The artist that made Lemmy want to play rock and roll
Every good rags-to-riches story needs to emerge from humble beginnings naturally. Believe it or not, even the most illustrious rock and roll gods had to take their inspiration from something – or someone. And for Lemmy, of acclaimed Motörhead fame, things were certainly no different. Tracing back from the screech and scream of ‘Ace of Spades’, there was a definitive moment that set the rocker’s mind on the path to stardom.
You would be mistaken for thinking that the promise of fame and fortune, crowds chanting your name, or the chance to travel the world would attract most young wannabe rock stars to the job. However, in Lemmy’s case, the initial pull was slightly different from the simple prospect of musical prowess. Reminiscing on the birth of rock and roll in the 1950s during a past interview for Spin, he recalled: “When I saw Buddy Holly play in 1958, I was there looking for girls. At that age, you want to get laid. I saw this English rock singer, Billy Fury, and he was surrounded by all these chicks rubbing his crotch. I thought, ‘That’s the fucking job for me!’”
Later, he “took a guitar to school and was immediately surrounded by women. I couldn’t play it, but with all due respect, you do have to learn a couple of chords eventually,” he admitted.
As much as the female attention lured Lemmy, it was the music that left its mark. He cites Little Richard and The Who’s John Entwistle as major inspirations while recounting legendary tales of brushing with rock icons, including The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, but ultimately, it’s the most nascent experiences that stick the most.
By all accounts, Billy Fury’s sound is of a slower, more suave pace than the electrifying metal of Motörhead’s, but it is still easy to discern the appeal and inspiration it provided to a young Lemmy. Songs like Fury’s ‘Wondrous Place’ have clear sonic links to other early rock stars like Elvis and The Beatles – not forgetting, of course, that they were a catalyst for much-vaunted sexual attention.
For Lemmy, his priorities have never strayed far. “Between sex and drugs and rock’n’roll, I might put rock’n’roll first, but sex would be a very close second — rock’n’roll is only a means to get more sex,” he said. But when it comes to the music, he knew where the band’s talent lay: “What people really liked was our attitude — our fuck-you-ness — and our breakneck speed: any lineup of Motörhead could play anything.”
The birth of rock and roll shot into motion a new world of fame, money, and attention, all of which combined to create an exclusive group of transcendent musical icons of which Lemmy is now firmly part. The path laid by the stars who came before him may have provided inspiration, not always in the most conventional sense, but it’s nevertheless clear that their music left the most indelible mark on his old rock and roll soul.
