LEMMY

Vice: What was it that made you say, “I’m going to be in a band”?
Lemmy: Women.
Yeah, I would say so.
When you’re just sitting around.
How soon after that did you think, “Maybe I’ve got to learn”?
I understand.
But you did try doing lead guitar?
Great bands usually implode after three albums or so, but you’ve kept Motörhead functioning for so long.
What are those other bands doing wrong?
Yeah.
I want to ask you about Hawkwind, who you played bass for before you started Motörhead. How did you get it going with Hawkwind?
What were the pros and cons of being in Hawkwind?
was For the chicks.
What were the things that really bugged the shit out of you?
Fuck. That was like five years.
Who ran that band?
I’ve always thought, from watching interviews, that he seemed like a pretty levelheaded dude.
laughs “Silver Machine.” That song was kind of a ringer.
NME Oh, that will make you some friends in the band.
Jesus.
One band you played in before Hawkwind that I actually still listen to a lot is Sam Gopal.
I have it on my iPod. I think someone emailed it to me because you can’t get it.
What was the deal with that? I think it’s some of the sickest music I’ve ever heard.
Fuck. You sang it too, right?
When was the last time you listened to it?
It’s great. You guys even had girls doing backup vocals.
But the rest, in one night? Not too shabby.
What’s your writing process like?
I don’t even know how many fucking songs you’ve written.
Who influenced you when you started out?
I remember reading about that in your book.
So if you had to say what the greatest act you ever saw was…
Yeah.
He is not the liveliest character I’ve seen.
I wanted to ask you what your ideas are regarding success and failure. You are totally unchanged.
laughs Yeah. But when Motörhead dropped that first album it seems like the media were like, “What the fuck?”
Was it that German label?
It’s a common trend.
Can you give the industry a grade, like an F to an A+, in terms of the way people have handled Motörhead?
They were just kids with guitars who didn’t know what the fuck they were doing.
But if all the labels embraced you and knew what to do, would Motörhead be Motörhead?
Because you guys are like underdogs and legends all in one.
I’m sure there’s a serious amount of 50/50 there.
Daily Mirror Do you think anyone could really stand that for a long time?
I always liked how they were cast as goodie-goodies while the Stones were cast as Satanic tough guys.
Your song “Stone Deaf in the USA” is a tribute to partying in America.
And you moved to LA.
So the song isn’t about that? That was just from touring?
Blizzard of Ozz makes a disgusted face Like, “What the fuck?”
Jesus Christ, Kiss took over from you guys opening for Ozzy? That’s a schizophrenic tour.
You are the most low-maintenance band, and then they needed their fucking makeup artist.
Yeah. That was awkward for everybody.
They are not pretty men.
It’s like waking up next to a chick after you were blackout drunk and you’re like, “Oh shit.”
laughs I like to play asleep.
We’ve all had that situation.
Lemmy makes more disgusted faces another disgusted face shakes his head That’s a pretty relatable story for most people.
Shit. I’ve dealt with that all over the Lower East Side. Really sounds like a good idea at first.
That’s when all the fucking golden chicks start popping out.
It’s like the devil and the angel on the shoulder.
The angel doesn’t have a tolerance for alcohol.
Pointing at her.
OK, this next one is kind of a cliché question.
All right. Good. Line me up with a solid for this one. Where are the best women you’ve found from touring all over the world?
So that pretty much transcends all geographic boundaries.
There is. Especially in a barroom.
I got a couple of friends like that. But listen, we have to also say that you’ve been very supportive of a lot of female musicians.