Lemmy: 49% Motherf**ker, 51% Son of a Bitch

Review by Willard Manus

Lemmy Kilmister may be one of the last hardcore rockers left on earth. The Motorhead singer and bassist began playing harsh, unadorned, balls-to-the-wall rock music nearly four decades ago --and he's still going strong today.

For proof--and/or to learn more about him--check out LEMMY either on DVD, BluRay, digital download, or in select movie theatres. (The DVD is a two-disc set with four hours of bonus features). The documentary was shot by Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski over a three-year period and contains revealing footage of Lemmy in action, not just on international stages but in recording studios and even at home (a modest, rent-controlled Hollywood apartment packed with trinkets, photos and Nazi (!) paraphernalia).

LEMMY is also topheavy with interviews with the likes of Billy Joe Thornton, Joan Jett, pro wrestler Triple H, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Metallica, Slash, Mick Jones and Jarvis Cocker, to name but a few. All of these admirers pay tribute to and tell funny or even rude stories about Lemmy, who lives as boldly as the music he plays, powered (as he admits) by "Jim Beam, uppers and strippers."

Modesty and honesty are the key words that describe Lemmy. Those qualities spill over into the way he approaches rock--with a tough, uncompromising attitude. He has played ferociously from the time he first stepped on a stage as a teenager, and nothing has changed since then. Which is why people around the world respond so viscerally to his music.

As Variety said in a review, LEMMY "rocks." The film also touches the heart and soul.

Motorhead is currently celebrating its 35th anniversary. The Grammy-winning band has just released a new album, The World is Yours, and is currently on tour in North America.