In Memoriam- R.I.P. ♠ Lemmy Kilmister ♠

Lemmy Kilmister: December 24, 1945 - December 28, 2015

The world of rock and roll just got a little bit quieter. On December 26, 2015 legendary Motorhead founder/front-man Lemmy Kilmister (at the age of 70) was unfortunately diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, which he tragically lost the battle to a mere two days later.

Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister started out his career in rock as nothing more than a roadie to The Jimi Henderix Experience, but ended up joining the band Hawkwind in 1972. For about three years he played as a bassist for the space-rock band until he eventually left Hawkwind to form his own project band Motorhead (which was inspired by a B-side track from a Hawkwind song he wrote) and he never looked back.

Lemmy lived hard and played hard, touring for decades before his age and health caught up with him. In spite of his lingering health issues causing several delays on his voluminous concert tours, Lemmy continued to give his all whenever he could. A pacemaker and a cardio-pulmonary hematoma were not enough to put the old gambler down for the count. It took something as nasty as cancer (and a rare one at that) to finally put The Ace of Spades in the hole.

I remember going through high-school listening to likes of 'Deaf Forever' 'Born to Lose' and several other endlessly iconic tracks, just loving the sheer intensity of each song. The aggressive percussion and guitars of Motorhead coupled with Lemmy's gravely vocals just resonated with my teenage mind at the time I guess, but even to this day I still find myself popping on Motorhead whenever I feel the need for a solid head banger.

No one can deny the influence and effect Lemmy and Motorhead had on the world of rock. Ozzy, Anthrax, Slash, and many more all share/owe credence to Lemmy. When the rock industry started to move towards different sounds and essentially lost its sound, Lemmy stood defiant in the face of those changes. He was one of the few who kept the rigid heart of rock alive. Knocking back a bottle of Jack every day, Lemmy kept cranking out song after song, album after album, until rock woke up from its techno induced haze of the 1990's.

As I write this post I'm not afraid to admit having a heavy beer well within my arm's reach and Motorhead tracks blasting on my speakers. Someone like Lemmy may have been born to lose, but he most surely lived to win. Thank you Lemmy for all you did for rock! Thank you for being the hellraiser we all needed in the 90's! All I can say at this point now is God f#c*ing speed Lemmy! God f#c*ing speed!