Lemmy

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.

In the past two years, two great rock documentaries were made about the groups Anvil and Rush. You don't even need to like those bands to love those films. Lemmy is rightfully considered a legend and this documentary is full of accolades by metal/hard rock heroes. While it is an interesting film, I would have liked to have seen more about his childhood, what brought him to this point. I found more interesting the comments by his former band mates, and particularly Vanian and Captain Sensible from The Damned. Ozzy is here and, like Lemmy himself, is hard to understand. There needed to be more subtitles. One of the best things about this film is it shows Lemmy to be a pretty good person. Its great to be able to meet his guitarist son Paul. I think this film needed more of that, more about the man than the legend. However, if you're a Motorhead fan, my rating could be kicked up to at least 9. Rock needed Lemmy and he has delivered for decades. Its a fitting tribute, not as good as it could have been, but I'm glad it was made. I recommend it to non metal fans, so you can meet a true legend.

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.

I managed to see this at the local cinema last night, the Riverview special late night showing, and it was a joy. It was a wonderful film and to watch it with a like minded audience enriched the experience.

The film is well shot, well edited and has great access to a wide range of people from Lemmy's past, and people who have been inspired by him. All the interviews seemed to give the same image of the man, which is one of the main points about him; he lives the life he wants, accepting the consequences and living an authentic life. The film is surprisingly funny and moving, and although he lives a life very different to most people I think it is quite life affirming. The film has a fantastic cast, well interviewed, some good shots of his music (but not so much that it would alienate people who are not into heavy rock'n'roll) some careful editing to give coherence, judicious use of slow-mo and worthwhile clips after the titles. I was smiling for most of this movie, which I did not expect.

This movie deserves the accolades heaped on it. It is an excellently made movie about a very interesting subject. I would love to see the team do another movie, or biographical movie, as their style here made what could have been a humdrum run through of one unusual lifestyle a wonderfully entertaining, informative and interesting film.