Lemmy

Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy, was an English musician who was the founder, lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter of the rock band Motörhead, of which he was the only continuous member.

• We wanna be like Status Quo and go on forever. Chuck Berry never changed. Little Richard never changed. I’d rather be like that and stick to a formula we’re happy with.

• You can’t keep guys faithful. If people want to get married and then run around, I think that’s dishonest. If you’re going to get married, get fucking married and that’s it. I never saw a chick that could stop me looking at all the others, so I didn’t.

• If you can give the kids a good time then that’s all it’s for. Forget art and all that – that’s bullshit. If you can send that shiver down a kid’s back then that’s what it’s all about. All else is bullshit.

• You can't have everything, can you? Where would you put it?
• (when asked if he has any regrets) None. Life's too short.

• In your twenties, you think you are immortal. In your thirties, you hope you are immortal. In your forties, you just pray it doesn’t hurt too much, and by the time you reach my age, you become convinced that, well, it could be just around the corner.

• Apparently people don't like the truth, but I do like it; I like it because it upsets a lot of people.

• Motörhead is nothing if not democratic, but I don't think it's fair to be waving your dick around when people are minding their own business and might not want to see it.

• As the decades passed, everyone knew Lemmy from Motorhead wouldn’t really live forever. It was inevitable that the legendary rocker’s hedonistic lifestyle would catch up with him. It seemed more and more imminent as his health problem affected the touring schedule of the band especially in the last few years of his life. However, we had all hoped he would at least outlive Keith Richards. Though many might argue it was sad to see the mighty Lemmy in such a frail state towards the end of his life, the contrary can also be said. How amazing was it that a man in his late 60s lived to his last months literally partying, meeting women all over the world, gambling and playing rock music to tons of fans? Lemmy lived his life as his own, to his last days, and never regretted a thing. He was lucky in the sense that most people would have dropped dead 20 years before him with the amount of meth cigarettes and Jack Daniels he consumed. But the point was that Lemmy was a bad motherfucker till the end. He was one of rock’s most respected party animals and talented bass players. Motorhead will without a doubt continue to inspire generations of rockers to come, ensuring that Lemmy’s musical legacy will never die.
  • Alex Distefano of OC Weekly (May 11, 2017) [1]

With Lemmy, it was always more about the man than the musician. And that should not be considered a slight on his professional work. One of the true characters in all of heavy metal, Lemmy was the driving force behind Motorhead, which had a major influence on the likes of Metallica and Slayer. While his image as a chain-smoking, joke-telling, foul-mouthed living-life-my-way persona made him a star, Lemmy's bass playing was nothing to cast off. He infused high-powered distortion to his bass and had just as many amps on stage as Motorhead's guitarist.

• • Jeff Mezydlo of Yardbarker (February 2025) [2]

• https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/dec/29/lemmy-a-life-in-quotes
• https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-tao-of-lemmy-18-great-quotes-from-the-motorhead-frontman-58704/
• https://www.radiox.co.uk/features/lemmys-greatest-words-of-wisdom/

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Lemmy