Lemmy Kilmister of M\u00f6t\u00f6rhead dead at 70.<\/p>\n
Lemmy was lead vocalist, bassist, principal songwriter and the founding, and the only constant member of Mot\u00f6rhead since the band\u2019s formation in 1975. To date, Mot\u00f6rhead have released twenty studio albums and achieved 30 million in sales worldwide. Their last record, Bad\u00a0Magic<\/a><\/em>, was released in August 2015.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Over forty years, Kilmister was simultaneously one of the g\u00f6dfathers of speed met\u00e4l and p\u00fcnk.<\/p>\n
Mot\u00f6rhead saw far more commercial success in the UK, though they achieved a cult status\u00a0in the US. Their ferocious hard-rock style rejuvenated the metal genre in the late 1970s and inspired everyone from Metallica to Guns N\u2019 Roses to Dave Grohl. Albums such as Ace of Spades<\/em>, Orgasmatron<\/em>, and Rock N\u2019 Roll<\/em> were critically lauded, though ironically the band\u2019s only Grammy Award came via a cover of Metallica\u2019s \u201cWhiplash\u201d, which they recorded for a tribute CD.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
They were cult figures in the US – but I remember going to Europe in 1983. \u00a0And while that was a great year for a\u00a0lot\u00a0<\/em>of bands – U2, Little Steven, Duran Duran, Madness, Big Country and many others – what band did I see in the most graffiti, all over Europe, from Scotland to Switzerland?<\/p>\n
Yep. \u00a0M\u00f6t\u00f6rhead<\/em>.<\/p>\n
Kilmister bragged of drinking a bottle of whiskey a day for the past forty years, and was a vocal advocate of amphetamines. \u00a0As such, he makes Keith Richard look like Pat Boone.<\/p>\n
And that’s the real kick in the teeth. \u00a0Rock stars – in the romance of the genre – aren’t\u00a0supposed\u00a0<\/em>to die of cancer at 70. \u00a0They’re supposed to go out in a blaze of alcohol-and-drug-fueled glory at 29.<\/p>\n
We’ll always have “Ace of Spades”.<\/p>\n