The story behind the iconic Motörhead mascot, Snaggletooth
Since 1975, the music crafted by rock metal group Motörhead has undeniably hit as hard as a ram, but it’s always had a sharp-toothed, menacing partner without whom their unapologetic, rebellious creed would lose its edge. Emerging in various wicked and malevolent forms over the years, gracing album covers, merchandise, and beyond, Snaggletooth has evolved into a distinct entity. It transcends mere symbolism; it’s a living embodiment.
Also referred to as a war-pig, Snaggletooth was first conjured up within the mind of artist Joe Petagno after grasping some concept ideas based on the requests of Lemmy Kilmister. After the band’s manager contacted Petagno to design their logo, Kilmister requested a visual that would adequately represent his new, noisy sound.
“I told him I wanted something between a rusty, decaying robot, and a knight-errant with armour,” Kilmister said in 2002. “And he came back with the face with the horns on the head, with the chains between them. It looked really soppy, you know. So I said, ‘Why don’t we put the horns in the mouth?’ And we’ve never changed it, although he’s done a lot of good variations on it for different album covers.”
With a vague brief that required him to come up with something that reflected Motörhead’s boundless and unforgiving sonic style, Petagno had the creative license to explore various avenues. In 2016, he recalled the story of coming up with the idea of the animal skull, explaining: “On the way home, I stopped off at the library in Chelmsford. Taking my cue from outlaw biker patches, I was looking for skulls and bones when I inadvertently came across a book of animal skulls, then it hit me: an animal skull would work better than a human skull.”
Then, he took it further by creating a new breed of animal entirely, much like what Motörhead became. “When I got home and began sketching,” he continued, “I thought, why not invent a new skull, a hybrid? I started playing around with mix-and-match sketches dog – lion, wolf and so on. In the end, I settled on a dog or wolf and gorilla cranium and gave it over-sized wild boar teeth. I hung a chain from the horns left to right under it and a small human skull to designate size, adorned it with an iron cross as a sign of bravery and then topped it off with a few spikes.”
Happy with the invention, the band debuted the logo on their self-titled 1977 album. “It was the ultimate anti-everything symbol,” Petagno said. Symbolically, it serves as the quintessential embodiment of the band’s founding principles and convictions. A potent, gritty, and ear-splitting fusion of punk and blues, both genres born from dissent and rebellion, encapsulated a band boldly advocating for their beliefs and, in the process, delivering a deafening experience.
What Lemmy had envisioned was akin to a biker patch, something to be stitched onto the back of denim jackets as a symbol of kindred spirits. A true emblem that showcased Motörhead’s unique penchant for innovating speed and thrash metal. “Snaggletooth and the imagery that surrounds him is just as important to the band’s legacy as the music itself,” Petagno concludes, adding: “Much like what we see with Iron Maiden’s Eddie and Megadeth’s Rattlehead. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Snaggletooth will no doubt outlive the music by millennia. It doesn’t take much fantasy to imagine groups of militant malcontents years in the future waving their Snag Banners high.”
