By Kendra Hibbert
May 2, 2003
Lemmy Kilminster – the man, the myth, the mouth of MOTORHEAD. This guy looks like he’s seen it all and done it all – and he has. What’s more, he’s written about it in a new autobiography called WHITE LINE FEVER – a fine addition to the genre known as the Rock Star Bio and a perfect blueprint to living an excessive life.
If you don’t know who Lemmy Kilminster, is I strongly urge you to rent Penelope Spheeris’ documentary DECLINE OF THE WESTERN CIVILIZATION PART II: THE METAL YEARS. Lemmy’s the one standing on the hilltop overlooking Los Angeles at night talking about rock n’ roll until the sun rises behind him. He’s butt ugly with two huge moles sticking out of his face but (as he’s more than happy to tell you in this book) he still gets the girls on attitude alone (and his infamous bullet belt).
The book traces Lemmy’s rise to fame from the time he first picked up a guitar in order to (what else) get laid, to playing in a couple of doomed bands when he was a teenager to playing bass for classic band HAWKWIND to finally founding MOTORHEAD and gaining fame throughout the land as the hardest freakin’ rocker in the world. This is a guy who once tried to get a full blood transfusion (a la Keith Richards) and was told his system was so full of toxins that normal blood would kill him.
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WHITE LINE FEVER is full of stories about how Lemmy and his boys got their reputation. The best part of the book by far is the first few chapters, which goes into detail about how great it was to be in a band in England in the 60s – lots of stories about the different musicians lurking around and about which musicians went on to fame and fortune and which didn’t but should have. It traces their lives hanging out in the 60s living from couch to couch high on either acid or speed (Lemmy’s drug of choice) until they hit it big and got their own couches to sleep on (or sold their soul for a wife and kids and a clerk job in a bank somewhere). Along the way, we’re privy to stories about a wide variety of bands from Buddy Holly to METALLICA. He writes about seeing John Lennon once jump off a stage to punch a guy in the mouth while the BEATLES were still playing bars in London and a few pages later mentions he once tried (unsuccessfully) to teach Sid Vicious how to play bass.
Those who will get the most out of this bio are (of course) Lemmy’s longtime fans and metal heads in general. Large sections of this book are devoted to the rock n’ roll history from the 60s to today as seen through the eyes of Mr. Kilminster. Fans will be pleased by the detail he goes into about the various albums he’s appeared on -- details that will definitely affect the way they listen to his songs – and the straightforward way he discusses the various troubles MOTORHEAD has had with record label execs and managers and with members of the band leaving. Lemmy also talks about some of the more bizarre people he’s played with and the more unusual appearances he’s made in television, movies and music videos (including a couple kids shows), although suspiciously missing from this book is any mention of TROMEO AND JULIETE or any of the other Troma Films he’s appeared in.
The book is written as one anecdote after another, more or less linear from when little Lemmy was a school boy to modern-day MOTORHEAD. Each episode in the book can be categorized into one of three sections – chicks he’s had sex with (and/or weird places he’s had it in), drugs experiences he or his friends have had and people/studios who have screwed him over. Don’t expect an in-depth look into the psyche of a rock star with this bio – that’s not Lemmy’s style. He makes no apologies for the things he’s done and the opinions he holds. There are few insights in this book beyond Sex, Drugs and Rock n’ Roll. When he mentions the son he abandoned, it’s not about the regret or guilt he feels about leaving him, it’s about the girl they once shared a bed with. Those who aren’t fans of Lemmy or metal won’t get too much out of this book – but fans will definitely enjoy it.
Despite the fact that there’s nothing besides superficial anecdotes it’s still a good read. From a man like Lemmy who’s seen it all and lived, expect nothing less than enough debauchery to fill the VH1 BEHIND THE MUSIC specials of 10 normal men. WHITE LINE FEVER is a short, funny book chalk full of depravity and sin – in other words, everything a Rock Star Bio should be.
Next Column: A look at a new phenomenon hitting book stores - writers writing the books based on the movies based on the comics they’re known for writing. I’m talking, of course, about Chris Claremont’s X2 and Peter David’s HULK (based on Bryan Singer’s X2 and Ang Lee’s HULK). Return in two weeks to find out if these books are worth picking up.
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