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Lemmy

49% Motherf**ker 51% Son of a B***h DVD

Review by Gary Hill

Fans of Lemmy should definitely dig this DVD. And, really, who can possibly know who Lemmy is without being a fan of Lemmy? In so many ways Motorhead is Lemmy, but Lemmy is more than Motorhead (even though at one point in this documentary he says that Motorhead is his entire life). Lemmy really does personify rock music, and that makes this worthwhile for anyone who likes hard rock.

The DVD follows Lemmy around for quite a while and gives a real inside look at the man’s life. Lemmy seems to know everyone in the rock scene and has stories about a lot of rock history. We hear about his history in Hawkwind (including interviews with Nik Turner and Dave Brock) and every other part of his career. The list of people interviewed for this DVD is like a who’s who of hard rock (including Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, Slash, Alice Cooper, Dee Snider and many, many more). The thing is, the portrait really reveals Lemmy to be a rather lonely man. Sure, he knows everyone, but he lives alone in a small apartment in LA and seems to have a lot of acquaintances but not a lot of real friends. That said, part of that impression might be given by the way the video is sequenced with multiple scenes of Lemmy walking by himself.

If there’s a complaint to be made by this set, it’s that it comes across as a promotional piece. It’s obvious that the two guys filming this are hardcore Lemmy fans, and there is no down-side presented here. It’s all about “Lemmy is great,” with no other opinion represented. For that reason it seems a bit “fluff”-like. Still, Lemmy is that kind of a character and a person, so it’s understandable. In addition, this thing is jam-packed with all kinds of bonus material. It’s a highly recommended set and one that deserves an honored place on any hard rock collector’s shelf.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2011  Volume 3 at lulu.com/strangesound.

 
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