Formed: 1975
From:
London,
United Kingdom
Last Known Status: Active
Background
Lemmy spent the sixties in a number of small-time bands including Opal Butterfly, Sam Gopal, and The Rockin' Vickers as well as working as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix in 1967 for about six months, and as a roadie for The Nice. In 1971 he joined archetypal space rock UK Underground outfit Hawkwind who were centred around the very in Ladbroke Grove. His distinctive style of bass playing, involving the use of chords rather than the single notes preferred by most players, was a fundamental part of the Hawkwind sound during his tenure. He also provided lead vocals on a number of songs including the band's biggest UK chart single, Silver Machine, which reached No.3 in 1972.
By 1975 Lemmy's forceful personality and propensity for ingesting copious quantities of amphetamines were leading to conflict with other members, and this culminated with his sacking after being arrested for drug possession while on tour with the band in Canada. Lemmy went on to form a new band with guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. Wallis's former bands included the Pink Fairies, Steve Took's Shagrat and UFO. Lemmy's connection with Took (formerly of T Rex) was not limited to Wallis, as they were personal friends and Took was the step-father to Lemmy's son Paul. This new band was originally called Bastard. However, after the band's manager pointed out this name would lose them TV and radio exposure, it was changed to Motörhead - the last song Lemmy wrote for Hawkwind.
After a short period both Wallis and Fox were replaced with guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke and drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, and with this line-up the band began to achieve success. The uncompromisingly intense nature of their sound appealed to both Lemmy's original metal/rock constituency as well as the new punk fans — intrigued, perhaps, by Lemmy's brief stint in The Damned — and Lemmy's guttural vocals were unique in the world of rock at that time. The band's success peaked between 1980 and 1981 with a number of UK chart hits, including the classic single Ace of Spades (still a crowd favourite today) and the No. 1 Live Album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith . Motörhead have since gone on to become one of the most influential bands on the heavy metal scene and, although Lemmy is the only constant in a changing line-up, are still performing and releasing records to this day. Despite Motorhead's many member changes over their 30 year history the current lineup of Lemmy, Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee has remained constant since 1995.
Lemmy has also worked with a number of other musicians over his career, and occasionally guests with Hawkwind. He was brought in as a songwriter for Ozzy Osbourne's 1991 No More Tears album, providing lyrics for the tracks "Hellraiser," (which Motorhead later released) "Desire," "I Don't Want To Change The World," and the massive hit "Mama I'm Coming Home." Lemmy has noted in several magazine and television interviews that he made more money from the royalties of that one song than he had in his entire time with Motorhead.
He has made a number of appearances in film and television, including the 1990 science fiction film Hardware and the 1987 comedy Eat the Rich, for which Motörhead also recorded the soundtracks. In the 1994 comedy Airheads (in which he is credited as "Lemmy von Motorhead"), he shouts (truthfully) about being the editor of his high school newspaper. He has also appeared in several movies from the Troma studio. Having a predilection for self-deprecating parody, he once appeared in an advertisement for Kit Kat chocolate bars, miming a piece of chamber music on the violin, in an upper-class tea-room. Motörhead performed the entrance theme song "The Game" for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)'s Triple H, as well as "Line in the Sand" for his now defunct wrestling stable, Evolution. In 2006, they once again provided theme music for the WWE as they recorded the song King of Kings for Triple H on the Wreckless Intent CD.
Lemmy collects Nazi memorabilia, and has an Iron Cross encrusted on his bass, which has led to accusations of right-wing extremist tendencies; however, Lemmy considers himself to be an anarchist. According to Keith Emerson as written in his autobiography, two of Lemmy's Hitlerjugend knives were gifted to Keith Emerson himself during Lemmy's time spent as a roadie for The Nice. Emerson used these knives many times as "keyholders" during his famous wrestling sessions with the Hammond Organ during the shows with The Nice and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
He published his autobiography, White Line Fever in November 2002.
Latest Motorhead News
Below is our complete Motorhead news coverage, including columns and articles pertaining to the band. Some articles listed may be indirectly related, such as side projects of the band members, etc.
Note: We began associating news directly with bands in late 2003. Therefore, earlier band news may not be listed on this page.
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Column
Sunday Old School: Motorhead
The term "legend" is thrown around all too often these days, almost to the point where being an older band instantly gives you the title, but how many bands can not only honestly claim the title of "legend," but also "icons?" Only a handful. And within this handful, we find one of the best and loudest bands to ever tread the Earth - the one and only Motorhead. Motorhead is as important to heavy metal as Miles Davis is to Jazz. Every fan of metal, punk, hardcore and rock will be able to tell you who Motorhead is, and if you find one who can't, beat them with the heaviest object you can find, just so they get an idea for how heavy Motorhead is.
