Lemmy Kilmister explains his lifelong passion for history
Lemmy Kilmister was the embodiment of the rock ‘n’ roll spirit. The hard-rocking, no-nonsense frontman of Motörhead was one of the most revered figures in music for the high-octane style of music he pioneered with the speed-metal heroes. however, that was only part of it. Whilst he talked the talk, he invariably walked the walk, too, showing up many of his contemporaries as poseurs who could not tussle with his mettle.
Lemmy’s life is a storied one, whether it be working as Jimi Hendrix’s roadie, having dinner with the notorious leader of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito, or having a stint in space rock legends Hawkwind, Lemmy literally did it all over his career, and there was no height or setting that he was scared of – such is the nature of one of rock’s most essential characters.
Added to the mythical essence of his life was the panache and humility which Lemmy always espoused, and by all accounts, he was one of the most affable characters in the industry, willing to regale anyone with the tales of his many exploits.
Quite happy with a glass of Jack Daniel’s perched at a bar on the Sunset Strip, Lemmy was a man of simple pleasures right up until the end, and, arguably, his humble beginnings in Staffordshire are what made him so approachable and what led to the many moments of his brilliance, such as when he gave a sharp account of Donald Trump and his ilk back in 1991.
He said: “I keep reading about people like Donald Trump, you know? And he’s got so much money, right, and you can’t get a smile out of the guy with a crowbar. I know a lot of millionaires, ‘coz there’s a lot of millionaires in rock ‘n’ roll, and the more money they’ve got, the more miserable they are. I don’t see the point. ‘Coz they forget about being happy, they just think about money, and that’s all they got. And that’s a sad thing to have, a pile of money and nothing else. What you gonna do? eat it? sleep with it?”
One of the sharpest tools in the shed, this is the kind of wisdom that Lemmy radiated, which is no surprise, as running concurrently to his position as one of the ultimate rockstars was that he was also a keen historian. When speaking to sfgate in 1999, he provided another incisive description, but this time it accounted for his lifelong fascination for history.
He explained: “History teaches you everything. It’ll teach you what’s going to happen, and it teaches you what did happen. What is going to happen is exactly what did happen, but people don’t know any better yet. I think a lot of people submerge themselves in this love of country — the horrible thought that their land might be overtaken by some alien creed, which, of course, is not necessarily worse or better. Where you’re born is a matter of geographical accident. I mean, if you’re born on a plane you don’t fly all your life.”
