Movie Review: Lemmy

Lemmy. Photo / Supplied

If a nuclear war wipes out civilisation, then all that will remain are the cockroaches and Lemmy, proclaims a Motorhead fan at the beginning of this film. He could just be right, because the hard-drinking, speed-taking frontman of Motorhead is easily rock'n' roll's most indestructible force. Not that the man himself is saying anything about his boozing and drug taking during an almost 50-year career. "I don't want to advertise any of that," he snaps. Because he doesn't want kids to do drugs, you see. Lemmy really is a kind-hearted, likeable man behind the ear-splitting anthems of Ace of Spades and Overkill.

While much of this documentary is the stuff of rock'n'roll legend - and fans especially will have heard much of it before - through talking to the man himself and people as diverse as his boot maker and members of Metallica ("Lemmy, it should be a verb," says Lars Ulrich), it reveals what makes him tick.

He's a simple soul who leads a simple life. He owns a humble apartment that's crammed with his vast collection of military and Nazi memorabilia and music mementoes. He lives here because it's cheap for LA and it's near rock'n' roll hang-out the Rainbow Bar and Grill, where you are most likely to find Lemmy when he's not on tour.

Musically, it looks back to when he joined the Rockin' Vickers in the mid-60s, through his tumultuous time with space rockers Hawkwind in the early 70s, and then at Motorhead. Brit oddball Jarvis Cocker puts it well when he says, "[Motorhead] is the aural equivalent of being in a sandstorm.", or as one of Lemmy's crew puts it: "They [the fans] want it loud, they want it fast, they want it Lemmy." This film will inspire you to pour yourself a Jack and coke, turn 1977's Motorhead up to 11, and do all sorts of illicit things. But don't go too stupid because Uncle Lemmy wouldn't want that.

Stars: 4/5
Director: Greg Olliver
Running time: 117 mins
Verdict: Poignant and funny warts and all doco about rock's hard, fast and heavy survivor

- TimeOut