Motörhead

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Everything Louder Than Everything Else
From left to right: Mikkey, Lemmy and Phil
"We want to be the band that, if this band moved in next door to you, your lawn would die."
—Lemmy Kilmister

Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll meets Heavy Metal.

Motörhead was found in the middle of The Seventies by the late bassist/vocalist Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, after being fired from Hawkwind for, in Lemmy's words, "doing the wrong kind of drugs". Many members, with only Lemmy remaining, came and went. Along with Judas Priest, they kickstarted the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal at the end of The Seventies. Despite being called "the most punk band of the Heavy Metal scene", Lemmy prefers to call the music of his band by the simple name of "Rock And Roll".

The band was composed of:

  • Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister - Vocals/Bass
  • Phil Campbell - Guitars
  • Mikkey Dee - Drums

Their past formations had the following members:

  • Lucas Fox - Drums (1975)
  • Larry Wallis - Guitars (1975-1976)
  • Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor - Drums (1975-1984, 1987-1992) (classic lineup)
  • "Fast" Eddie Clarke - Guitars (1976-1982) (classic lineup)
  • Brian "Robbo" Robertson - Guitars (1982-1984)
  • Pete "Frank" Gill - Drums (1984-1987)
  • Mick "Würzel" Burston Guitars (1984-1995)
  • Tommy Aldridge - Drums (1992)
  • Matt Sorum - Drums (live, 2009)
Discography:
  • Motörhead - 1977
  • On Parole - 1979
  • Overkill - 1979
  • Bomber - 1979
  • Ace of Spades - 1980
  • Iron Fist - 1982
  • Another Perfect Day - 1983
  • Orgasmatron - 1986
  • Rock 'n' Roll - 1987
  • 1916 - 1991
  • March ör Die - 1992
  • Bastards - 1993
  • Sacrifice - 1995
  • Overnight Sensation - 1996
  • Snake Bite Love - 1998
  • We Are Motörhead - 2000
  • Hammered - 2002
  • Inferno - 2004
  • Kiss of Death - 2006
  • Motörizer - 2008
  • The Wörld is Yours - 2010
Motörhead provides examples of the following tropes:

I hold a banner drenched in blood, I urge you to be brave
I lead you to your destiny, I lead you to your grave
Your bones will build my palaces, your eyes will stud my crown
For I am Mars, the god of war, and I will cut you down.

I'm a Vibrator,
Pleased to make a start,
I'm a Vibrator,
And I'll never ever break your heart

    • And "Orgasmatron" from Orgasmatron

I am the one, Orgasmatron
The outstretched grasping hand
My image is of agony
My servants rape the land

    • And "Snaggletooth" from No Remorse:

Speed don't kill and I'm the proof
Just call me Snaggletooth

  • I Am the Band: Lemmy, basically, IS Motörhead.
  • I Call It Vera: Lemmy's bass, Rickenbastard. Rickenbacker now even have a signature LK 4001 Bass.
  • In the Back: The song "Shoot You in the Back"
  • Insistent Terminology: Lemmy used to claim they just play Rock 'n roll. NEVER tell him otherwise. According to a quote of his, it's because at the time 'heavy metal was too slow and boring' and the band were inspired by rock and roll bands.
  • Intercourse with You:
    • Many (TOO many) songs, but specially "Killed By Death".
    • The band's cover of Cat Scratch Fever, which if anything is even more sexual than the original.
  • Kavorka Man: Lemmy is not privileged in looks, and yet slept with over 2,000 women. It probably helps that he actually respects women; he takes offense if anyone claims they can't play rock as well as men.
  • Lighter and Softer: "I Got Mine" (still heavy but more melodic than usual), "Whorehouse Blues" (acoustic blues)
  • Long Runner Lineup: Type 2. Kind of a bizarre example. While most people assume the band is basically Lemmy plus two other guys, drummer Mickey Dee has been in the band since 1992 and guitarist Phil Campbell has been in the band 27 years (which makes him by far the longest remaining bandmember not counting Lemmy). But while the current lineup has been together for 1992 the lineup is technically only 16 years old as until 1995 they had a 4th guitar player who was in the band for 11 years.
  • Loudness War: Motorhead has been called "the loudest band in the world", and has been clocked in excess of 140 decibels, a sound level roughly equivalent to that of a jet engine or the Space Shuttle.
  • Mad Scientist: "I'm The Doctor" from Iron Fist.
  • Made of Iron: Lemmy himself. He's in his mid-60s and he drinks at least one bottle of Jack Daniel's every day (and has for the last 35 years), he loathes vegetables and lives on a diet of mostly meat and cheese, he's been a smoker since he was 11 years old, and he also does copious amounts of drugs (mainly speed). Despite all this his liver, lungs, and kidneys are fine and he maintains a touring schedule that would exhaust men half his age.
  • Mascot: Snaggletooth, the war pig.
  • Mohs Scale of Rock and Metal Hardness: They're about an 8, which is very heavy for their genre of metal and even heavier for the time they emerged.
  • The Movie: Lemmy: 49% Motherfucker, 51% Son of a Bitch
  • NameTron: Orgasmatron, both the album and the song on it.
  • Name's the Same: "Killed by Death" single has two different tracks named "Under the Knife".
  • Off on a Technicality: In 1975, Canadian police arrested Lemmy at the Detroit/Windsor border crossing on suspicion of cocaine possession. As it turned out, what he was actually carrying was meth, which was not illegal in Canada at the time, and he was released without charge (though his brief incarceration lead to his being fired from Hawkwind).
  • Older Than They Look: Lemmy is nearly 67 but still looks pretty damn good, appearing to be in his mid-40's to early 50's. This is amazing considering the fact that he's been an alcoholic and smoker for so many years; he's blessed considering that what he's been doing has been proven to make people look older than they are.
  • Parental Incest: "Don't Let Daddy Kiss Me" from Bastards.
  • Politically Incorrect Hero: Lemmy is a collector of Nazi memorabilia, and has a very large collection. This has led some pundits to accuse him of being a Nazi sympathizer, but Lemmy has denied this. He actually considers himself an anarchist who is "anti-fascism, communism, any extreme" and claims that "government causes more problems than it solves", and he collects Nazi memorabilia because they had the coolest-looking stuff.
  • Rated "M" for Manly
  • Rockstar Song: "Angel City" from 1916.
  • Rock Trio: All of their lineups except for from 1984-1995, when both Phil Campbell and Würzel were on guitars.
  • Self-Titled Album
  • Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll: Lemmy has slept with more than 2,000 women, he's notorious for his love of speed and booze and hes been kicking ass around the world with Motorhead for 35 years and counting.
  • Something Blues: "Whorehouse Blues" from Inferno.
  • Soprano and Gravel: Headgirl, the mashup between Girlschool and Motörhead.
  • Spelling Song: "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." from 1916.
  • Stage Names: Aside from Lemmy himself, many past members used them, as noticed above.
  • Start My Own: Motörhead was born when Hawkwind kicked Lemmy out and he decided to start his own band.
  • Strictly Formula: If it's been working pretty well for over three decades...
  • Take That: Lemmy says each verse of Orgasmatron represents one of man's substitutions for orgasms: Religion, Government and War. All three verses are from the perspective of the man in charge of each and none paint a pretty picture.
  • Those Wacky Nazis: "Brotherhood of Man", again:

We put our faith in maniacs

The Triumph of the Will.

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