Latest news with #Motörhead
Perth Now
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Motorhead's Lemmy tried to get Kim Wilde drunk on vodka
Motorhead frontman Lemmy once tried to get Kim Wilde drunk on vodka in his dressing room. Kim, 64, met the late heavy metal legend - who died from prostate cancer along with cardiac arrhythmia and congestive heart failure at the age of 70 in 2015 - at the start of her career and notorious boozer kept topping up her cup in a bid to get her tipsy. However, Kim's chaperone dragged her away, although the pop icon considers Lemmy to have been an "absolute sweetheart". Kim - who launched her pop career in 1981 at the age of 20 following the release of 'Kids in America' - explained to The Big Issue magazine: "I was very lucky. Both of the record companies that I worked for at the time got me travelling. "When I was travelling, that's when I needed looking after. And they were always there. So, I was, sort of, chaperoned, I would say, very wisely and with a lot of fun. "There was one time where I was in a dressing room with Lemmy from Motörhead, oh God. And he was trying to get me drunk on vodka. He poured it into a plastic cup so you couldn't see how much was in there. "My chaperone, or the lady that works at the record company, Moira, she dragged me out. "She wouldn't let me. But he was an absolute sweetheart really." Kim insists the support of the team that was around her throughout her career has put her in a "really good" place in terms of finances. The ''Never Trust a Stranger' hitmaker explained: "I'd tell my younger self you need to surround yourself as much as possible with people who you can trust. "I would say, always trust your instincts about people who you're working with, and ask lots of questions. "I was very fortunate in that I've always worked with people who I trust implicitly, and that has made a huge difference to the quality of my life, not just personally, but, you know, financially. It's given me a lot of security. "I would say that on the whole, I've had a really positive experience, and it's put me in a really good place." However, Kim - whose dad is the 50s and 60s pop legend Marty Wilde, 86 - had to deal with the "roller coaster effect" of her career, with the ups and downs causing her mental health to take a "battering" and her confidence to be "absolutely crushed". The 1983 BRIT Award-winner for British Female Solo Artist admitted: "It's been a roller coaster of a career. When things are going really well, it's really great fun, and everyone's vibing and, yeah, you get to share that. "And then, of course, as soon as that dips down, you can have some really tough times. "I really had to get used to the roller coaster effect of my career. "My mental health took a bit of a battering. Sometimes my confidence got absolutely crushed on many occasions. I really had to dig deep to rise above that and get on with life and figure out what was important for me." And Kim believes the "negative aspects" of her music career were a "great gift". She continued: "So all the chat about the negative aspects of my career now I realise was a great gift that I learned valuable lessons from."
UPI
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
Sirius XM's Ozzy's Boneyard celebrates 50 years of Motörhead
1 of 3 | Ozzy Osbourne's Sirius XM station, Ozzy's Boneyard, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of rock band Motorhead with a weekend-long special. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo May 23 (UPI) -- Ozzy Osbourne's channel on Sirius XM, Ozzy's Boneyard, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of English metal band Motörhead with a weekend-long special. Ozzy's Boneyard is airing a special starting Friday and lasting through Memorial Day weekend looking back at Motörhead's career and the life of front man Lemmy Kilmister, who died in 2015. The special includes new interviews with surviving band members Mikkey Dee and Phil Campbell, as well as plenty of Motörhead music and "maybe a surprise from Ozzy." Sirius XM is currently in the midst of a "free listening" event, allowing all enabled devices to listen to digital radio stations without a subscription through June 2. Motörhead previously announced the band's anniversary will also feature the release of The Manticore Tapes, featuring 11 unreleased recordings from the band's first studio session in 1976. The album is scheduled for release June 27.
BBC News
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Unveiling of Lemmy statue in Burslem was sea of love
The sculptor who created the statue of heavy metal legend Lemmy Kilmister has praised the hundreds of fans who turned out for its unveiling, describing the crowd as a "sea of love".The 2.25m bronze-cast statue of the Motörhead frontman was uncovered in the singer's hometown of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, during a ceremony on memorial, which stands on a plinth on Market Place, was designed by Andy Edwards to commemorate 10 years since the rocker's death and 50 years since the band was local artist told BBC Radio Stoke the event had a "festival vibe" but was more intimate. "It was just a sea of love. The atmosphere was great... everybody was lovely," he well as guest speakers, including Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell, the ceremony also saw a procession of motorbikes arrive with a portion of Lemmy's ashes, which were placed in the statue. Edwards, whose previous work includes a famous Beatles statue at Pier Head in Liverpool, said he was thinking of organising another event in Burslem in July to mark Motörhead's 50th anniversary."We need this statue in our area, we need something to bring people together and to show what kind of people we actually are," he added."I don't think it [the ceremony] can be topped, which is why we're thinking of doing it again." Bloodstock festival organiser Vicky Hungerford, who was friends with Lemmy, said she has been "on a high" since attending the event."You had to be there to appreciate how incredible the feeling, the vibe and the day was," she real name Ian Fraser Kilmister, was born in Burslem in 1945 and later lived in nearby Newcastle-under-Lyme and joined Hawkwind as a bassist and vocalist in 1971 before forming Motörhead four years band went on to release 23 studio albums in a career spanning 40 years until Lemmy's death on 28 December 2015, which came after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
San Francisco Chronicle
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
AP PHOTOS: Statue of late Motörhead frontman Lemmy unveiled in English hometown
