Motörhead’s Lemmy was a true rock icon
When it comes to erecting the Mount Rushmore of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, there are a few faces guaranteed to appear: The late Ronnie James Dio, Ozzy Osbourne and, without a doubt, Motörhead’s Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, who passed away earlier this week after a brief battle with an aggressive type of cancer, which at press time had not been revealed.
Having just turned 70 years old four days before, Kilmister’s death wasn’t wholly unexpected. Back in mid-September in fact, right in this very spot, Rock Music Menu said, “it might be best for him to take some well-deserved time to recover properly.” This was in the wake of a series of shows that were canceled or abruptly halted mid-performance because Kilmister was running out of breath and energy.
Yet to slow it down or stop, especially in a live setting, wasn’t Lemmy’s style. According to a Rolling Stone magazine interview with Motörhead manager Todd Singerman, the singer stopped doing soundcheck in recent months and shelved interviews as well, saving his energy for the show instead. The final gig ended up taking place in Berlin, Germany Dec. 11.
Two nights later, at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, there was an all-star tribute to Kilmister held in honor of his upcoming birthday. Billy Idol, Slash, guitarist Steve Vai, Scott Ian of Anthrax, Sebastian Bach and many, many more took the stage to pay homage to the man who inspired them throughout their career.
The Motörhead frontman wasn’t the best singer in the world — far from it in fact — but his unapologetic, steady diet of Jack Daniel’s whiskey, chain smoking and speed created one of the most recognizable voices in all of music. He wasn’t the greatest bass player in the world either, but his stance in front of the microphone — one that was set so he had to crane his neck upward to sing into it — with the instrument nestled tightly at hip level, was an instantly recognizable image.
He influenced legions of artists, from Metallica to Guns N’ Roses to Iron Maiden. And the pervasive element wasn’t the music, but rather Kilmister’s don’t-give-a-damn attitude; he drank, he smoked, he did drugs, he had sex with groupies, and he didn’t care what anyone thought about that. It was the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle he had grown up around, it wasn’t a shtick.
Kilmister actually got his start as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix and procuring LSD for the legendary guitarist. He saw The Beatles play at the Cavern Club in their earliest incarnation. He wrote the song “R.A.M.O.N.E.S.” for the Ramones, as he was good friends with the band, which ended up covering the song as well.
If that’s not a true rock ’n’ roll pedigree, then one doesn’t exist.
The music of the Motörhead was fast, heavy and abrasive, custom made for bikers, cokeheads and truckers who needed to stay up all night and chose Yellow Jacket pills to help them along. It also was said to be derivative, in the same way AC/ DC’s music is charged. Yeah, they do the same song over and over again, but it’s a helluva good song.
Unfamiliar with the Motörhead catalog? Start with the obvious in the frenetic anthem “Ace of Spades” and move onto the likes of “Damage Case,” “Bomber,” “White Line Fever,” “Overkill,” “Heart of Stone,” “Killed By Death” and “Too Late Too Late.” Those are some of the classics, but even this year’s LP of new material, “Bad Magic,” is incredibly solid with the songs “Victory or Die,” “Tell Me Who to Kill” and a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil,” which Kilmister claimed to prefer over the original.
Immediately following news of his passing, fellow musicians reached out via social media in an outpouring of grief and praise.
“Lost one of my best friends, Lemmy, today,” tweeted Osbourne. “He will be sadly missed. He was a warrior and a legend. I will see you on the other side.”
“Lemmy has passed away,” tweeted Kiss co-founder Paul Stanley. “Truly one of a kind. Much more to him than many knew. RIP.” Added Stanley’s bandmate Gene Simmons, “Shake the heavens, my friend.”
“Lemmy was a true rock icon, singular in voice and spirit,” tweeted Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello. “Metal flags fly at half-mast tonight as we salute the incomparable Ace Of Spades.”
Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine, Henry Rollins, Social Distortion’s Mike Ness, Nikki Sixx, King Diamond, Billy Idol, Whitesnake mainman David Coverdale, members of Aerosmith, Judas Priest, Anthrax and Metallica also were early to eulogize Kilmister.
Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich penned a lengthy testimonial for Rolling Stone about how his life was affected by Kilmister. Alice Cooper took to Facebook to compose a personal message in which he said, “(Lemmy) was innovative, true to his art and continually relevant even though he never cared about being relevant.”
Few will receive that type of appreciation in life or death, and even less will be deserving of it. Like in so many other facets of his life, Kilmister remains an aberration — in the greatest sense of the word.