After three years in the making and a long time coming, Lemmy – The Movie has finally landed! Now I admit that I was somewhat sceptical about this when I first heard about it, I had visions of endless hordes of ageing rock stars brown nosing Lemmy and saying what a top guy he is etc etc. Fortunately, by and large, the directors (Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski) have managed to avoid this. Of course there is a long line of musicians and associates talking about Lemmy but in the main their stories tend to be honest and sincere accounts of when they met or amusing incidents and with the odd exception steer well clear of being sycophantic.
As you might expect there is a biographical element to the film, stretching back to his time in The Rockin' Vicars, roadying for Hendrix, through his tenure as Hawkwind bassist and of course the various Motorhead line ups. There isn't really that much in here that any long time fan won't have seen or read before but it's a good story and there are some interesting interviews with the likes of Fast Eddie Clarke.
Most of the film concerns Greg and Wes following Lemmy as he goes about his daily business (shopping for cds in Ameoba, drinking at the Rainbow Bar etc) and it's an interesting insight, as each piece features short interviews with the man himself. The real gold here though is when they get inside Lemmys LA flat, which is a rather chaotic place to say the least! It's full of Motorhead memorabilia and gifts from fans as well as his famed collection of Nazi memorabilia. As he becomes more relaxed around the film makers Lemmy becomes more open and candid and you do get to see a side of him that is usually hidden behind his public persona. He doesn't always come across as a likeable chap but as Ozzy Osbourne remarks in the film, Lemmy "couldn't give a shit". In many ways that's what makes the film work, excuse the pun but it's pretty much warts and all, what you see is what you get, both good and bad and that makes it believable.
There is of course a healthy slab of footage of him with Motorhead, both in the studio and on the road as well as guest spots with Metallica. Every segment is punctuated with anecdotes from old friends and associates ranging from Slash to Mick Jones, Captain Sensible and even Jarvis Cocker. There is enough of a rockumentary feel about it to make it interesting for the casual observer, whilst at the same time having plenty of detail and insight to satisfy the long time fan. There is a bonus disc of extras, which I have to confess I possibly enjoyed more than the actual film! There is some live footage of Motorhead followed by a string of lengthy interviews with other members of Motorhead (past and present), the full footage of his guest spot with Metallica and an interesting piece about the making of the film itself as well as a host of other short pieces.
Was it worth the wait? Yes probably. I doubt even the most ardent fan will find themselves watching it over and over again but as a documentary tribute to one of rock music's most enduring and influential characters it's a fine piece of work.