Lemmy

I got to see "Lemmy" last night at the Fantasia Film Festival and I loved it. Every second of it. I mean, I've been a Motorhead fan for over two decades now and always liked Lemmy, but after watching this film and having the chance to see the man in his natural habitat and all that, I love the guy a thousand fold more (no, not sexually). He is Rock n' roll.

We had the two film makers do a Q&A afterwards, too, and the stories we heard we're just as funny. Zakk Wylde getting so drunk that his interview was a complete waste of time... stuff like that hopefully will make the DVD extras set once it gets released. (Which they said themselves should be out just before Christmas 2010 in North America, by the way!!)

The near sold-out crowd was loud and laughed and cheered throughout... except when they booed the likes of Lars Ulrich and co., haha! Anyway... just go see the bloody film, OK?

Being as I was a part of the London metal community in the seventies and eighties, a Hawkwind fan in my youth (saw them a few times in '72 and '73) and a Motorhead fan right from the beginning (I managed to catch their first few live shows in 1975 or whenever), I was, I guess, right at the front of this movie's core audience. Not even I, though, could have hoped for a more complete and more satisfying experience as the movie turned out to be!

Having had the privilege of spending time with the great man himself on a number of joyous occasions, I can happily report to any interested parties that 'Lemmy' is as honest a portrayal of the man as you could possibly hope for. He is exactly as this movie shows him to be, and that alone is enough reason for anybody - metal head or not! - to make the effort to see it. There is - and there will only ever be! - one Lemmy. Thank god (or maybe the other fella..?) that somebody had the balls to make this movie so that we may all cherish it in the years to come.

"Lemmy" (sub-title: "49% mother@#$%er, 51% son-of-a-@#$%") is an engrossing documentary about the life and times of Motorhead bassist/frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, one of the more unique figures in rock and roll. His band, of course, is legendary, and till now Lemmy has been a rather mysterious figure. He has never been one to seek the spotlight or grab tabloid headlines, and seems content to simply do what he does and remain "under the radar" to everyone but his devoted fan base.

The film follows Lemmy around during his day-to-day life (recording sessions for Motorhead's 2007 "MOTORIZER" album, gigs with his '50s/rockabilly side band The Head Cat, appearing on the "Loveline" radio show, and holding down his customary bar stool at Hollywood's Rainbow Bar & Grill) while an extensive parade of rock and showbiz royalty (including such luminaries as Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue, Slash and Duff of Guns N Roses, Henry Rollins, Scott Ian of Anthrax, all of the members of Metallica, actor Billy Bob Thornton, tattoo artist Kat Von D, and Marky Ramone, just to name a few) all confirm what most of us knew already: that Lemmy is one of the coolest, most bad-ass rock & roll mo-fo's ever to walk on God's green Earth. Interviews with the man himself reveal him to be a man with rock 'n' roll encoded in his DNA. This is a guy who saw the Beatles live in Liverpool before they even had a record out, who roadied for Jimi Hendrix, and made his mark in the legendary space-rock band Hawkwind before going on to infect the world with Motorhead. Underneath all that, though,he's a pretty simple guy who lives alone in a small Hollywood apartment, doesn't put on airs and doesn't put himself on a pedestal. His vibe seems to be, more or less, "this is me, this is what I do, if you like it, fine...if not, go to hell." A mix of current and vintage Motorhead concert clips keep the volume level up and prove that even after nearly 35 years, Motorhead remain a force to be reckoned with in the live arena. He's a true national treasure.

Even if you're not a Motorhead fan (and if you're not, shame on you!) "Lemmy" is a fast, funny, and totally entertaining profile of a man who's definitely a true original.

Before I start I better confess right away that I am a huge admirer of Mr Kilmister, his music has branded me since I was a kid, his legacy is present everywhere around the modern Rock scene.

This is exactly with what this film starts and where the excitement may take its path, BUT, I'm not reviewing Lemmy as a person but a film portraying a human being. After the first 15 minutes I was in mood, I was hungry to know more about someone that inspired millions of people. But the more the film moves on the more it becomes clear that the people who made this film are obviously die hard fans. This is not a bad thing, but unfortunately it leads to this impression of "Hey, didn't I just hear that same statement out of another mouth with other words about 5 minutes ago?" - The news factor decreases steadily and the repetition factor grows with every minute of this documentary.

After about an hour I was a little skeptical on how this film is supposed to end. Yes, it's nice to see him meet, talk (about), perform and socialize with lots of other giants of the Rock industry - but even that becomes a little repetitive as this documentary continues. I thought "Ok, I got it, this guy is god, stop reminding me!" - In fact it's Lemmy himself who "downs" most of those glorifying statements with really grounded responses that reflect the wisdom that he has gathered during the years of his stunning career.

Long story short: Lemmy Kilmister is not just an amazing musician, he's a great person too. But it doesn't take 116 minutes to make that clear. Lemmy is simple, maybe that's what makes him so great, but this film tries to stretch that over almost two hours and to be honest, this becomes quite boring.

Why 7 out of 10? Because "Lemmy" has its/his moments for sure. The most interesting thing about it is the fact that as a viewer you don't start distancing yourself from Lemmy but rather coming closer to him in a very natural way. If that is what the makers intended -> applause! Still I believe that 70 minutes would have done that too.

First off I have been a Motorhead fan since the early '80's. I remember when this band was completely underground, playing gigs in the U.S. in places as small as the Rainbow Bar and Grill in which Lemmy spends a lot of time to this day. Anyways, Lemmy has always been kind of a caricature of himself, or a bit larger than life even before Motorhead became more mainstream in U.S. culture. I say this because he has always been an odd combination of being raucous, gracious, a hell raiser, and kind of a normal person who happens to get on stage in front of thousand of people 9 months out of the year. All without ever bending his morals, beliefs, or way of doing things.

As far as the movie is concerned it is a very interesting look at the reality of the "rock and roll" lifestyle, it's ups and downs. The film is put together a little odd, with interviews and footage from past and present being intermixed throughout. Entire concert footage clips may not appeal to those who are not Motorhead fans, (let's face it, they are an acquired taste) but the subject matter which is LEMMY will be interesting to anyone who likes rock, or metal because it is an honest and intimate look at one person who has pretty much seen it all and done it all at every level of the music and entertainment business. What we learn is that there is at least one person on this earth who truly does not care what you as a person or a viewer think about him, but if you treat him with respect he will gladly reciprocate with an honest and no b.s. style which one rarely sees from people who are in the publics eye.