A documentary following veteran hard-rocker Lemmy, bassist and singer with the band Motörhead, and detailing the high esteem in which he is held by many other musicians.
Lemmy, aka Ian Fraser Kilmister, is an interesting man. Most rock stars either burn out or become respectable, but he continues to live the same lifestyle and produce the same music he did when he first climbed on stage. With his cowboy boots and hat, he's a bit like Charles Bronson in Once Upon A Time In The West - an outlaw who has steadfastly refused to change whilst the world around him moves on. In a business where - as Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl here puts it - integrity is everything, his appeal comes from the fact that he is the genuine article. What I find intriguing about him is his musical style and its place in rock culture; he's a bassist but plays more like a rhythm guitarist (there's a funny Spinal Tap moment where he demonstrates the big difference between his style and other bass players). Motörhead's fans - and most commentators here - are from the hard-rock / heavy-metal fraternity but the band's short four-chord songs are much closer to punk (and by association fifties rock-and-roll) than your typical heavy-metal numbers with extended guitar solos and tricky time-changes. I'm also interested in his lyrics - a song like 1916 has incredibly poetic words - but unfortunately the movie doesn't really explore Lemmy's music in detail; it's more interested in his larger-than-life personality. He talks eloquently about the things he likes (the history of rock and roll, his penchant for slot machines, an amazing collection of military daggers), but is self-effacing on more personal issues - at one key moment he refuses to either glorify or bemoan his drug use. For rock fans though the film is a smorgasbord of interesting talking heads, with key bandmates such as Dave Brock of Hawkwind and Captain Sensible from The Damned, but also some unexpected folks, like rapper Ice-T, actor Billy Bob Thornton and wrestler Triple H (whose theme music Lemmy sings). There's a musical highlight when Lemmy duets with Metallica on stage for a performance of Damage Case, and lots of footage of legendary Sunset Strip rock hangout The Rainbow. A vivid documentary about a fascinating guy, but there's too much here about the man and not enough about his music. Independently produced, but given a small theatrical release and showcased at several film festivals.
Lemmy, aka Ian Fraser Kilmister, is an interesting man. Most rock stars either burn out or become respectable, but he continues to live the same lifestyle and produce the same music he did when he first climbed on stage. With his cowboy boots and hat, he's a bit like Charles Bronson in Once Upon A Time In The West - an outlaw who has steadfastly refused to change whilst the world around him moves on. In a business where - as Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl here puts it - integrity is everything, his appeal comes from the fact that he is the genuine article. What I find intriguing about him is his musical style and its place in rock culture; he's a bassist but plays more like a rhythm guitarist (there's a funny Spinal Tap moment where he demonstrates the big difference between his style and other bass players). Motörhead's fans - and most commentators here - are from the hard-rock / heavy-metal fraternity but the band's short four-chord songs are much closer to punk (and by association fifties rock-and-roll) than your typical heavy-metal numbers with extended guitar solos and tricky time-changes. I'm also interested in his lyrics - a song like 1916 has incredibly poetic words - but unfortunately the movie doesn't really explore Lemmy's music in detail; it's more interested in his larger-than-life personality. He talks eloquently about the things he likes (the history of rock and roll, his penchant for slot machines, an amazing collection of military daggers), but is self-effacing on more personal issues - at one key moment he refuses to either glorify or bemoan his drug use. For rock fans though the film is a smorgasbord of interesting talking heads, with key bandmates such as Dave Brock of Hawkwind and Captain Sensible from The Damned, but also some unexpected folks, like rapper Ice-T, actor Billy Bob Thornton and wrestler Triple H (whose theme music Lemmy sings). There's a musical highlight when Lemmy duets with Metallica on stage for a performance of Damage Case, and lots of footage of legendary Sunset Strip rock hangout The Rainbow. A vivid documentary about a fascinating guy, but there's too much here about the man and not enough about his music. Independently produced, but given a small theatrical release and showcased at several film festivals.