ARTICLE AND PHOTO BY TONY MOLINA
Songs have been sung throughout time proudly proclaiming to die by what one loves to do. Many have sung this now famous verse, but few—very few—ever lived this lyrical verse proudly. It takes another kind of spirit to breathe in that very verse. Lemmy wore that uniform and breathed that air. He sung that verse from his day one. With honor he wore and earned those military stripes he adorned himself with. Lemmy used that last enduring spirit of life to tour.
If Lemmy could stand, he was onstage, giving the audience hell. Berlin got to see his last fading spirit only 20 days before his death. Yes, Lemmy sung to the very end. His song was about living his way, all the way it can go. Several years had passed signaling for Lemmy to let off the speed pedal, or stop the life, a life on fire. He was a pillar, the rock of the music world. How could he turn off the engine when he still lights up and guns thousands of adoring followers? The masses loved him. He was the leader, the living god, and it was never about questioning forever for Lemmy.
He didn’t invent the rock genre, but Lemmy gave it abandon, thrash, and a beautiful electric horror. Ask Metallica, Slayer, Rammstein, Anthrax, or Guns N Roses where they heard their inspiration to go tough. It wasn’t the Beatles; it was Motorhead. It was Lemmy. Lemmy made it sound like rapid fire all the way to the ground. And he lived that way through it all. He spawned a movement, the life, the way. His sound had a rebirth. He was the messenger. He brought it to us.
We were lucky; our L.A. town, he called his own. He loved it here and died here. He had lots of friends here, and everyone seems to have a story that was memorable and important because it was a highlight in their life. An originator, a musical warrior, or even if you think of him as a walking human drug experiment, Lemmy was the one and only. Maybe it’s impossible to see another to follow, live, and shine in the steps Lemmy walked. Legacies are harder to create now, especially when everyone is following his. Legacy means more than a creation. Legacy is a true spirit, one that is followed and respected. It’s hard to earn these days. It’s hard to live, actually. If you knew Lemmy, this adoration, respect, and honor for him would be a laugh of hysteric ridicule in your face by him. His unforgettable appearance will be missed—that biker, German SS, rockabilly vibe. A bad guy, a real-life character too cool for the room whose image was godlike. He was a representing face for rock music. But Lemmy’s reaction to it all was simple: “I’ve always liked a good uniform. And throughout history, it’s always been the bad guy who dressed the best.”
The music, the life is now a celebration of only memory. But Lemmy, to us, goes onward to the gods.
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