Revolver has teamed with Motörhead for a special fan bundle featuring a silver vinyl variant of 1979's Bomber plus an exclusive 8x12 hand-numbered Lemmy photo print. Get yours before they're gone!
December 28th, 2015, was a shitty day for rock & roll. That was the date Motörhead bassist, vocalist and all-around mastermind Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister left this earthly plane — just four days after his 70th birthday. And while Motörhead were obviously one of the greatest bands of all time, Lemmy was so much more than a musician or frontman. With a Jack-and-Coke in one hand and a smoke in the other, he could hold forth on anything from the Beatles (whom he actually saw live) and Jimi Hendrix (for whom he roadied and scored acid) to World War II (he was something of an expert on the subject) and life in general. All with incisive wit, humor and zero fucks given.
To commemorate the passing of this one-of-a-kind human, we reached out to some folks who knew and/or admired him. Which is why we got in touch with WWE commentator and former pro wrestler Corey Graves, who recently did a video interview for Revolver in which he showed off his favorite T-shirt — featuring Lemmy's unmistakable face.
WATCHING THAT VIDEO PIECE ABOUT YOUR LEMMY SHIRT, I COULDN'T HELP BUT NOTICE THE LEMMY PAINTING ON THE WALL BEHIND YOU. WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?
COREY GRAVES I was living in Tampa at the time — this was like eight or nine years ago—and there was a cool little craft beer bar that would display local art on the walls that you could buy. I had just gotten a raise for the first time, and I was like, "You know what? I'm gonna do the adult thing and buy some art." So I was in there drinking one day and asked how much the Lemmy painting was — it was a couple hundred bucks, I think. So I waited until payday and then I went over there and bought the thing. To this day, it's my most prized possession. It's the first thing I bought for myself as a successful adult, if you want to call it that.
DO YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE MOTÖRHEAD SHIRT?
I have multiple, but most them are the standard Motörhead shirt. I have one that has red font, one that has white, and then my beloved Lemmy shirt. As long as Motörhead has been around, they don't seem to have a lot of variation in their merch. It's all the same demon logo.
YOU ONCE SPENT AN AFTERNOON INTERVIEWING LEMMY WITH FELLOW WRESTLER TRIPLE H. TELL US ABOUT THAT.
I remember finding out at the last minute that I was even gonna be a part of it. I think they already had something scheduled with Lem, and then I got a buzz from our music department a day or two before asking me if I wanted to do it. ... I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity, so I jumped on a plane and flew out to LA, did the interview, and then flew back the same night. But I remember it was like sitting down to interview Santa Claus, because Lemmy is such an icon. To meet him in the flesh and see how laid-back and wise he was — it was just so cool.
IT SEEMS LIKE MOST CONVERSATIONS WITH LEMMY USUALLY INVOLVED HIM IMPARTING SOME WORDS OF WISDOM, WHETHER INTENTIONALLY OR NOT. DO YOU REMEMBER ANYTHING LIKE THAT?
I just remember being enamored the entire time. His worldview was pretty simple. He didn't try to over-complicate things. He was the genuine article. He did things his way, and if you didn't like it, you could kiss his ass. They always tell you, "Never meet your heroes," but he was the exception because he was even cooler than I expected him to be.
HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INTO MOTÖRHEAD?
I worked in a record store from the time I was about 15, so I was exposed to all sorts of music. And most of the people I hung out with were a little older than me, so I had friends who would play me all kinds of great metal —Motörhead, Megadeth, all the staples. But what really solidified my fandom was the only time I got to see Motörhead live. It was here in Pittsburgh, at a place that used to be called the Star Lake Amphitheater. It was Motörhead, Dio and Iron Maiden.
I REMEMBER THAT TOUR. WHAT A KILLER LINEUP.
It was unbelievable. I remember it was still broad daylight when Motörhead went on — talk about someone owning not only the stage, but the whole venue. He came out and said, "We're Motörhead," and they just went into it. I'd always liked Motörhead, but that was the day where I thought, "This is the coolest band in the world."
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE MOTÖRHEAD SONG?
I'm a big fan of "Hellraiser." It's got that groove and that bass line, and it just rocks. I think it's kind of underrated, but they don't have any bad songs. I don't have CDs anymore, but I used to have this Motörhead greatest hits set, and you'd never have to hit skip when you were listening to it. All the songs are so similar, but somehow unique in their own way. You never get tired of it.
BEYOND THE MUSIC AND HIS VOICE AND HIS BASS TONE, IT SEEMS LIKE WHAT PEOPLE APPRECIATE MOST ABOUT LEMMY WAS HIS ATTITUDE.
I completely agree, and I would go as far as to say that if you had to put a face on rock & roll, it would be Lemmy. I mean, people who don't know Motörhead know Lemmy because he has such an iconic image — the facial hair, the hat — everything is so identifiable. Even if you were seeing him for the first time, you'd think, "That guy is rock & roll."
