One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Lemmy Of Motörhead And Rock Icon Dies At 70
Listen
2:10
Listen to the Story
ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
Fans of music that is fast and loud - really loud - have lost someone important.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ACE OF SPADES")
IAN KILMISTER: (Singing) You know I'm born to lose, and gambling's for fools. But that's the way I like it, baby. I don't want to live forever.
SIEGEL: Ian Kilmister, known as Lemmy, was the bassist, frontman and founder of the band Motorhead. He died yesterday of cancer at the age of 70. NPR's Andrew Limbong has this story.
ANDREW LIMBONG, BYLINE: Lemmy kept Motorhead alive for decades, all while keeping up with his image as a rock god, hard-drinking, drugging, smoking guy. Also, he had an appreciation for Nazi paraphernalia. Lemmy did always have a thing for theatrics. In the '60s, he played guitar for a British band called The Rockin' Vickers.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DANDY")
Sponsored message
HARRY FEENEY: (Singing) Dandy, you know you're moving much too fast.
LIMBONG: They played up the name by dressing the vicar part with black shirts and white collars. His career got louder when he picked up a base and joined the spacey rock band Hawkwind.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SILVER MACHINE")
KILMISTER: (Singing) I got a silver machine. I got a silver machine.
LIMBONG: Lemmy sang lead on this song. It's called "Silver Machine," and it became Hawkwind's biggest hit. He was kicked out of the band in 1975 for a drug possession. He liked speed, he said. That's when Motorhead started.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MOTORHEAD")
KILMISTER: (Singing) Sunrise, wrong side of another day. Sky high and 6,000 miles away.
Sponsored message
LIMBONG: Motorhead was known for blending punk and metal and wearing a lot of black. They inspired Metallica. They palled around with Slayer. You can spot Lemmy in an old Sex Pistols music video. If you were in LA there's a decent chance you would have seen him at the Rainbow Bar and Grill on the Sunset Strip. The band's official statement announcing his death said his favorite videogame from the Rainbow was taken to his house after he got really sick. He died sitting in front of it. Motorhead has 22 studio records under its belt. And Lemmy kept up the live fast, live hard image to the end. The song I'm going to go out on is the first track of the last record, which came out this year. It's called "Victory or Die," and it goes like this...
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "VICTORY OR DIE")
KILMISTER: (Singing) Victory or die.
LIMBONG: Andrew Limbong, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
