Lemmy and Motörhead changed everything. My own first experience of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band ever was in 1979 when the video for Bomber was first aired on British TV, and it was, and still is, life-defining.
Motörhead gave us something to believe in. They transcended not just heavy rock but music itself, and one of my favourite stories from the many that have emerged is from former England football star Stuart Pearce, whose love of heavy music is well known.
He told a nice story on talkSPORT radio about when The Stranglers were playing with Motörhead, and he popped backstage to say hello to them. On the way out of the backstage area he passed by Motörhead’s dressing room and had a quick look in. “It was like Beelzebub’s backyard,” said the former Manchester City manager. He described the decision to walk past the carnage as a “career-defining moment” as he pondered how his life could have been altered if he had entered the lion’s den.
But Lemmy and Motörhead were about much more than the well-documented hedonistic lifestyle, and their music and lyrics are a legacy that will probably never be bettered.
I have often wondered what life would have been like if there had never been a Motörhead. It certainly would not have been as colourful or exciting.
Steve Göldby. 30 December 2015.
