Historical Figure
Lemmy
1945–2015
English rock musician (1945–2015)
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Biography
Ian Fraser Kilmister, better known as Lemmy Kilmister, Lemmy from Motörhead or simply Lemmy, was an English musician. He was the founder, lead vocalist, bassist and primary songwriter of the rock band Motörhead, of which he was the only continuous member, and a member of Hawkwind from 1971 to 1975.
Timeline
The story of Lemmy, told in moments.
Born Ian Fraser Kilmister in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Never knew his father. Got the nickname Lemmy in school. Nobody remembers why.
Played bass in Hawkwind, the space rock band. Fired in 1975 after being arrested at the Canadian border for drug possession. He'd actually been carrying amphetamines, not the cocaine they thought.
Founded Motorhead. Named after the last song he wrote for Hawkwind. Played bass like a rhythm guitar through a cranked Marshall. The sound was loud enough to loosen fillings. "We are Motorhead, and we play rock 'n' roll."
Released Ace of Spades. The title track became a metal anthem. Speed, volume, Lemmy's gravelly bark. The album bridged punk and heavy metal. It reached number four in the UK.
Died at his apartment in Los Angeles, four days after his 70th birthday. Prostate cancer and cardiac arrhythmia. He'd been drinking Jack and Coke and playing video poker at the Rainbow Bar the night before.
In Their Own Words (8)
In your twenties, you think you are immortal. In your thirties, you hope you are immortal. In your forties, you just pray it doesn’t hurt too much, and by the time you reach my age, you become convinced that, well, it could be just around the corner.
2015
(when asked if he has any regrets) None. Life's too short.
2010
You can't have everything, can you? Where would you put it?
2010
If you can give the kids a good time then that’s all it’s for. Forget art and all that – that’s bullshit. If you can send that shiver down a kid’s back then that’s what it’s all about. All else is bullshit.
2006
You can’t keep guys faithful. If people want to get married and then run around, I think that’s dishonest. If you’re going to get married, get fucking married and that’s it. I never saw a chick that could stop me looking at all the others, so I didn’t.
1999
Artifacts (14)
the richest and most productive ever experienced by a scientist
as a Cambridge student, his private studies and the years following his bachelor's degree have been described as "the richest and most productive ever experienced by a scientist". The next two years...
to distinctly advance every branch of mathematics then studied
n for this enduring legacy. == Scientific studies == === Mathematics === Newton's work has been said "to distinctly advance every branch of mathematics then studied". His work on calculus, usually...
of an extraordinary genius and proficiency in these things
o terminorum infinitas, sent by Isaac Barrow to John Collins in June 1669, was identified by Barrow in a letter sent to Collins that August as the work "of an extraordinary genius and proficiency in...
birds, beasts, men, ships & mathematical schemes. & very well designed
pen", and further illustrated how Newton's lodging room wall at Grantham was covered in drawings of "birds, beasts, men, ships & mathematical schemes. & very well designed". He also noted his...
was not only very expert with his mechanical tools, but he was equally so with h...
who could mix and combine seemingly disparate fields to stimulate creative breakthroughs." William Stukeley wrote that Newton "was not only very expert with his mechanical tools, but he was equally so...
Comparing the texts of Newton with the comments of his successors, it is strikin...
those formal methods of calculus that nowadays would seem more direct." The mathematician Vladimir Arnold stated that "Comparing the texts of Newton with the comments of his successors, it is striking...
Janusian thinker, someone who could mix and combine seemingly disparate fields t...
are alphabetical, by topic." His books showed his interests to be wide-ranging, with Newton himself described as a "Janusian thinker, someone who could mix and combine seemingly disparate fields to...
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