I am of course talking about Ian Fraser Kilmister, aka Lemmy.
From the onset of the 2010s, it seemed rock & metal was entering an era where many of its leading luminaries were fading before our eyes. From the untimely passing of Ronnie James Dio in 2010, it seemed a new period was dawning, one where the leading lights who had helped make rock and metal what it is today were going to be but memories. The constants we took for granted were now falling like sand between our fingertips. Gone were the endless stops on world tours and new albums every few years; we would be now be entering an age of retrospectives and memorials.
There, however, remained a few icons who seemed immortal, for whom even the grim reaper dared not to mess with, but in December 2015 the world was reminded that no one was truly immortal, not even Lemmy.
With Phil Campbell and Mikky Dee recognising that there could be no Motörhead without Lemmy, the book closed on a career that helped shape the world of rock & metal in ways. Not only did Lemmy contribute to some of the stalwart classics in the genres of rock & metal, he damned convention and helped break down many barriers that had seemed permanent and "just the way things are done". Be it championing women in rock & metal, from taking a nascent all-female metal band in Girlschool out on tour back when women in rock bands were a rarity and collaborating with Wendy O Williams because he wanted to, all the way through to his unconventional approach to bass guitar: these are just some ways Lemmy influenced change, not for some grandiose gesture, merely because he thought it right.
One only need to read or watch the countless interviews Lemmy gave over the years to see that this was a man who was unafraid to speak his mind, be it offering his thoughts on the then-omnipresent glam metal scene in The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, his musings on politics (what I would give to hear his thoughts on the intervening ten years), to his now-infamous MTV interview offering advice to a young, single pregnant woman who had run away from home.
They say a person can be judged by the company he keeps, and judging by the vast array of musicians who have cited themselves as fans and influenced by his work, to calling themselves friends of the man, it's clear Lemmy has had a huge influence on the world of music and beyond.
Of course the man was no saint; there have been accusations and debates over the years surrounding some of his interests and comments, but when you do things your way, you are likely to cross lines along the way.
I could of course regale you all with how great Motörhead was (in fact, I already did, see Getting Into: Motörhead), but no words can replace the experience of picking up your headphones, cranking up the volume and listening to it for yourself. This is perhaps the best way to remember Lemmy and what he did best: picking up a bass guitar, turning his amp to max volume and just letting rip.
Pour one out for one of the greats, pop in your favourite Motörhead CD & turn it up.
He was Lemmy & he played rock n roll.
