(Source: Q magazine) 1916

"We never plan anything. We ain't that animal. We're too lazy. I hate rehearsing-if I can get out of it in any way, I'll do it. Some songs take half an hour to write, others take weeks. The fast ones are harder to write. But this time," Lemmy steers us around to their new album 1916, "We've just come up with a couple of songs that are different, though nobody will ever believe it."

Most different of all is the title track, a cello-accompanied ballad of a first World War Tommy, inspired by the testimony of old soldiers in Lions Led By Donkeys, a TV documentary on the Battle of the Somme. "All wars are stupid," snorts Lemmy, "but that was the stupidest."

(Source: Lemmy the autobiography-White line fever) Ace of spades

"We had a tap dancing part in 'Ace of Spades' - you know, ding-dang-dangady. We always imagined ourselves tap-dancing at that point. I used gambing metaphors, mostly cards and dice - when it comes to that sort of thing, I'm more into the slot machines actually, but you can't really sing about spinning fruit and the wheels coming down. Most of this song's just poker, really: 'I know you've got to see me read 'em and weep','Dead man's hand again, aces and eights'-that was Wild Bill Hickock's hand when he got shot. To be honest, although 'Ace of Spades' is a good song, I'm sick to death of it now. Two decades on, whenever people think of Motorhead, they think 'Ace os Spades'. We didn't become fossilized after that record, you know. We've had quite a few good releases since then. But the fans want to hear it so we still play it every night. For myself, I've had enough of that song."

(Source:Toast-trying to break his stereo) Nightmare/The Dreamtime

This track from the album 1916 contains this backwards message from Lemmy..


"Now tell me about your miserable little lives.
I do not subscribe to your superstitious, narrow minded, fucked up, paranoia!
I, and people like me will always prevail!
You will never stifle free speech in any country in the world, because we will die first!"


(this may not be 100% correct, if anyone knows better please PM me)

(Source:unknown magazine) Motorhead

"Yeah, theres definitely a story behind this song... It all happened when I was on tour in the states with Hawkwind. It was when I was about to get thrown out ('74), and we were staying at the Hyatt/Riot house hotel in Los Angeles and Ron Wood and Wizzard were in town staying at the same place. Suddenly, after all the usual excesses, I got the urge in the middle of the night to write a song. I ran downstairs to the Wizzard room and nabbed Roy's Ovation acoustic, then hurried back to mine. Alan Powell (the then Hawkwind drummer) was asleep, so I went out onto the balcony and howled away for about two hours. I mean there were cars stopping and listening and then driving off, and there I was on God knows what floor bashing out 'Motorhead' at the top of my voice!"

"Basically, the song is about speeding! 'Sky high and six thousand miles away' says it all. The six thousand miles is Los Angeles and the rest is self explanatory. And yes, I suppose I am the only person to be able to fit 'Parallelogram' into a Rock 'n' Roll number!"

"The original version of the song appeared on the B-side of Hawkwind's 'Kings of Speed' single (cut at Olympic studios in 1975) and it has quite an interesting violin part, if I remember rightly. In fact another version by Hawkwind came out not that long ago (on Flicknife records) with Dave Brock's vocals re-recorded over mine! Cheeky bastard!"
(Lemmy)

(Source: Lemmy the autobiography-White line fever) Metropolis

"Metropolis was another fast one. I went to see 'Metropolis', the movie, at the Electric Cinema in Portobello Road one night, then I came home and wrote the song in five minutes. The words don't make any sense, though. They're complete gibberish:
-----------
Metropolis, the worlds collide
Ain't nobody could be on your side
I don't care.
Metropolis is something new
Ain't nobody got their eyes on you
I don't care
-----------
See what I mean?"

(Source: unknown) kiss of Death

Interview with Lemmy, Phil and Mikkey on the making of the album

(Source:TheRoc.org) Bad Religion

ROC: Speaking about religion, on the new album you have the song "BAD RELIGION." What made you write that song?

Lemmy: Those bastards on TV. If you want to see obscenity in America it's not a pair of tits on MTV, it's those bastards on Sundays. Get some poor widow to send 'em in ten bucks and then she dies from hypothermia because she can't afford to put the fucking heat or electric power on. But they don't give a shit about that, they take the ten bucks and smile. 'And you shall have a seat on the right hand of God my dear, can you say hallelujah.' And she's choking agh-agh-agh as she tries to say hallelujah.


The full interview can be found here http://www.theroc.org/roc-mag/textarch/roc-10/roc10-06.htm

(source:Motorhead Forever-The unofficial site) Mikkey Dee - Drumming influences

MS: Who has been the biggest influence to you as a drummer as a young man?

MD: My uncle and my cousin cause I'm from a drum family. My uncle from the drifters in Sweden. My cousin played in several big bands. Were four drummers as relatives, no guitar players, no singers, just drummers. So they were my biggest inspiration, they actually got me playing drums, I was so impressed by playing. Then of course Ian Paice from Deep Purple, I was seven years old when I saw Deep Purple in 1970, my cousin took me to that concert with my mom, I couldn't go alone and that was it. He was the biggest. Then of course Brian Downey from Thin Lizzy, Neil Peart, Journey when they came with Steve Smith, great drummer, but Ian Paice is number one.

MS: He's still very good.

MD: Oh, he's fantastic he's the roundest drummer that ever lived in hard rock man.

MS: Are they any other bands that influenced you besides Deep Purple and Thin Lizzy?

MD: Yeah, Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath of course, I'm still a huge Blue Oyster Cult fan. Rainbow and of course the old '70s bands, I like a lot of bands. I listen to a lot of jazz.

MS: Gene Krupa?

MD: Buddy Rich more actually, Gene Krupa was a little older, incredible, but more Buddy Rich.


The full interview can be found here http://www.motorhead.ru/int39metalrules.htm

(Source: Classic Rock '08) Lemmy on song writing

(Source: Classic Albums-Ace of Spades. Thanks Motörheadbanger9)