Johnny Martin cryptic about Michael Grant’s departure from L.A. Guns but clarifies one thing
Johnny Martin cryptic about Michael Grant’s departure from L.A. Guns but clarifies one thing
L.A. Guns bassist Johnny Martin came “to the rescue” of his bandmate Phil Lewis who was getting criticized by a person (John Pelletier) via a Facebook post with respect to guitarist Michael Grant‘s departure from the band, which dates back more than five years now.
Back on March 19, 2018 in an interview with Eddie Trunk, Grant was asked how come he was no longer in L.A. Guns. He indicated (as transcribed by Sleaze Roxx): “OK. Well the press release says that I left to pursue Michael Grant & The Assassins but truth be told, that is not true at all. I was actually fired out of nowhere and given absolutely no reason. So you know, I pieced together my own conclusions as with those kinds of details, that’s all you can do. And I’ll let the crowd, the audience do some basic emotional math. If Tracii Guns is sad about my departure, if [drummer] Shane Fitzgibbon is sad about my departure, if [bassist] Johnny Martin is sad about my departure, that only leaves one person that is not.”
Earlier this month, Sleaze Roxx posted an article titled Phil Lewis recognizes L.A. Guns going through “members like Kleenex” but comes down to only two. Pelletier then posted the following comment:
“I said this when they got rid of Michael Grant. Phil could not stand someone with his talent in the band. Drummer Shane Fitzgibon‘s mom jumped all over me. A few weeks later, her son was history. Tracy seems very cool. Phil just loves him some Phil. Too insecure to have anyone else in any spotlight.”
Martin replied with the following: “John Pelletier… Fun Fact: Getting rid of Michael had nothing to do with Philip Lewis not being able to tolerate Michael’s talent. If that were the case, then why did Phil insist that Michael sing “Purple Rain” every night? Because that certainly wasn’t my idea. I would have rather filled that time in the set with two L.A. Guns songs.
In regards to Shane Thomas Fitzgibbon leaving the band … Shane was working as a part time studio engineer for Kanye. Kanye needed him full time. So Shane made the decision to take that path. It turned out to be the right path, because he (Shane) ended up winning a Grammy … YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!
I don’t mean to contradict your statement. I just wanted to set the record straight.
Oh … And, yes … Tracii Guns is pretty cool … He gives the best naked hugs.”
When another person (Brian Bowles) asked Martin for the reason for Grant‘s departure from L.A. Guns, Martin‘s reply was simply “I like puppies.”
As it turns out, Grant‘s departure from L.A. Guns continues to be one of the best kept secrets in rock n’ roll.
