Motörhead’s bassist Lemmy Kilmister won’t touch a needle, but that may be his only taboo. In his still-active 64 years of age, Lemmy has outdrank, outsmoked, and outfucked anyone. Keith Richards has nothing on the guy. Diabetes is not going to stop him, and “I’m too old to find God,” he says in this killer of a documentary, which premiered last year at South by Southwest in Austin.
As the movie’s tagline accurately puts it, Lemmy is “49% Motherf**ker, 51% Son of a Bitch.” While he says he doesn’t want to advertise his destructive lifestyle — one that “killed a lot of my friends” — his son confides how Lemmy once advised him to never do coke because “speed is much better for you.”
He virtually owns a stool at the Rainbow on the Sunset Strip (a popular hang out for famous rockers), where he is always ready to talk to fans and take pictures with them. He also shows off all kinds of war memorabilia he collects, including swastikas, swords, Nazi helmets, and even a framed pic of the H-man himself, all of which he openly displays at home. But he ain’t no Nazi, because “I’ve done black girls.” Which would make him a lousy Nazi. Shoot me, but I believe him; Lemmy ain’t no Nazi.
Lemmy the movie is much more than the tough guy image, the drugs, and the Führer. This is a dynamite, riotously funny film about a man who knows exactly what music is all about. Lemmy is, above all, a music lover and an example for all those myopic fans who won’t listen to anything outside their particular genre. Lemmy knows better. Best band of all time? The Beatles. Best rock singer? Little Richard. Best harmonies? “The country chicks.”
And, of course, there’s the music itself. The filmmakers followed Lemmy for three years at home, at the Rainbow, at the studio, and on tour, capturing an edge-of-your-seat rendition of “Damage Case” with Metallica and a brief jaw-dropping demo of his bass playing. No, he doesn’t “play guitar” with the bass, but no one plays bass like Lemmy.
Read our interview with Slash, who hasn't seen the film yet, but comments on the man himself.
Remember: this is a one night only event. The DVD of the movie (a two-disc set with four hours of extra features) comes out February 15, but the man behind arguably the world’s loudest rock ’n’ roll band deserves to be seen — and heard — in front of a big screen.
ONE NIGHT ONLY
7pm & 10pm, Jan 26
Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes
1255 SW Loop 410
(210) 677-8500
