Where do I begin? Lemmy is God, that’s where. This documentary about the Motorhead front man is one of the best films about a musician I have ever seen. It simply shows Lemmy as he is, and he could care less what you think about the way he lives his life.
The film explores the life of Lemmy Kilmister, from his youth to the early days of his musical career in bands such as Hawkwind, all the way through the rise of Motorhead, to the present day. In some ways it’s your typical tale of drugs, sex, and rock ‘n roll, but Lemmy isn’t your average rock star, he is a very authentic person who does things the way he likes because he wants to, not for the sake of image. The film is really good at demonstrating how down to the earth the man is, but at the same time he exists as larger than life. He looks like the kind of guy that might kick your ass in a biker bar, but in reality he’s pretty easygoing. He likes to have some drinks and play slot machines, collect war memorabilia (you’ve got to see the scene in the film where he drives a tank), and rock people from the stage. Lemmy has a very sharp wit and says some of the most hilarious things you will ever hear within this documentary, he’s a very clever and intelligent person you can’t help but like.
Lemmy gets a lot of respect from other musicians in the film as well; artists interviewed run the gamut from Mick Jones, Dee Snider, Marky Ramone, Henry Rollins, Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Grohl, Steve Vai, Peter Hook, Metallica, Slash, Dave Navarro, and Nikki Sixx and so on. The common theme they all seem to express is how much they respect and love Lemmy as a person and as a musician. Lemmy has seen it all; in his lifetime he has seen the birth and rise of rock ‘n roll and all that came in between. He has a certain wisdom from being that guy who’s been through the maze of madness that comes with fame and fortune and the destruction of people that those things can bring. Some other good points in the film include Lemmy demonstrating just how loud he plays his bass versus other rock and roll bassists. There is even a great moment of Motorhead doing a sound check where the rest of his own band is covering their ears at how loud everything is set. Having been to a few Motorhead shows myself, I can attest to this fact, they leave you deaf for a few days afterwards.
Another thing that this film clarifies is that there is no myth with Lemmy; he is who he is, and there is no b.s. with this man at all. It’s pretty amazing to see a documentary about someone who parties hard, but seems to be in control of everything in his life. Truly Lemmy is an anomaly in so many ways, you really can’t put him in a category, and he’s a rock legend without the legend, someone who can show off, but do it naturally, like he was born to do it and nothing else. You should really check out this film even if you are not a fan of Motorhead, because the subject is utterly fascinating and entertaining. The interviews with other musicians, the live performance footage, the simple and candid moments of Lemmy just doing his thing in front of the camera, it all adds up to a warm, triumphant experience to watch. I for one can’t wait to see the extras that will be included with the DVD release of the film, I’ve heard they are excellent and totally worth it. So there you have it folks, Lemmy is just badass.
Lemmy available on DVD and Blu-Ray at all ZIA Records locations on February 15th!
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