The Rise of Motörhead: A Journey into Chaos, Grit, Excess And Lemmy's Wildest Escapades
Motörhead’s rise to prominence in the mid-1970s represented a blistering burst of energy that would forever reshape the boundaries of rock and roll. With an uncompromising dedication to loudness, speed, and chaos, the band stood at the crossroads of punk and heavy metal, refusing to be categorized as either. At the center of it all was Lemmy Kilmister—a larger-than-life figure whose legendary lifestyle and distinct gravelly voice would become synonymous with Motörhead.
However, Lemmy wasn’t alone in this revolution. Flanked by “Fast” Eddie Clarke and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor, the classic Motörhead lineup carved a path into rock history that was as notorious as it was influential. This is the story of how they met, who they were, and the riotous adventures that followed.
Lemmy Kilmister: The Reluctant Bassist
Lemmy Kilmister’s journey to Motörhead began long before he ever picked up a bass guitar. Born Ian Fraser Kilmister in 1945, Lemmy grew up in post-war Britain, where he was drawn to the rebellious sounds of rock and roll. Before forming Motörhead, Lemmy had been involved in a number of groups, including The Rockin’ Vicars, where he experienced something otherworldly on a return trip from Yorkshire.
“In 1966, we were coming back over the Yorkshire Moors which, incidentally, was before I even drank beer, so it couldn’t have been some acid flashback,” Lemmy recalled. “This thing came over the horizon and stopped dead in the middle of the sky. Then it went from a standstill to top speed, immediately. We don’t even have aircraft that do that now, never mind then. So that was pretty eye-opening for me.”
After that alien encounter, Lemmy moved on to more grounded experiences, notably joining the road crew of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Working for Hendrix taught Lemmy valuable lessons about the excesses and subtleties of rock stardom. “Jimi taught me how to find drugs in the most unlikely places because that was part of my job for him,” Lemmy admitted. “That’s how I learned to function on five hits of acid. But I also learned about theatrics and performing.”
His journey through the underground music scene brought him to Hawkwind, a pioneering space rock band. Lemmy joined them initially as a guitarist but quickly found himself thrust into a new role.
“I’d never played bass in my life!” Lemmy exclaimed. During a live gig at Notting Hill’s Powis Square in 1971, the bassist failed to show up, and keyboardist Dik Mik urged Lemmy to take his place. With instructions to “make some noises in E,” Lemmy passed the audition and would go on to tour and record with the band. He played bass on Hawkwind’s one hit, “Silver Machine,” which reached number three in the UK charts.
But Lemmy’s tenure with Hawkwind would end abruptly in 1975. After a bust at the Canadian border for carrying amphetamines, the band—whose ethos was more aligned with psychedelics—decided that Lemmy no longer fit in. “The most cosmic band in the world fired me for getting busted with the wrong kind of drugs!” Lemmy recounted with a mixture of humour and irritation.
It was from this humiliating moment that Motörhead would rise. Back in London and eager to start something fresh, Lemmy formed his new band, initially called “Bastard.” When advised that the name would prevent them from ever getting on television, Lemmy begrudgingly changed it to Motörhead, named after the final song he had written for Hawkwind.
Enter “Philthy Animal”
The first to join Lemmy in this new endeavour was a drummer who, much like Lemmy himself, was more notorious for his wild antics than his musicianship. Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor had been hanging around the same Hell’s Angels circles as Lemmy, often scoring dope at Lemmy’s house and passing out from his indulgence. “He was always telling us he was a drummer,” Lemmy recalled, “but we never took him seriously.”
That changed when Lemmy’s initial choice of drummer failed to gel with the band in the studio. Philthy was called in as a replacement. “Phil said, ‘Sure, I’ll fuckin’ come down and do it for you,’” Lemmy remembered. Philthy proved to be just the maniac they needed, and he overdubbed the drum parts on their first album—setting the tone for the anarchic energy that Motörhead would become known for.
Drugs were an inseparable part of Taylor’s existence, and like Lemmy, he had a particular fondness for speed. His manic drumming style was often fueled by amphetamines, which helped him keep up with the frenetic pace of Motörhead’s music. But while drugs and alcohol kept the engine running, they also took a toll on his health. “There were times when I thought my heart would explode,” Taylor once said. “I was playing so fast and doing so many drugs, I didn’t know if I’d survive the next gig.”
“Fast” Eddie Clarke: The Final Piece of the Puzzle
The last member of the classic lineup to join was guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke. Clarke had been working as a house painter and playing in various bands when he crossed paths with Lemmy and Philthy in 1976. His bluesy, raw guitar sound perfectly complemented Lemmy’s distorted bass and Philthy’s frenetic drumming, forming the foundation for Motörhead’s ferocious sound.
Their self-titled debut album was a commercial failure upon release in 1977, but the band’s follow-up efforts would soon change their fortunes. Clarke was a key contributor to albums like Overkill and Bomber, where the band found their signature sound of unrelenting speed and aggression.
Chaos on the Road
Motörhead’s live shows became infamous for their sheer volume and intensity, with Lemmy often declaring, “We are Motörhead, and we play rock and roll.” But their life on the road was anything but smooth.
During the late ‘70s, punk fans adopted Motörhead as their own, even though the band wasn’t strictly a punk act. This led to a bizarre ritual known as “gobbing,” where audience members would spit on the band in a show of appreciation. “One time I saw a guy spit a big green thing on my arm,” Lemmy recalled. Rather than retaliating with aggression, Lemmy borrowed a line from Winston Churchill. He wiped the spit from his arm and said, “Tonight I’ll have a shower and I’ll be clean, but tomorrow you’ll still be a stinking asshole.”
The Iron Fist Fiasco
Motörhead’s rise culminated with the Iron Fist tour in 1982, which featured an extravagant stage setup involving a giant mechanical fist. However, this Spinal Tap-esque contraption was plagued with technical difficulties. On the opening night of the tour, the band got stuck halfway up as the fist malfunctioned. Philthy nearly stepped off the drum riser and into oblivion.
Despite these mishaps, the band pressed on, powered by their relentless drive and an insatiable appetite for chaos. Clarke’s exit from the band shortly after the Iron Fist tour marked the end of the classic lineup, but by then Motörhead had already secured their place in rock history.
The Legend of Lemmy
Lemmy’s reputation for excess became the stuff of legend. His regular diet of speed, whiskey, and Marlboro Reds would have felled lesser mortals, but Lemmy seemed to thrive on it. His legendary lifestyle wasn’t without its consequences, though. In 1980, after years of drug and alcohol abuse, Lemmy considered undergoing a full blood transfusion. His doctor advised against it, warning that Lemmy’s blood was so toxic that healthy blood would likely kill him.
One of the most notorious stories involving Lemmy occurred during a tour stop in Austin, Texas, in 1995. Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen recalled walking onto Motörhead’s tour bus and finding Lemmy dressed in full Gestapo regalia, spanking a naked woman with a riding crop. Jourgensen politely apologised and left the bus, leaving Lemmy to his eccentric pleasures.
Yet beneath the debauchery, Lemmy maintained a sense of loyalty to his bandmates and fans. When Philthy fell ill in the early 2010s, Lemmy remained a close friend until Philthy’s death in 2015. The bond forged by years of playing together in the trenches of rock stardom was undeniable.
Motörhead’s journey was one of rebellion, chaos, and pure rock and roll energy. From the alien encounter on the Yorkshire Moors to the heights of superstardom and back, Lemmy, Philthy, and Eddie embodied the ethos of living fast and playing loud. Despite the turbulent lifestyle that defined their legacy, their music remains timeless—a testament to a band that, against all odds, never stopped playing.
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