LONDON (AP) — A decade after his death, Lemmy, the frontman of the legendary British heavy metal band Motörhead, will stand tall and proud in his hometown in the north of England. Well, his statue will. Inside the statue though will be some of Lemmy's ashes, so it will no doubt become a shrine for Motörhead's legion of fans around the world. And indeed it was on Friday, as the statue to the hard-living Lemmy — real name Ian Kilmister — was unveiled in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. Black leather and denim jackets emblazoned with Lemmy's image were the norm for the day on a bright and sunny day in the northern English town. No wonder, many fans opted for a thirst-quencher at the local pub. There were even some Lemmy lookalikes. Lemmy was the only continuous member of Motörhead, which he co-founded in 1975 after he was fired from another legendary rock band, Hawkwind, following a drug possession arrest at the Canadian border. So he decided to go his own way and Motörhead helped pioneer heavy metal music in Britain — and around the world — with a string of high-octane albums, perhaps most memorably with 1980's 'Ace Of Spades.' The statue was crafted by acclaimed local sculptor and lifelong Motörhead fan Andy Edwards — who is best-known for his statue of the Beatles on Liverpool's Pier Head. It captures Lemmy, who died from cancer in December 2015 at the age of 70, in his iconic pose with his bass guitar. In December, following his will's instructions, another batch of Lemmy's ashes were installed in an urn shaped like his trademark cavalry hat at the Stringfellows gentlemen's club in London where he was 'a regular.' That and Friday's ceremony are part of the 'Lemmy Forever!' movement, which sees the rocker enshrined in many of his favorite spots around the world. Lemmy's legendary status was evident at his funeral, which saw rock heavyweights including The Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash and Metallica members Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo pay tribute.
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Dead man's fans again! Hundreds of Motörhead fans arrive in Stoke as statue of front man Lemmy famous for their hit Ace Of Spades is unveiled in his home town
Thousands of eager Motörhead fans gathered to witness the unveiling of a statue dedicated to frontman Lemmy Kilmister yesterday. The two-metre tall tribute to the renowned musician, born Ian Fraser Kilmister, has been erected on Market Place in his hometown of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, nearly a decade on from his death. Renowned for their popular 1980s hit Ace of Spades, featuring the line 'the dead man's hand again', Motörhead skyrocketed to international stardom in the late 1970s, releasing 20 studio albums over the course of a 40-year career. By 2025, the heavy metal band had sold more than 25 million albums worldwide, with the group often credited for influencing multiple music scenes. Now, 50 years since the legendary band was formed, fans in their thousands were keen to catch a glimpse of the new monument which depicts the beloved rockstar during his 1980s heyday. Designed by Blurton sculptor and lifelong fan Andy Edwards, the statue even includes space to include Lemmy's ashes, which were accompanied to the ceremony by a procession of motorbikes. Renowned for their popular 1980s hit Ace of Spades, featuring the line 'the dead man's hand again', Motörhead skyrocketed to international stardom in the late 1970s, releasing 20 studio albums over the course of a 40-year career Alongside the unveiling of the new monument, other highlights to mark the anticipated event included a biker cavalcade, a 21-rev salute, and even an appearance from Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell. Lemmy found early success with the band Hawkwind before rocketing to international stardom with Motörhead in 1975. The group later became one of the defining metal bands of the 1980s, with Lemmy, lead singer, founder and bassist, once described as having 'one of the most recognisable voices in rock'. He died, aged 70, on December 28 2015, with his heartbreaking passing announced in a statement on the Motörhead Facebook page, which remembered a 'mighty, noble friend' and called on fans to play his music loud and 'have a drink or few'. His death came just over a month after the passing of his bandmate Phil 'Philthy Animal' Taylor. Famous for his hard-rocking lifestyle, Kilmister said he drank a bottle of Jack Daniels every day for many years, and also claimed to have slept with more than 1,000 women. He said he had never married because the love of his life, a woman named Susan Bennett, had died of a heroin overdose aged 19. He dedicated his autobiography to Ms Bennett. Pictured: fans gathered for the unveiling ceremony, which also featured a biker cavalcade, a 21-rev salute, and even an appearance from Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell In November last year, MailOnline reported that his ashes were understood to have been rehomed at Stringfellows nightclub in Covent Garden. The venue, which Lemmy was known to frequent, was even the place where Motörhead celebrated their 35th anniversary in November, 2010. Motörhead's former manager Todd Singerman said Stringfellows 'always had a special place' in Lemmy's heart. He told The Sun: 'He loved the relaxed environment — and he certainly loved the view. I know he's relieved he can get back to enjoying one of his favourite places.' It was the musician's request before his death for his remains to be placed inside bullets and sent to his loved ones. And in 2021, crew members Eddie Rocha and Emma Cederblad shared a video of them getting the permanent tribute to their late friend. Lemmy, whose real name was Ian Fraser Kilmister, later lived in nearby Newcastle-under-Lyme and Madeley after growing up in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent The clip began with the caption: 'Some of Lemmy's ashes were shared with family and close friends.' The bullet was then shown before the powdery residue was seen being slipped into ink to create a portrait of the musician for Eddie's leg and the band's iconic spade emblem for Emma. Former MTV Headbangers Ball host Riki Rachtman was the first to share the golden bullet he received engraved with Lemmy's name earlier that year. He captioned his Twitter post: ' Before his death #Lemmy asked for his ashes to be put in some bullets and handed out to his closest friends Today I received a bullet and was literally brought to tears Thank you @myMotorhead.'
