Lemmy - Review

I saw LEMMY tonight. I'm talking about the documentary, of course, on rock legend Lemmy Kilmister that is making a limited theatrical run across the U.S. right now. What a movie. Let me set the stage for you.

9:55 p.m. Arthouse theater. Packed room. Cold outside, a bit too warm inside. Brand new seats in theater that are tight, cramped and literally a pain in the ass. Sorry Belcourt, you know I still love you. But these new seats are uncomfortable.

Lights dim, shows starts, crowd laughs, cheers, and applauds at the end. Gotta love it.

LEMMY is an open, honest look at an aging rock and roll icon. Lemmy is 65 years old, kicks more ass than men half his age, and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

A documentary film crew followed the Lemster around for three years gathering material - We see the Lemmy behind the Lemmy, the man behind the stage persona. And, maybe not surprisingly, the two are not a whole lot different. Lemmy is one of the most honest human beings on the face of the planet. What you see is what you get. He's an unpretentious man who is not afraid of being himself or saying what he thinks. Lemmy is a man who gets custom made boots manufactured, yet lives in a tiny crowded apartment that looks like something just this side of a hoarders episode. This place is packed with stuff - Lemmy says he likes stuff. "You go through life, you get stuff, you lose stuff, you get more stuff." And Lemmy has stuff. Everything from Gold and Platinum records to swords and Nazi memorabilia. Lemmy does what Lemmy wants and doesn't give a fuck what you or I or anyone else thinks. He doesn't have to have a big expensive mansion and 10 cars to impress people. He is just as happy sitting home playing video games and drinking whiskey, writing music and collecting stuff. That is who Lemmy is.

He is also one of the most respected men in the business. A literal who's who of rock musicians appear onscreen to sing their praise of Lemmy and Motorhead. Rockers the likes of Dave Grohl, Joan Jett, Slash, Scott Ian, Henry Rollins, all of Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Dee Snider and that's just off the top of my head, there were many more - all talking about how Lemmy influenced them and the entire metal field. Many times over it was mentioned by different people that without Motorhead there would be no heavy metal.

But where this would go to the head of most rockers, Lemmy is the same old Lemmy. He's the guy who sits playing slot machines at a bar all day when not on tour, and who always has time for a photo or autograph for fans.

One thing I took away from this documentary is that we could all be a little more like Lemmy. Not in the go out and collect Nazi memorabilia and drink whiskey and do speed way - in the be honest to who you are despite what anyone thinks way. THAT is what makes Lemmy the ultimate badass. He doesn't give a shit what anyone thinks and is true to himself. He's bullet proof. He knows who he is and doesn't care if you like it or not, he doesn't need your approval.

Plus he's a kick ass musician and his band rules. We get lots of Motorhead music in this doc, both in concert and as incidental, and we get to see him playing with other musicians like Dave Grohl and Metallica too. This is a great documentary that really shows Lemmy, warts and all, if you'll pardon the pun, and he's one helluva talented, funny, grumpy and irascibly lovable guy. Lemmy, I hope to meet you one day.

Go see this documentary if you get the chance. It rocks. It will also air on VH1 on February 11th, 2011 at 11:30pm Eastern time.

Oh, and I realize this movie has nothing to do with horror. But you know what - following Lemmy's lead, I could care less.