I came across a video today of Lemmy chatting with Matt Sweeney only 4 months before he passed away. It is part of the ‘Guitar Moves’ series from the Noisey channel on YouTube and it’s an amazing glimpse of this incredible man.
It begins with Matt explaining how he see’s Lemmy playing video poker in his favourite place, the Rainbow Bar and Grill, which the bar manager had moved to be next to Lemmys bed after he was diagnosed, showing that ‘til the end he lived his life doing as he pleased and what he loved.
Aged 70 he reveals to us that playing the bass is getting harder due to his diabetes. Not only because it’s harder to move his fingers but because he’s actually in a lot of pain when he does. During his conversation with Matt a number of things strike me. Firstly how frail Lemmy appears to be. He is understated and seems fragile as hell. While he’s playing his hands show that he’s telling the truth about how difficult he’s finding it. Yet when he does start hitting those strings, that bright, raspy killer tone that Motorhead’s bass is known for sounds as solid as ever.
Motorhead will always have a cherished place in my heart. The first song I ever heard was (like many people) ‘Ace of Spades’ and this prompted me to buy Sacrifice when I was 15 which opened with the title track. The bass is a thundering and threatening rumble over a palm muted driven humbucker loaded guitar. It slowly builds up to the driving chorus and goes from there into a middle eight/bridge that teases a solo we never get.
I’d never really listened to the band other than ‘Ace of Spades’ and wasn’t prepared for this more rock and roll flavour. I expected full on metal but was joyously surprised by what I got. To this day it remains one of my favourite albums of all time.
Despite the heartbreak I felt from seeing this powerhouse of a man in, what is obviously, not a great way; I’m constantly smiling from his anecdotes. He plays a ‘Rick because it looks cool, he’s in a band to get chicks. Coming from a guitar player background; the rhythmic and harmonic elements of his playing have always been unique.
As the chat progresses Lemmy starts to get more into it and there are beautiful flashes of Lemmy in his prime. Although he’s proud of his achievement and legacy he seems genuinely humble and the parting mini jam is a beautiful moment with Lemmy taking great delight in Matt's little bass run. Matt in turn seems 100% touched, grateful and in awe of the living legend he’s sat across from.
I’m so glad this short piece was produced, people will say that it's sad to see such a Lion of a man in such a poor way, but through his obvious pain and suffering that Lion is still clearly there. Just because you are aging and ill, that does not mean that you cannot command respect and attention and Lemmy did that in spades until the day he died.
I don’t know if there is an afterlife but, if there is, I for one hope that this tough old bastard is raising as much hell there as he did here.
R.I.P. Lemmy.
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