Long Live Lemmy! Lemmy Kilmister 1945 – 2015

I have struggled with writing this post because it was one that I have dreaded. As you all know or unless you have been living under a rock, we lost one of the greatest yesterday, Lemmy Kilmister. Lemmy was one bad ass mother f*cker that we all respected and loved. He was legendary not only for his music for how he lived his life; on his own terms. Ian Fraser Lemmy Kilmister passed away yesterday only days after receiving the diagnosis of his cancer.  The news was confirmed on the Official Motorhead Facebook Page

There is no easy way to say this…our mighty, noble friend Lemmy passed away today after a short battle with an extremely aggressive cancer. He had learnt of the disease on December 26th, and was at home, sitting in front of his favorite video game from The Rainbow which had recently made its way down the street, with his family.

We cannot begin to express our shock and sadness, there aren’t words.

We will say more in the coming days, but for now, please…play Motörhead loud, play Hawkwind loud, play Lemmy’s music LOUD.
Have a drink or few.

 

With the internet, the news spread quickly as within minutes everyone seemed to be aware of this devastating loss. Then one by one, people began to post their stories or share their memories of Lemmy. I had recently turned away from Facebook due to so much negativity but it was amazing to see Facebook light up with the love for Lemmy. The outpouring has been nonstop and it is all because Lemmy was an amazing man. He was loved by the world. He was a legend, truly iconic but yet he made himself accessible to everyone and never had an ego. He was the real deal, genuine and honest, even if what he says might be considered as gruff or blunt. He spoke from the heart and his words became treasured memories for everyone.

It is amazing that when Lemmy spoke, you remembered what he said. He just had this charisma about him that would draw you to him instantly. I will share with you my own personal story of meeting Lemmy, (I use the term “meeting” loosely!)

I was maybe 21 or 22 (or should I say my ID said so), and I had flown down to Los Angeles to visit a friend who was working on an album. After spending hours in the studio, I wanted to head out to the Sunset Strip. After much persisting, we ended up at several clubs and made our way to the Rainbow Bar & Grill.  As we were having fun drinking, my friend told me that Lemmy from Motorhead was there and of course, I had to see him. I was also pretty drunk at the time and my friend begged me to not bother him. But hell no, I wanted to see Lemmy! So from across the end of the room towards to bar, I was yelling, “Lemmy! Lemmy! LetMe At Him! Lemmy at Em!”  Just as I made it to the end of the bar where Lemmy was sitting, my friend Tommy tried to drag me off, Lemmy looked over. I remember my friend telling me they thought I just pissed off Lemmy, and he was going to let me have it. Then Lemmy looked over with his drink in his hand and calmly says, “get that gal another drink”.  We laughed it off and it became one of my treasured memories of my youth.

Over the years, I had always wanted to formally meet Lemmy, maybe to put that drunk memory to rest and have a new one to treasure. We covered several of Motörhead‘s  shows and I was in awe of their performances every time. I didn’t get the chance to meet Lemmy as they had limited time when they played The Warfield earlier this year.  I am so grateful that we saw them in San Francisco as they had to cancel several dates after due to Lemmy’s health.  They put on an incredible show. You can check out our coverage of the show here: https://musicjunkiepress.com/music/motorhead-delivers-epic-set-at-the-warfield-in-san-francisco/. Check out some photos from that night:

Their new album, Bad Magic was released earlier this year and it is a pure musical gem that highlights their signature sound and takes you on rock and roll adventure. Whether you are an old time Motörhead fan or even new to the mix, this album will become one of your favorites. Here is our review of the album: Motorhead Bad Magic Review.

So with the loss of Lemmy, we also mourn for Motörhead, a legendary band which will be known for inspiring generations of rockers, all whom would love to be even nearly half as good as Motörhead ever was.

Raise your glass to Lemmy, crank up some Hawkwind or  Motörhead, and celebrate Lemmy’s life. Share your stories, memories, or photos of this legendary man. He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten. Long Live Lemmy! He will live on in our hearts, in our music, in our memories. Long Live Lemmy!

~ Horns up, Marisol

Information & Links:

• Website: http://www.imotorhead.com/
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• Twitter: https://twitter.com/myMotorhead
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/officialmotorhead