Lemmy

Directed by Greg Oliver and Wes Orshoski...the documentary/biography of Motorhead founder, vocalist, and bassist Lemmy Kilmister is mesmerizing.  The first time I caught the film was on VH1 classic and unfortunately it was about half over.   I found myself immediately riveted and dying for more.  The next night they re-aired it, and  this time around I made sure to catch it from the beginning....and I am very glad I did.

Lemmy Kilmister the man the myth...you've seen him, you've probably been both impressed and amused by his primitive punk rock, meets ultimate metal incarnate, with a dash of some other worldly ooze (probably a thick mixture of Jack Daniels, cigarette smoke, and some sort of meth amphetamine elixir)   With cameos and interviews from a wide range of musicians that range from Slash, to Steve Vai, Jason Everman (Soundgarden and Nirvana bassist) Dave Grohl, Alice Cooper, Metallica, Billy Bob Thorton, Triple H, Ozzy Osbourne, Joan Jett and more...

It's really an amazing story...from his early days in London playing with the Vickers, to being a roadie for Jimi Hendrix, his time in the epic psychedelic concept band Hawkwind, . We are taken on an incredible journey of hard rocking, hard partying, womanizing, drugs,and great, great HEAVY Rock and Roll.  Lots of amazing live clips with Motorhead throughout the years (as well as interviews with original members Mikkey Dee and Phil Campbell) to rehearsing Run Rudolph Run with Dave Grohl, live footage of his side band "The Head Cat" with Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats) and Danny B Harvey...to playing a huge arena with Metallica and completely shredding a great live version of  "damage case."  Lemmy's BRUTAL vocals on the live track (and I mean that in the best possible way) make James Hetfield sound like a high pitched kid trying to learn to roar like a man.  There's some fantastic interviews with Lemmy and his son in his very modest (but stuffed to the brim) apartment off the Sunset strip, a glimpse at his enormous World War 2 Nazi military collection, and a lot of personal and candid interviews as well as private moments with the man himself and his road crew of some 35 years...

You can't help but love Lemmy after seeing this...he's an original, hard rocking and living, sensitive man with a persona as big as the gods themselves...the amount of love and respect his peers pay to him will blow you away as will this amazingly solid and enjoyable film. There's a great moment where Ozzy recalls singing Mama I'm Coming Home live (which Lemmy wrote for Ozzy) and how incredible it is that someone could write a track that connects so deeply with him and his own life; looking from the outside in/  The polarity of Lemmy's personality is as complex as any great artist or performer this century has ever seen.

If you are a fan of music, a fan of rock and roll, or fan of documentaries...this one will not disappoint  The only thing this DVD was missing was, it should have come with a bottle of Jack Daniels and some cigarettes.

8.5 out of 10 

Lemmy Movie Official Site

Do Not Miss This Film!

 ace of spades live
damage case with Metallica live

(written by boyinblack80)