Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Cracking cheese sculpture, Gromit
Artist uses Babybel wax to create figures Fast Eddie, last of Motörhead’s 3 amigos, is dead
HERE’S one person who loves his cheese with a lot of mold…
Mitchell Mclanaghan makes incredible sculptures from the wax casings of Babybels.
The 32-year-old’s stunningly detailed models include Wallace and Gromit, Gollum from Lord of the Rings, Santa and his reindeers, Halloween characters and even fruit and veg.
And his work has won him a legion of fans, including Red Dwarf’s Robert Llewellyn and Aardman Animations.
Mitchell, who has autism, started making sculptures at 12. His first was a “stick man”, complete with skeleton and organs. Sister Margaret, 37, said: “Mitchell has autism and he’s on a very high spectrum. He needs assistance with everything. But MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke has died aged 67.
The last survivor of the heavy metal band’s classic line-up passed away in hospital where he was being treated for pneumonia, the group said on Facebook.
Their statement read: “Fast Eddie...keep roaring, rocking’ and rollin’ up there as goddamit man, when you see what he can do, it really blows you away. It’s absolutely incredible.
“He makes a lot of the models from memory. And the fine detail your Motorfamily would expect nothing less!!!”
Twickenham-born Clarke played with singer/bassist Lemmy Kilmister and drummer Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor – who both died in 2015 – from 1976 to 1982.
He played on the first six Motörhead albums, including Overkill, Bomber and Ace of Spades, and is fantastic. His dream is to produce his own cartoons.”
Mitchell, of Newcastle, makes some of the small models in just 20 minutes. Others can take days.
Family and friends collect the Babybel cases for him and fans of his work, which is on Facebook, send them in from around the world. Babybel even sent him a packet of its cheeses.
Mitchell has been invited to display his models at April’s Comic-con in Gateshead.
Perhaps he should make a Cheesus of Nazareth, Curd Douglas and Ruby Wax specially for the occasion… went on to form Fastway with UFO bassist Peter Way.
Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell said: “He will be remembered for his iconic riffs and was a true rock n roller. RIP Eddie.”
Ex-motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee, now in the Scorpions, said: “Oh my f***ing God, this is terrible news, the last of the three amigos. I saw Eddie not too long ago and he was in great shape. This is a complete shock.
“Now Lem and Philthy can jam with Eddie again, and if you listen carefully I’m sure you’ll hear them, so watch out!!!”
Lemmy died of cancer aged 70 a month after Phil Taylor’s death from liver failure at 61 in 2015.