- Lemmy
As Motorhead marks its 35th Anniversary with another tour and new album, “The World Is Yours,” Lemmy continues to be a rock n roll legend in his own time.
"All kinds of things about me are legendary, not just the excesses," Lemmy tells The Sun. "And, for me, they're not excesses anyway. What you do every day is normal, right?"
Suspicious of The Sun’s tabloid ways and motives, Lemmy challenges his interviewer: "It's going to be all about my bad habits, is it?" he snarls. "Who cares if I drink? So what? 'This guy's a hopeless boozer. He should be in rehab.'”
In the blink of an eye, the Motorhead frontman turns all business: "Let's do something about the album, or I'm out the door."
(Ed. note: the interview took place at London strip club Stringfellows, so I wonder if he really would have headed straight to the door.)
There’s a reason why Lemmy wants to focus on the business at hand, and not his habits. “I'm not going to promote it as a lifestyle. I don't want some kids dying because they drunk because of me,” he says. "If you say this guy drinks like a fish after 35 years in Motörhead, they'll think, 'Oh, I can do that too.'"
Just as a leopard can’t change its spots, Lemmy will always be true to himself. "This voice does good on cigarettes," he says. "That's part of the training. I have to keep smoking. If I stopped smoking, my voice would suffer. I couldn't possibly do my job if I didn't smoke and drink."
Back to Motorhead.
"I ain't doing music for you guys - I'm doing it for me," Lemmy says. "If we like it, you'll hear it. If you like it as well, that's really good. But if you don't, I couldn't give a f***.”
“You can't listen to what the record company wants you to do because they don't know s*** about it. All they sell is cans of beans,” he continues. “When we signed with Sony, all these motherf****** came down with their wives and kids for a visit while we were working. I said, 'F*** you, I don't come in and type on your typewriters all day, do I? F*** off.'"
There’s more, including Lemmy’s womanizing ways; check out The Sun here.
Motorhead are currently on the road across the U.K. “The World Is Yours” is set for release January 17, 2011. Fans can get the album before Christmas (or FOR Christmas), as it will be included in a “Classic Rock Presents Motorhead” special edition, due December 14, following the band’s U.K. tour.
Motorhead – Ace Of Spades (blues version) (2010)
Motorhead – Whorehouse Blues (2004)
