli’s [sic] called The Crue: Underneath the Dirt Lies the Truth,'” he said.
“I disappointed to see an advertisement using my image and our band’s trademark ‘The Crue’ to promote this play,” the rocker continued.
He explained, “The advertising is misleading because it suggests that I and the other members of the band are somehow involved with the play.”
The Crue: Underneath the Dirt Lies the Truth is set to run in June at The Flight Theater at The Complex in Los Angeles. It stars up-and-coming actor Ryan Ruffing as Sixx.
According to the Crue member, the band has “never been approached about this play, and Motley Crue has no connection or affiliation with this play whatsoever.”
In June, Motley Crue will mount their twice-delayed Stadium Tour. Last year, Crue singer Vince Neil returned to stage after falling and breaking his ribs. Around the same time, the influential glam metal band reportedly sold the rights to their song catalog for $150 million.
See Sixx’s statement below.