Nikki Sixx has fired back at former Godsmack member Shannon Larkin following the drummer’s jab at Mötley Crüe in a recent livestream video.
In the video, Larkin, who retired from Godsmack last year, offered his thoughts on the band recently replacing their new drummer Wade Murff with ex-Dream Theater drummer Mike Mangini. At one point, he began talking about bands who use click tracks when performing live.
During that part of his livestream, Larkin said the following:
“So Godsmack uses no click tracks, no backing tracks. It’s a thing that a lot of other musicians talk about too, I notice now. I’m really noticing it. We’ve been saying it for years as we watched the advent of everybody started adding some, the rhythm guitar or something being played, but there isn’t a guy behind the amps playing it. It’s on a track.
Oh, it’s a new thing, kinda. And backups, you see Nikki Sixx up there [with Mötley Crüe]. He’s not really singing, he looks away, but you still hear his voice. Well, it’s a track playing. But in order for those things to happen, the band has to be on a click track — and the band doesn’t have to. It’s just us, the drummer. We’re on a click, so it’s always the same every night. So it’s a homogenization of what used to be the dangerous feeling of a rock show — dangerous from the band’s aspect onstage too. You don’t know what’s gonna go on.”
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This past weekend, Sixx responded to Larkin’s comments, writing the following on X/Twitter:
“Who’s this Shannon Larkin hater?
It’s funny how so many B- and C-level bands seem to spend more time talking about us than writing songs people actually remember. Maybe it’s jealousy, maybe it’s insecurity, maybe ticket sales are a little slow. Either way, borrowing someone else’s spotlight has never been much of a long-term career strategy.
I genuinely feel for musicians who never figured out that the best publicity is writing great songs—over and over again, decade after decade for fans not critics. It reminds me of the endless bimbo podcast crowd that builds an audience by talking about everyone else instead of creating something worth talking about. Anyway, maybe he’s needs to take a nap before he does more press.”
It would be a bit surprising if Sixx didn’t know who Larkin is, considering a long-running feud between Mötley Crüe and Godsmack.
That feud started when Godsmack felt like the band and its crew were mistreated by Mötley Crüe when they supported them on the Crüe Fest 2 tour in 2009. When Godsmack released the single “Cryin’ Like a Bitch” in 2010, Sixx felt like it was directed at him, although Larkin has said the song’s title was inspired by former San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.
In the years since then, Sixx and Godsmack frontman Sully Erna have exchanged unpleasantries, with Erna at one point saying, “I’ve never met a bigger fucking dick in my life than Nikki Sixx. He’s a douchebag… He’s just so pompous and egotistical… he’s just an old, fat washed-up has-been.”
While Larkin is no longer in Godsmack, his recent comments suggest there’s still bad blood between the two bands.
Fans can show their allegiance to either band in 2026, as both Godsmack and Mötley Crüe are touring extensively this year. Godsmack are wrapping up the first leg of their North American headlining tour featuring support from Stone Temple Pilots and Dorothy, with a second leg set to launch in September (pick up tickets here).
Meanwhile, Mötley Crüe will kick off their “Return of the Carnival of Sins” North American tour with support from Tesla and Extreme on July 17th, with the outing set to run through September 26th. Tickets for Mötley Crüe’s upcoming shows are available here.
Who’s this Shannon Larkin hater?
It’s funny how so many B- and C-level bands seem to spend more time talking about us than writing songs people actually remember. Maybe it’s jealousy, maybe it’s insecurity, maybe ticket sales are a little slow. Either way, borrowing someone…
— 📷 (@NikkiSixx) June 28, 2026