The band was formed by Ian Fraser Kilmister (aka Lemmy) in London in 1975, after he was released from the band Hawkwind for (of all reasons) excessive drug use. The band was originally going to be called "Bastard" until it was pointed out that shows like Top Of The Pops might have a tiny problem with such a tag, so the moniker was switched to Motorhead instead. The name came from the last song Lemmy wrote for Hawkwind and at the time was American slang for someone who often took Speed. Lemmy assembled guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox and after only ten shows, they secured a slot opening for Blue Oyster Cult at the famous Hammersmith Odeon. They then recorded an album for United Artists but it wasn't to be released until the band gained popularity a few years later, as the label were unhappy with the material. Shortly after this, Wallis and Fox were no longer members of the band and "Fast" Eddie Clarke and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor came in as replacements, forming one of the heaviest trios in the history of music. This lineup recorded a string of albums which are now regarded as classics by rock and metal fans, such as "Overkill," "Bomber" and of course, "Ace Of Spades," as well as topping the British albums chart with their live album, "No Sleep 'til Hammersmith." Following their next album, "Iron Fist" Eddie Clarke would leave the band, being replaced by former Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson. This lineup of the group would only record one album, 1983's "Another Perfect Day" which earned the band some backlash from fans at the time, though it has gained a cult following over the years.Subsequently, both Robertson and Taylor left the band, leaving Lemmy to form an entirely new lineup, which he did with former Saxon drummer Pete Gill, ex-Persian Risk guitar player Phil Campbell and unknown guitarist Michael "Wurzel" Burston.
This lineup would only last for one compilation record and one studio album before Taylor returned to the band. Motorhead would release the albums, "1916" and "March Or Die" before Taylor was once again no longer a member, this time being replaced by King Diamond drummer Mikkey Dee. This lineup would release the album "Bastards" in 1993 and the band released a single the next year entitled, "Born To Raise Hell" which featured Ugly Kid Joe frontman Whitfield Crane and rap legend Ice-T, for the movie "Airheads." This lineup would again be a short lived one, as Wurzel was to leave the band following the "Sacrifice" album in 1995. Since then, Motorhead has continued as a three-piece and have released a further seven albums, with another one planned for this year. Many have also claimed that the group was rejuvinated by the beginning of the 21st century, as since 2004's "Inferno" they have received constant acclaim for their newer material, with plenty of fans and critics alike agreeing the band have been producing their best albums since the early 1980's. As was said at the beginning of this article, Motorhead aren't just legends, nor will people stop at calling them icons. They are are gods. They changed the face of rock music, proved it was alright for fans of metal and punk to like the same band, influenced thrash metal to no end and are still going strong thirty five years later, continually setting the standards for all bands out there. Long may they continue to show everyone how rock and roll is done! More...
Twenty Two More Bands Confirmed For Download 2010
The organisers of Britains Download festival has announced a further twenty two additions to this years lineup. Glam metal veterans Ratt and Cinderella will be performing at the event, as will British heavy metal icons Saxon. Other bands confirmed for the festival include Hellyeah, H.I.M., Airbourne, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Y&T, Unearth, Steel Panther, Job For A Cowboy, A Day To Remember, Lawnmower Deth, Coheed & Cambria, 36 Crazyfists, Dommin, Whitechapel, Taking Dawn, August Burns Red, The Blackout, Rise To Remain and We Are The Fallen.
The festival takes place at Donington Park and will be held from friday the 11th of June to sunday the 13th. Other bands confirmed for the festival include Motorhead, Megadeth, Deftones and Them Crooked Vultures, as well as headlining acts AC/DC, Rage Against The Machine and Aerosmith.
More Bands Confirmed For Graspop 2010
The organisers of Belgiums premier metal festival, Graspop Metal Meeting, has announced the addition of eleven more bands to this years bill. Among the latest acts are American supergroup Hellyeah, Australian rockers Airbourne and British heavy metal veterans Raven. The other confirmed bands are Katatonia, Evergrey, The Devil's Blood, Eluveitie, Finntroll, Dark Funeral, 3 Inches Of Blood and Sylosis. The festival will take place in the town of Dessel from June 25th-27th.
The lineup is now as follows: More...
