Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister is somewhat of a saint in the world of hard and heavy music. His distinct look paired with his truly one-of-a-kind voice and quick bass guitar skills made him one of the ‘70s most recognizable lead singers when Motörhead took the Roundhouse stage in England on July 20, 1975 for its first ever show. Only audio recordings exist of the group’s foundational live performance, but photos, videos and off-camera recordings play a huge role in remembering Kilmister’s glory and impact on music history.
Since then, it has been abundantly clear Kilmister’s influence on the often overlapping genres of punk, metal and rock, was and still is, immense. If not for Kilmister’s tough, whiskey-gargling rasp and distorted bass playing, the genres Motörhead’s fans associate the band with would not spill into each other.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, metalheads and punks were two very separate groups. This is still relatively true today; punk fashion and metalhead fashion are distinguishable, and some punk fans refuse to call themselves metal fans and vice versa. This division was especially true in the fledgeling stages of both genres. Looking through vintage photos of punk shows reveal very few stereotypical metalheads, while the difficulty in finding old metal photos highlights the difference in the fanbases’ respective cultures.
This all changed forever when Lemmy Kilmister’s Motörhead exploded with visceral passion onto the scene. After getting fired from his original group Hawkwind (which would eventually fade into obscurity for the most part), Kilmister created a trio of players with himself at the center. The immediate response to the group’s first four albums, all released between 1977-80, propelled Motörhead to festival headliner status.
Motörhead concert photos, both the most recent from the band’s last two shows Dec. 9 and 11, 2015, and the oldest from the mid-to-late 1970s, are usually of Kilmister. The crowd photos that do exist show a chaotic union of punks and metalheads in the same dimly-lit venues.
The collage of styles and signs is a testament to Kilmister’s ability to cross genres, something known both at his peak of popularity and in his later years. This ethos of genre-crossing is only bolstered by the eclectic friendships he made throughout his career.
Kilmister has been photographed with punk legends such as Debbie Harry, and Motörhead performed a cover of country darling Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man” with Wendy O. Williams, one of the mothers of punk and the Plasmatics frontwoman. On the other end of his genre-blending, he was a frequent collaborator and friend of Ozzy Osbourne, and has performed on stage with Metallica, Slayer and Iron Maiden.
Fans recurrently participate in a debate about Motörhead's true home genre. Many claim the punk thesis central to the band’s existence and Kilmister’s antics are the reality of the situation, while metalheads cite the ever-growing list of bands who claim Motörhead as a central influence. Indeed, without Motörhead metal listeners wouldn’t have thrash or speed metal; however, those are the most punk-esque genres of metal.
Discourse around Motörhead’s genre will likely rage on for as long as people are listening to the band’s music. But Kilmister repetitively told people the truth of his band’s genre. In interviews, on stage and in songs, Kilmister insisted Motörhead was a rock ‘n’ roll band at its core. He frequently emphasized Little Richard was his primary influence and avoided associating his music with anything other than rock.
Kilmister’s insistence on rock ‘n’ roll is apparent in photos as well; he took the stage in his signature hats and scraggly hair, clad in denim or a black button-up. He performed with the gusto of rock stars past and was putting everything he had into his live shows up until his death Dec. 28, 2015. There is no better way than to remember Kilmister as a rock god who was paramount in influence. To do so, turn to the pictures of him on stage with Motörhead, and imagine looking at the crowd of two competing groups united in front of one stage.
Jackson McCoy is a sophomore studying journalism and environmental studies at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to share your thoughts? Let Jackson know by emailing or tweeting him at jm049122@ohio.edu or @_jackson_mccoy_.
