Why Lemmy Kilmister said Radiohead are “not rock and roll”
The late Lemmy Kilmister was one of the most distinctive figures in rock music. Embodying the genre’s essence, this towering speed metal pioneer enjoyed a fascinating career. It saw him be a roadie for Jimi Hendrix, push space rock with Hawkwind, and then affirm his place as one of the true greats with Motörhead.
Given his close relationship to the development of modern rock music and the fact he had rubbed shoulders with some of the best to do it, Lemmy was more than in his right to give his opinions on the state of the contemporary arts. In fact, he was such a momentous figure that even Slash, the lead guitarist of Guns N’ Roses, admitted he found the Motörhead leader “intimidating“.
When speaking to Stay Thirsty Media, Lemmy was asked whether he felt that rock ‘n’ roll was starting to redeem itself after a period on the countercultural backburner. Lemmy maintained that whilst the genre is impossible to kill, two of the most prominent contemporary groups, Coldplay and Radiohead, were certainly not “rock bands” in his eyes.
He said: “Rock n’ roll always comes back, you know. There’s no fighting it. And these people think they can kill rock n’ roll, they might as well try and stop the flood, you know. There’s no way. It always comes back because there’s always people who want to hear loud, raucous music, you know.”
Lemmy then said that all the “shit” that magazines push is not exciting. He used Coldplay and Radiohead as examples. The Motörhead man asserted that he knew good rock music when he heard it and, in a comedic, almost petulant qualifier, declared that this was because he’d been listening to it since he was 12.
Lemmy said: “It’s exciting, you know. And all the shit that these magazines like is not exciting. Like, Jesus, Radiohead, you know. Fuck me, you know. Coldplay. Jesus. These are not rock bands. These are sub-emo, you know.”
He concluded: “I mean, they did some good stuff. Fair enough. But it’s not rock ‘n’ roll. I know fucking rock ‘n’ roll when I hear it. I’ve been listening to it since I was 12, you know? So fuck off!”
When speaking to Consequence not long before his death in 2015, the topic of Radiohead was broached once again, and this time, the Motörhead man was less diplomatic than he had been five years earlier. When the interviewer used the Oxford quintet as an example of a band that has modified their sound with each album, Lemmy opined: “And they’re not very good”. Asked if he liked them, he said simply: “No”.