Motorhead Announces U.K. Tour
British hard rock legends Motorhead has announced that they will be embarking on a headlining tour of the United Kingdom this November in celebration of their 35th anniversary. Tickets will go on sale this friday and retail at £26 everywhere except London, where tickets will cost £32.50 The band are also expected to release a new album sometime this year.
The tour dates are as follows: More...
Hellfest Confirms Finals Acts
The organisers of the French metal festival Hellfest has announced the last additions to the event's lineup. The already hugely impressive lineup will now also feature Alice Cooper, Motorhead, Saxon, Slayer, Deftones, Airbourne, Fear Factory, Carcass, Fields Of Nephilm, Infectious Grooves, Stone Sour, Hypocrisy, Exodus, Annihilator, Devin Townsend Project, Mass Hysteria, Doom, Dillinger Escape Plan, As I Lay Dying, Unearth, Tamtrum, Electric Mary Vulcain, Kalisia and Blaspheme. The festival will be held in Clisson from June 18th-20th.
Four More Bands Confirmed For Graspop 2010
The organisers of Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting festival has announced that four more bands have now been added to the lineup. The biggest announcement is that Aerosmith will be headlining the event on the friday. Also joining them that day will be reunited California grungers Stone Temple Pilots. Industrial metal legends Fear Factory will be performing at the festival and so will Atlanta based metal outfit Mastodon, who are still touring in support of their critically acclaimed album, "Crack The Skye."
The lineup (in no particular order) is now as follows: More...
Column
The Rockstar Ramblings: The Stone Velvet Roses
In episode three of Celebrity Fit club, Sebastian Bach (Skid Row) is disappointed at his weight loss, telling the judges “I even took three days off drinking”. Bach’s quandary is now whether to continue drinking or just stop eating entirely. This may quickly turn into a semi-Survivor show where we watch to see how long Sebastian survives on red wine alone… More...
More Bands Confirmed For Graspop 2010
The organisers of Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting festival has announced several more bands for this year's edition of the event. Among the latest acts are American thrash metal legends Slayer, British gothic metal veterans Paradise Lost, heavy metal icons Saxon and death metal legends Cannibal Corpse and Deicide. Also confirmed are Steel Panther, U.D.O., A Day To Remember, 36 Crazyfists, Atreyu, Between The Buried And Me, Unearth, Anathema and Rise To Remain. The festival will take place in the town of Dessel from June 25th - 27th.
The lineup is now as follows: More...
Five More Bands Announced For Download 2010
The organisers of Britain' Download Festival have revealed that in addition the recent announcement that Aerosmith and Rage Against The Machine will be headlining the event over the weekend, five more bands have also been confirmed. American heavy metal favourites Lamb Of God will be performing, along with Thirty Seconds To Mars, Five Finger Death Punch, Stone Sour and veteran rocker Billy Idol. The festival will take place at Donington Park from June 11th - 13th.
The lineup is now as follows:
AC/DC (Friday headliner)
Them Crooked Vultures
Bullet For My Valentine
Wolfmother
Lamb Of God
Rage Against The Machine (Saturday headliner)
Deftones
Thirty Seconds To Mars
Megadeth
Billy Idol
Volbeat
Aerosmith (Sunday headliner)
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Sour
Motorhead
Five Finger Death Punch
Aerosmith And RATM Added To Download Festival
American hard rock legends Aerosmith and rap rock veterans Rage Against The Machine have been confirmed as the headline acts at this year's edition of Britain's Download Festival, in addition to previously announced headliners AC/DC. Rage Against The Machine will be headlining the saturday with Aerosmith taking the top spot the next day. Other bands confirmed for the event include Motorhead, Deftones, Them Crooked Vultures, Megadeth and Stone Temple Pilots. It will take place at Donington Park from June 11th - 13th.
First Bands Confirmed For Download 2010
The organisers of the United Kingdom's Download festival has announced the first batch of names for this year's edition of the event. The biggest news is that AC/DC will be headlining the first day of the event, marking their first appearance at Donington since 1991. Many other big names have also been added to the bill, including Them Crooked Vultures, Motorhead, Megadeth, Deftones, Stone Temple Pilots, Bullet For My Valentine, Wolfmother and Volbeat. The festival will be held at Castle Donington from June 11th - 13th. Stay tuned for more confirmations and details.
