The guys from Motley Crue have spent the last couple of years hinting that retirement is on the horizon, and bass guitarist Nikki Sixx recently went so far as to say the band would be hanging it up after one more album and tour. But you know how long rock retirements tend to last -- and it looks like Sixx might be leaving himself some room for renegotiation.

The subject of the Crue's seemingly imminent demise came up during Sixx's recent chat with MSN, and while he didn't backpedal completely, it does sound like there might be more than one tour or album in the band's future.

"Motley Crue has been the core of our lives," Sixx explained. "It’s been the reason we have anything at all. The four of us made Motley Crue, and the four of us want to leave it in a way that we feel proud, and not be one of these bands, where we’re sitting around going, 'Why are those guys doing that? There’s two versions of that band? Why are they doing it? The lead singer is dead. Why are they touring?' We don’t ever want to be like that."

Reiterating his desire to keep the current lineup intact, Sixx continued, "Through the years we talked about when we’re absentee, let’s call it. Leave it where everyone’s like, 'That was an awesome experience.' We can always forever feel proud about that."

But whenever the end comes, Sixx pointed out, "We’re not there yet." At the very least, there's a list of commitments and obligations to be taken care of. "We’re going up to Canada. We’re doing shows. We’re writing music. We’re getting everything in line for the movie [based on the last album]," he reassured fans. "We’re cool. Don’t freak out yet."

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