Which artist did Tony Iommi call the epitome of rock?
There are many definitions for what constitutes a rock star. Some may think it’s the stoic badasses with guitars in their hand who carry themselves like a gunslinger, but more often than not, the superstar frontman is the one soaking in all the attention and making sure that everyone is having an amazing time the minute they get onstage. While Tony Iommi definitely falls into the former category, he knows that there is a lot more excess involved in someone wanting to be one of the biggest names in the genre.
Suffice to say, rock and roll music has never been the healthiest occupation for someone to take up, and if they are getting used to a life on the road, many artists do whatever they can to numb themselves to playing every night. And when it came to Black Sabbath’s first run, it’s not like they were exactly known for keeping their noses clean whenever they got off the stage every night.
Master of Reality and Vol 4 were both seen as odes to both weed and cocaine, respectively, but there came a point where the band could no longer function in that state. Iommi eventually came roaring back to life on albums like Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, but looking at the latter half of the 1970s, it was clear that the band weren’t on the same creative page as Ozzy Osbourne, more likely due to how blitzed all of them were on substances whenever they played.
Then again, there were some people who could carry themselves socially and still be the booze-swigging rock and roller. There are still theories that Keith Richards has some strange reptilian blood that’s been keeping him alive all these years, but when looking at all of his contemporaries, Iommi felt that nothing compared to what Lemmy could do whenever he took Motörhead out on the road.
From day one, the frontman took no prisoners, and Iommi felt that was all the public was asking for, saying, “He was the epitome of rock and roll. He was the one who would burn the candle at both ends all the time, but at some point you’ve got to look at it and say, ‘I can’t do that any more.’” But that kind of foresight would involve restraint, and that wasn’t what Lemmy signed up for.
He first started to get into the industry to meet women, and when he finally started making real money on the road, he wasn’t about to buy a lavish apartment. That was reserved for the billionaires of the world, and until the day he died, the frontman saw no point in moving out of his tiny apartment, since it was only a few blocks down the road from the Rainbow Bar and Grille.
But beyond his drinking and drugging, Lemmy’s rock and roll spirit came from the fact that he had always been a fan of rock music and the art of songwriting. He always wanted to top himself on his own albums and even made a few appearances writing with Osbourne, but nothing ever beat the jolt that he got throwing on Little Richard tunes or talking about the influence that The Beatles had on him when he was a kid.
So, despite Iommi calling Lemmy a rock god for his massive drug intake, the real lesson that the bassist taught everyone was to never fall out of love with the music. It might seem like a slog from time to time, but if you can’t appreciate a life of playing music for people, then you’re in the wrong business.