Lemmy Narrates Motocross Documentary
"Mind of the Demon: The Larry Linkogle Story" is a documentary film narrated by Lemmy Kilmeister of Motorhead screening at Slamdance on Jan 23 & 26. There’s original music from Suicidal Tendencies, Greg Hetson of Circle Jerks, Redd Kross and Bad Religion, Jason Hill of Louis XIV and Marco D. Leone with additional music is from Motorhead and Black Flag. Writer, director and producer Adam Barker says “From my first day of working with Larry I knew that Lemmy had to narrate the film. There was no second choice. Larry is the overlord of FMX and Lemmy is the overlord of metal. When we asked Lemmy backstage at one of his concerts to sign on I told him ‘there was no second choice…and if he died we’d be fucked.’ Lemmy said, ‘I’d blast up from hell and still do it!!’ True story.”
Here’s the synopsis of the documentary:
Mind of the Demon: The Larry Linkogle Story is a brutally honest look into life and mind of one of the most out-spoken, forward-thinking, visionaries ever to come out of the motor-sports industry. Larry Linkogle is a world-record holding dirt-bike legend whose off-the-cuff antics and aggressive "never sell out" attitude was the spark the kick-started the entire freestyle motocross revolution. But as the new sport took off beyond expectations, so did Larry’s battles with his inner demons. Both a thrilling recreation of the rise of freestyle motocross and a heart-wrenching account of the demise of the sport's most infamous legend, Mind of the Demon's timeline is told through incredible archival footage, and interviews with every top industry name. Past and present storylines intertwine to drive the film toward one of only two possible conclusions: one of the most unlikely inspirational comeback stories of all time or a nosedive into a black hole of self-destruction. Narrated by LEMMY KILMEISTER
"Mind of a Demon: The Larry Linkogle Story" will be shown at the following film festivals (which run in conjunction with Sundance Film Festival):
Slamdance:
Location: Treasure Mountain Inn, 255 Main Street, Park City, UT
Screening dates and times: Saturday, January, 23 at 10:00AM and Tuesday, January 26 at 10:30PM
X-Dance: Action Sports Film Festival
Location: X-dance Theatre 272 S. Main St., Salt Lake City, UT
Screening date and time : Sunday, January 24 at 7:35pm
You can watch the trailer here.
Seven More Bands Confirmed For Graspop 2010
The organisers of Belgium's biggest rock festival, Graspop Metal Meeting, has announced the addition of seven more bands to the bill. The biggest news is that iconic rockers Motorhead will be performing at the event along with Belgian metal veterans Channel Zero. Also added to the lineup are death metal legends Obituary, Swedish viking metallers Amon Amarth, As I Lay Dying, Job For A Cowboy and Ghost Brigade.
The lineup now reads as follows (in alphabetical order): More...
"Lemmy" Documentary to Premiere at SxSW
“Lemmy,” the documentary about Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister that's been nearly three years in the making, will debut in March at the SxSW Film Festival. The film, directed and produced by Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski, digs into the heavy metal legend, and includes interviews with Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash and members of Metallica and more.
Although the filmmakers are still looking for a distributor, “Lemmy” makes its formal premiere during the SxSW Film Festival (March 12-16) and will also screen during the SxSW Music Festival (March 17-20). Check out the trailer below.
First Bands Confirmed For Swiss Sonisphere
The organisers of the Sonisphere festival in Switzerland have announced the first batch of bands that will perform at the event. The biggest news is that the festival will feature the "Big Four" of thrash metal, Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer, along with two other huge names in heavy metal, Motorhead and Heaven & Hell. The event will take place on June 18th at Degenaupark in Wil/Jonschwil.
Martin Axenrot Appears In Animal Rights Calendar
Opeth has issued the following update about their drummer Martin Axenrot appearing in an animal rights calendar:
"Djurens Rätt, Sweden's largest non-profit animal rights organization asked if Axe and his cat Max would be interested in being photographed for a very special calendar of Rock Stars and their pets. Axe being a big animal lover didn't hesitate one second which resulted in Max & Axe being Misters July!
"Members of Amon Amarth, Crucified Barbara, Dead by April, Dia Psalma, Hammerfall, Mando Diao, Millencolin, Motörhead, Sonic Syndicate, The Hives & The Soundtrack of Our Live all had their pics taken with their pets as well so if you want to see a slightly different side of your favourite rock band we suggest you order one of these beauties right away.
"Swedish fans can buy it here and if you live abroad you can go to this location (PayPal only). All profit goes straight into the important work these nice people at Djurens Rätt do."
Report
Motorhead Takes Over The Swindon Oasis
It's almost a given that if you like any form of hard rock or metal, you like Motorhead. No other band has the longevity, the honesty and the volume that Motorhead carry with them at all times. Not only do they live rock and roll, they are the embodiment of it. So having them come to perform in Swindon (which they have only done about three times before in their 34 year history) was a real treat for all concerned.
