The rock movement that Lemmy “never believed in”
Rock music has a remarkable ability to evolve and adapt, shedding its skin every few years to embrace new sounds and trends. Unlike some artists who cling to a particular style throughout their careers, the titans of the industry often demonstrate tremendous agility, effortlessly navigating the shifting tides of musical fashion. Lemmy, hailing from the same scene that birthed psychedelic rock, famously eschewed the trappings of the counterculture, carving out his own unique path in the ever-changing landscape of rock music.
Before getting Motörhead off the ground, Lemmy had already seen firsthand many of the biggest rock and roll moments in history. When putting together his first bands after discovering artists like Buddy Holly and Little Richard, the future frontman actually found himself in the Cavern Club watching some of the first performances by The Beatles.
After shopping around in different outfits, Lemmy got his foot in the door of rock history again when working as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix. Outside of setting up Mitch Mitchell’s drums, Lemmy was dumbfounded by what he heard coming out of Hendrix’s guitar, thinking that no other guitarist would ever be able to match what he had done.
While Hendrix got his start in England, his performance at Woodstock would become ground zero for the hippy counterculture that would soon be sweeping the nation. Outside of the outlandish sounds emanating from his guitar, many of Hendrix’s fans were looking at the possibilities of where music could go once they expanded their minds with acid, giving way to songs preaching about living in peace and harmony.
Around this time, Lemmy also managed to find his way into the band Hawkwind, a psychedelic headtrip headed by vocalist Dave Brock. Although he was just happy to get a gig, he was not going to be the kind of frontman who sang about wearing flowers in his hair and wanting around to live together.
Reminiscing on that time, Lemmy thought that the whole Woodstock idealism was a farce, saying, “It was the middle of hippiedom, so we were right in the throat of the Woodstock generation, which was all right with me. I never believed in it. Because there were too many cunts about, which there shouldn’t be if the Age of Aquarius is actually upon us.”
It didn’t take long for Lemmy to realise that the psychedelic movement wasn’t for him, either. After being busted for drugs during the tour, Lemmy was fired, taking his songs with him to form the basis of Motörhead. Whereas he spent the last few years seeing about spaced-out visions, Lemmy had something else in mind for his new outfit.
Following the lead of artists like the MC5, Lemmy wanted to create music that sounded like a freight train, putting together the classic lineup of Motörhead when working with drummer Phil Taylor and guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke. Lemmy may have looked the part as a burned-out hippy in Hawkwind, but Motörhead helped put a stake through the heart of the Love generation.
