Metallica’s James Hetfield demands Lemmy to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been an issue of contention since it was first founded in Cleveland, Ohio, back in 1983. While many rock musicians argue that the entire idea of a ‘Hall of Fame’ is completely at odds with the revolutionary principles of the genre, others are simply frustrated with the organisation’s continued ignorance of certain artists. For Metallica’s James Hetfield, the Hall of Fame is missing just one man: Lemmy Kilmister.
In many ways, Lemmy was the archetypal rock star, encapsulating everything that makes the genre so appealing to fans. For decades, first with Hawkwind and then with Motörhead, Kilmister embodied the ‘live fast’ manifesto of rock and roll. Surely, therefore, he is an obvious choice to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but the time is yet to come.
While Lemmy is deserving of a place in the Hall of Fame, he remains strangely absent. Interestingly, Motörhead were one of the nominated inductees back in 2020, but were panned in favour of artists like Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G. and Depeche Mode, as well as businessman Irving Azoff.
The exclusion of Lemmy from the Hall of Fame is particularly frustrating for James Hetfield, who was a longtime friend of the Motörhead bassist, the pair often performing on stage together. During a recent appearance on The Metallica Report podcast, Hetfield – who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Metallica in 2009 – lambasted the organisation for excluding Lemmy.
“The most rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle-living person on this planet is not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which is a travesty, a shame,” he shared, “It’s kind of a disrespect to rock ‘n’ roll, basically”. Hetfield is such a disciple of Lemmy that he recently got a tattoo of the Iron Cross on his middle finger, with ink that had been mixed with the ashes of the Motörhead bassist.
Explaining the reasoning behind the tattoo, the Metallica songwriter said, “So Lemmy is able to still flip the bird to the world via me, and just a reminder of what an inspiration he has been in my life — what to do, what not to do.”
Hetfield concluded this tattoo talk with one final dig at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, saying, “And for me paying respects to him in lieu of him being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which still continues to piss me off”.
When announcing the tattoo, which also incorporates “a pinch of [Lemmy’s] cremation ashes that were so graciously given to me”, Hetfield said: “A salute to my friend and inspiration Mr. Lemmy Kilmister. Without him, there would be NO Metallica.”
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.