Opening the show this evening was Girlschool, who have been going for nearly as long as Motorhead, forming in 1978. I unfortunately missed quite a bit of their set but what I did see was alot of fun. They gave a performance that showed how much they enjoy not playing their music, but being on the stage in general. They were definitely a great opening act and set the mood for the great evening of rock and roll that was to follow. I look forward to seeing them again in the future and hopefully getting there on time!
Next up was British punk rock legends The Damned. A little bit of pub trivia for you, The Damned were the first British punk band to release a single, an album and tour the United States, not the Sex Pistols as so many people believe. As Michael Caine might say, not alot of people know that! The Damned approached their live show with a great spirit and got plenty of the crowd excited from the opening sentence of "Hello... We're The Damned.... And we sound a bit like this... Is she really going out with him?" before the pounding drums of "New Rose" kicked off a fantastic performance. I personally had been wanting to see The Damned for six years and it was well worth the wait to see them tear through classic songs like "Neat, Neat, Neat" and "Love Song." They were also as hilarious as they were exciting, with guitarist Captain Sensible joking about the recent Morrissey show in Swindon that ended after the singer collapsed on stage after one song. He declared the tour to be "very anti-Simon Cowell" and a "celebration of rock and roll." They closed with the always classic anthem, "Smash It Up" which was followed with Captain Sensible running over to lead singer Dave Vanian's microphone to perform a bit of his 1980s novelty hit song, "Happy Talk" before being dragged off the stage by his guitar straps by Vanian. If I had to ask anything of The Damned, it would be that next time they play "Machine Gun Etiquette" and "Melody Lee." "Nasty" would be a good addition too, but really, those are only requests. If you're a fan of punk rock, go and see The Damned. You won't regret it!
"We are Motorhead... We play rock and roll" was the introductory growl from the iconic singing bass player Lemmy as the headliners took the stage. After that it was into the classic, "Iron Fist" and the onslaught of loud instruments and great songs continued from there. The energy the band brings didn't stop for a second and the band brought a few surprises into their set too, which is always good to hear, performing a cover of the Twisted Sister song, "Shoot 'em Down" and the acoustic blues vibe of "Whorehouse Blues." It was also nice to hear songs from their new album, "Motorizer" as well as songs from the previous two albums, "Inferno" and "Kiss Of Death." The band performed the awesome, "One Night Stand" from the latter album and "In The Name Of Tragedy" from the former. They also included timeless songs such as "Going To Brazil," "Killed By Death" and "Over The Top." Hearing the band playing "Bomber" felt fantastic as on the two occassions I had seen them before, they left it out from the set. And for the encore? What else would you expect than the song that defines heavy metal and hard rock and roll in general, "Ace Of Spades," followed by the title track of their second album, "Overkill." Motorhead proved once again why they are one of the true legends of rock with a performance that didn't falter once, great crowd interaction and timeless songs. All in all, it was a great night, though the crowd really were a disappointment. Alot of people in Swindon complain that they don't have a proper music venue to draw bigger acts but if they are as still as many in the crowd were for Motorhead, building a venue would just be a waste of money and time. That aside, if you live in the U.K. and you like your concerts to be f'ing loud (the "f" is not for fairly!) and alot of fun, then you simply have to catch this tour!
Lemmy's "Stand By Me" Cover Posted Online
As previously reported, Motorhead mainman Lemmy recently worked with Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo to record a cover of the classic Ben E. King song, "Stand By Me." You can now check out the song below. The cover was recorded for the soundtrack to the upcoming movie, "Extremely Sorry" and will be released on December 8th. More...
Lemmy And Slayer Drummer To Cover Ben E. King
In a rather strange bit of news, legendary Motorhead frontman Lemmy will be teaming up with Dave Lombardo, the drummer of thrash metal legends Slayer, to record a cover of the Ben E. King classic, "Stand By Me." This is to be featured on the soundtrack of an upcoming movie entitled, "Extremely Sorry." Expect the soundtrack to hit the shelves on December 7th.
Motorhead To Enter The Studio In February
In a recent interview, Motorhead's iconic frontman Lemmy confirmed that the band will be entering the recording studio in February of next year to begin work on their next studio album. This will be the follow up to 2008's "Motorizer" album. The band will soon be kicking off a headlining tour of the United Kingdom along with Girlschool and legendary punk rock band The Damned.
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