LEMMY: CLIMBING THE OLYMPUS OF ROCK
Few have managed to climb the Olympus of rock music and become a heavy metal god. One has sat firmly on his throne for the past forty years and led the way in Jack-Daniels-drinking and cigarette-chain-smoking debauchery. Known to few as Ian Fraser Kilmister, revered as the lead singer of Motörhead and worshipped as the one they call Lemmy, leader of the dirtiest, meanest and loudest band in the land.
Is it easy being Lemmy 24/7?
Yeah, I’ve never been anybody else (laughs). It’s that simple. I can deal with it. A lot of people can’t deal with being famous, I can deal with it. I like being famous, I’m used to it now. I don’t know what it’d be like anymore, I mean, I can remember intellectually that there was a time when I wasn’t in Motörhead, but I can’t remember how it felt, you know, after 40 years it’s like my life, and that’s just fine.
And you never wanted to escape that?
How can you? ‘Cause you stop being a writer at whatever time you finished the interview, right, and then you’re whoever you wanna be, but I’m always running for Motörhead, 24 hours, right, all the time, forever. Even if I stopped playing tomorrow I’d still be Lemmy from Motörhead, like McCartney is still Paul from the Beatles. You never shake that but luckily I’m happy with it. A lot of people will go: “Oh no, I’m a private person,” fuck off, you’re not a private person, you gave up being a private person when you ran on stage the first time. People make me laugh, you know, “the eyes, the eyes.” Well, quit music, motherfucker, you’re gonna be a cheap metal presser again, that’d be much more fun, wouldn’t it?
What do you think of HipHop and R&B?
I hate HipHop. I hate it. It’s not even music to me. It starts and it goes along and it stops, so what? And they say they write relevant lyrics, no more relevant than mine, and we have real music behind ours. So what the fuck is wrong with you people, can’t you listen? I’m sorry everybody, I hate fucking HipHop, and I can’t tell you nothing else, because I do. I tried to like it, I listened to a lot of it, and I thought: “Well, man, I was right the first time, it’s crap”, so there you go.
How comes it´s such a mass phenomenon then?
Well, good luck, I mean, you’re quite entitled to like it if you want, but don’t ask me to like it, because I don’t. But there’s room for everything, any music can be played. There’s millions of people out there that enjoy music; rap fans, Rock‘n’Roll fans, there’s gotta be all kinds of music for everybody to listen to something. But I don’t like rap myself.
Is “Ace of Spades” both a curse and a blessing?
It’s a curse and a blessing, because it’s a good song and you get tired of playing it, but it’s still a good song. We got lucky, we could have got famous for a turkey, couldn’t we?
Do you still collect Third Reich stuff? Where do you find that?
In America, that’s where it all is. The Americans took it all home with them. One guy, right, was in the American army and they took over Rechlin Air force Base, and he got a Focke-Wulf 190, and dismantled it and sent it home in parcels bit-by-bit and reassembled it back in America. He has the only fucking Wulf 190 in perfect condition, with all the original parts, he has it sitting on his deck in Pennsylvania (laughs) That’s the ultimate war trophy: a fucking fighter plane.
What’s your biggest treasure?
Probably a Luftwaffe sword with a Damascus blade. I got Hitler’s autograph about three or four times, but there’s so many forgeries, and there’s an autopen version they used on documents anyway, you can never tell if it’s real or not, but I have one saying: “Happy new year and merry Christmas from Adolf Hitler”, you know, that’s one. I got that from Ozzy, too, so double whammy. I should have gotten Ozzy to sign the back of it, right, Ozzy and Hitler on the same piece.
Your home must be one big museum by now.
Yeah, it’s one small museum. It´s so I can’t get around it. There’s a track from the couch to the fridge and to the TV and the record collection. And I just bought a place in LA, I just got a condo, so. It’s a bit bigger. I can move around a bit more.
You mean, you’re going to move?
Yeah. I’m not going to move it, you kidding? When you make enough money to buy a condo, you don’t have to move. You got enough money to get somebody to move it.
In your case: Are there still goals to be reached?
There’s always goals that you haven’t achieved. I’d like to have a hit in America before we go. I’d like to have another hit here too. Thank God for Germany, we still have hits there. They really stood next to us all the time, they were really loyal. They can listen to the new stuff and the old stuff at the same time. People over here don’t realise that, they have to have just the new stuff.
But you´re still walking distance to The Rainbow Bar?
Yeah, it’s not far away. Because I like the area around. I just needed a bigger place.
What is it that makes The Rainbow your extended living room?
It’s a great place. It’s a quality club, it’s one of the few left. Most of those they get you in and get you out, plastic cup, today’s wine choice, you know what I mean? Fuck it! The Rainbow’s the best. I’ve always said so and I always will say so. As long as it deserves me to call the best, I’ll call it the best. It’s like old circles out of fashion, but it always comes back.
Are you surprised by the rave reviews for the Motörhead-wine, the Australian Shiraz with your name on it?
Oh yeah, everybody likes it. Yeah, it’s good wine, you know. Shiraz has been neglected by a lot of firms, they don’t make it anymore. So we got in a niche, right? I want to see if the Rosé does as well. The vodka’s doing okay.
Did you handpick the wine?
Oh yeah, we handpick everything. Well, mouth-picked it. There was the whiskey, I only had to do three. And then the vodka we did four. The wine, the Rosé, we did four I think, I’m not sure. But the Shiraz I didn’t taste, I don’t drink red wine. I don’t like it, probably that’s why it’s doing so well.
And Motörhead Bourbon is next?
It’s supposed to be coming up.
You’ve called it a “snakebite bourbon” Is it that strong?
Well no, nothing´s that strong anymore. But it’ll do the job. Jack Daniels used to be 86%, and now it’s 80%. Jim Beam used to be 86%, and now it’s 80%. Everybody falls into line.
Are guitars still chick magnets?
Oh yeah, of course. They make music. That´s better than sitting there talking, isn´t it? ‘Cause you run out of conversation. You’ll never run out of songs, you know what I mean? It’s always been good for that. The girls like that. They like somebody that entertains them, makes them laugh, I guarantee you: You ask a chick what turns her on more than anything in the world, and she will always say: “Somebody that makes me laugh.” So in between songs, tell a joke.
Does Lemmy have a favourite type though? What does he love in a woman? What fascinates you when you meet someone?
That they’re not men, really. I like feminine women. I just like women. I’m not restricted to a type. Exotic is hot – always. Different is always good. Different from the people you grew up with.
Do you have a favourite chat up line?
Oh, several. But more bad ones. The thing is: If a girl wants you to chat her up, it doesn’t matter what you say. You could read her the telephone directory. If she’s fascinated, she’s still fascinated.
Anything on earth you haven’t done yet?
I’ve never been Pope. I think that’s kind of out of reach now. I’m getting to the right age, but I’m the wrong religion, so that’s it. I’ve done pretty good. I’ve realised a lot of my goals. I can’t complain. And I’ve reached out and seen 100.000 people shouting my name. What more do you want out of life?
I think Pope would be pretty boring after a while. Just imagine all those speeches you would have to deliver in 36 languages.
It’s always the same song too, isn’t it? Jesus this, Jesus that. It’s a thin story. A woman that’s a virgin gets pregnant by a ghost. Yeah, right! Goddamn… And the guy went for it, the husband. “Darling, I’m pregnant but I’m still a virgin.” – “Ah, okay.” He should have smelled something there, but they were in a stable, I guess. Maybe he deserves to live in a fuckin’ stable if he takes stories like that on face value.
