Long Live Lemmy

For someone who’s been listening to Motörhead for about 15 years, I don’t really have many great Motörhead stories. I’d only seen them live once, at the large, and completely un-intimate, setting of the Aragon Ballroom. I won’t forget it though. February 2012, an (unsurprisingly) snowy night in Chicago. I remember the treacherous drive downtown and the difficulty finding a parking spot and the long walk in the snow to the show. I remember the commotion of thousands of metalheads converging in one spot. I remember the sheer number of Motörhead t-shirts being worn. I remember the extreme volume of their set, one of the loudest shows I’d ever been to where I wasn’t within ten feet of the speakers. I remember how their set completely blew away that of Megadeth’s, whose own, admittedly still very good set, followed Motörhead’s. I remember how their set brought in more crowd participation than Megadeth; everyone was simply enjoying themselves and that set. And I will never forget every single human in attendance that night screaming at the top of their lungs: “You know I’m born to lose / but gambling’s for fools / but’s that’s the way I like it, baby / I don’t wanna to live forever!”

Lemmy was a legend. Hell, you don’t even need to use a last name to know exactly who we’re talking about (Kilmister if you really need it). There was only one Lemmy, and there will only ever be one Lemmy. He was a roadie for Jimi Hendrix and played in the psychedelic band Hawkwind, before forming Motörhead in 1975. The past 40 years it has been a world with Motörhead. Think about how many things have changed in those years. The laptop I’m typing this on didn’t exist yet. There have been over 25 new countries in the world since that time. It also has been a world in which, on average, there’s a new Motörhead record every other year. That’s beyond a prodigious output. That’s a part of the legend. As recently as August there was a new Motörhead record, the very solid Bad Magic. Yeah, everybody knows “Ace of Spades.” But think of some of the other greats: “Bomber,” “Overkill,” “Killed by Death,” “Damage Case” “(We Are) The Road Crew,” “Iron Fist,” “Stay Clean,” “The Chase is Better Than the Catch,” “Going to Brazil,” “Iron Horse/Born to Lose.”

Even with all of his health issues the past few years, it always seemed like Lemmy would somehow come out on top. If anyone could live forever, it was Lemmy. That’s what everyone’s been saying. In a metaphoric sense, he is living forever. There is no forgetting a character like Lemmy. There is no forgetting music as fucking awesome as Motörhead. His death reminds us how much he accomplished. He had a life any one of us would love to have and it seemed like he loved it too. He gave it his all up to the very end, at 70 years old. The last Motörhead show took place December 11th, in Berlin. Head over here to watch some videos of that performance.

Long live Lemmy. What a wonder you brought to this world. Thank you. Now it’s time to celebrate your life. Neither you nor your music will ever be forgotten. And now we’re the one to sing the blues.

And don’t forget the joker.