Alan Burridge - Motorhead: Live to Win

(Lemmy)Kilmister was born in Stoke-On-Trent on 24th December 1945.

After seeing Cliff Richard surrounded by screaming girls ona pop TV programme called Oh Boy in 1959, he was convinced that therock n roll lifestyle was for him, and he was right.

Seeing The Beatles at The Cavern in Liverpool sealed hisfate, and by moving to Manchester after leaving school, he joined TheRainmakers in 1962, and then The Motown Sect in 1963.

In 1965, he joined The Rocking Vickers, who enjoyed a degreeof fame around the midlands, the north of England, Finland and Yugoslavia, andrecorded a couple of 45s with them for CBS.

In 1966, Lemmy moved to London to further his career in theheart of the vibrant music business, first to become a roadie for The Nice, andthen more famously for the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

In 1968, he wrote the majority of the songs and recorded theEscalator album with psychedelic rockers, Sam Gopal. A variety of bandsfollowed, one being Opal Butterfly, and in 1971, after joining space rockers,Hawkwind, simply because the bass player didnt turn up, he became the voicebehind their biggest chart single, Silver Machine, and from there we take upthe story

In recent years,Motrhead have been spoken ofas one of, if not the greatest rock n roll band of all time. This istrue. However, history tells a story of their spluttering beginnings, whenthere wasnt a record company or manager who would touch them with a bargepole. In those days, as band founder member, Lemmy Kilmister, once quipped:Most bands get the shitty end of the stick, Motrhead never even got thestick, never mind the shitty end!

There were struggles, there were trials and there weretribulations, and on two occasions they almost threw in the towel and called ita day. But now, with almost 30 studio and live albums and thousands of sell-outgigs down the line, they have survived against all the odds and are still hereto tell the tale.

Of course, they started life in England, and proudlyemblazoned Motrhead-England on everything that moved, especially if she wasfemale. But those humble beginnings of living in squats and not knowing whereor when or even if the next meal would be coming along, and putting theiramps in and out of the pawn brokers between gigs to survive, have almost beenforgotten. But they must not be forgotten, so they have been detailed herein,so that rock history charts the true path and meaning of Lemmy Kilmister andMotrhead. Indeed, read the tattoo on his left forearm and follow its mantra