God: 12.24.45 - 12.28.15

To Lemmy

"Motorhead was the first band I ever saw live. 2003, Motorhead, Dio, Iron Maiden at Madison Square garden. I wasn't familiar with any of the bands at the time. I went to the show with my friend Ryan who was a couple grades older than me in high school. All I can remember was how nonchalant Lemmy was on stage. He came, he played, he conquered, stoic in front of so many crazy fans. Just Loud, and massive, and the grit could scrape enamel off steel. The total counterpoint to Dio and Maiden that night. I remember seeing them a few years ago and they were still the loudest band I've ever heard. Consistency is a virtue in metal, and Lemmy exemplified it both personally and professionally. I can't imagine metalheads in the future not having some experience or memory of Motorhead outside of the music they left behind. Its almost a rite of passage to see Motorhead. Who will take that place now? There aren't many left. The adage that if Motorhead moved next door, your lawn would die must certainly ring true, because now that Lemmy's moved to the great next door, it seems like all the grass in town has begun to die off. That might be due to the appearance - finally - of cold weather here in the northeast, or the endless rain we've had drowning everything, but I'd like to think that cold weather and rain is also Lemmy's doing. One last big middle finger to all of us, of course, in jest. The world is a far less honest place going forward."

- Orion

"Lemmy lived fast and went further. He lived the lifestyle, and he stayed with it until the end. So many times in his life, others would have stopped, but Lemmy lived rock and roll. He was playing every night last year, and taking two nights off was a big deal. Guys 10-20 years younger than him take a night or two off between each show. Most folks quit by their mid-20s, while Lemmy joined Hawkwind then. By 30, he was out of the band but kept going. Around 40, the whole Motorhead lineup turned over in a few years. Many other rockers quit the lifestyle in one way or another even if they kept playing their old music. Lemmy never quit the lifestyle, playing every night on tour until the end. He rocked in England before the British invasion, and he's the only guy who saw it through and through for the next 50 years.

Live fast and live long."

- Steve

"Lemmy was one of a kind. A man that owned whatever room he was in no matter if it was a massive amphitheater or a tiny room. When he got up on stage with his Rickenbacker it was larger than life. Even with his lifestyle being hard and fast for most of his life he still managed to keep going until he was well into his 60's. He lived for his music, and to have everyone in the crowd experience true rock and roll. Louder, faster, and dirtier than anyone else. The blueprint for ever metal band to come. There will never be another Lemmy, another Motorhead. Celebrate the good times that were had. Play it fucking loud. Have a few beers, shots, or whatever else you want. Do it for the god that walked the earth for 70 years that never compromised on anything."

- Atomic Destructor From Hell (Maximum Oversatan) 

"As long as I have been a Metal fan Motorhead have been there. I got into them when I was in 4th grade after hearing their praise from like every other band I already liked. My brother and I would stay up late on Saturdays and watch Headbanger's Ball, pretty much from the first time I saw a Motorhead vid on there I was sold. I ended up getting 1916 upon it's release, and it was my BIG album of that summer, though Overkill has always been my fav. They have in one way or another (either musically or attitudewise) been a foundational structure of just about every single band I've ever played in. I've also had the fortune of having 9/10 bandmates who loved them as well. It's typical to say whenever any musician passes that the world has lost a giant, but we really did this time. Lemmy liked to party but he wasn't some pathetic junkie who had 15 mins of fame in the 90's and overstayed his welcome, nor was he a cartoon character in a costume for a joke band who had 15 mins of fame in the 90's but the rest of the world took seriously. He was the true King of Rock N' Roll, and the throne will now remain empty forever. Rock and Metal as productive genres have been dead to me for quite some time now, but this was indeed the final nail in the coffin. There are no more heroes. R.I.P. Lemmy, the world is fucked without you......"

- Mike Keller (Sacrificial Blood, Maximum Oversatan)