Tuesday 2 July 2013

The Return of Lemmy.




You know when you watch a TV series and one of those flashback episodes comes on showing earlier episodes?
I hate them, it's a cheap cop out so they don't have to do any work that week if you ask me.

However, I am going to do pretty much the same this week and re-post something from a couple of years ago. Why am I doing this?  Because I am lazy. Enjoy.

It’s 1981 and a bunch of 15 year old lads from Halifax are excited to be out in in the big city. We'd travelled the 10 miles from our hometown by train and are here to see the world’s loudest, dirtiest, drunkest and wartiest band of the 80’s, Motorhead.

Dressed in the NWOBHM uniform of denim jackets with the sleeves torn off with band patches sewn all over them. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was at it’s height and there were more bands than there was time in the day to listen to them all.

I had a large patch sewn on the back of my jacket from the Fly By Night album cover by Rush. I didn’t even like Rush but they were metal so that as reason enough.

We got inside the venue an watched the first two support acts. First up were Lightning Raiders, who quite frankly weren’t going to get anywhere with that name, they sounded like a brand of confectionery.

Then came the forgettable Tank, I can’t comment on these as I don’t remember a thing about them.

The third act were Trust and these were much more interesting. These were a French metal band, the drummer Nicko McBrain joined Iron Maiden when they became massive. Their signature song Anti-social was covered by Anthrax a few years ago.

While these were on we were standing by the sound desk in the middle of the audience when my mate suddenly started pointing excitedly.


Look behind the sound desk, it’s Lemmy he said.

Sure enough there stood the Lemster himself, talking with the sound engineer and watching Trust while swigging a can of Carlsberg Special Brew and chain smoking Marlboros.

We couldn’t concentrate on Trust at this point, Lemmy would have to walk through the crowd to get out of the sound booth so this would give us a chance to get his autograph. The fact that none of us had pen or paper didn't occur to us. 

Sure enough near the end of Trust's set Lemmy stepped out into the crowd . No-one else seemed to notice although I don’t know how, to me he looked about nine feet tall. He made his way through the crowd away from us and we made our move. The biggest and oldest of us decided to get Lemmy’s attention by reaching out to tap him on the shoulder.

As he did so, Lemmy, for reasons known only to himself, turned around and my mate's finger accidentally poked him in the eye.

Lemmy let out a roar and flailed his arms around, spraying special Brew all over us. We did the only sensible thing and panicked, scattering into the crowd with visions of the concert being cancelled due to Lemmy being blinded and ourselves being lynched by enraged Motorheadbangers.

None of us washed our jackets after that, although to be honest we had never washed them before it and had no plans to wash them in the future, not with Lemmy's Special Brew all over them.

So we can say that we poked Lemmy in the eye and got away with it. 

Unless he reads this blog.


15 comments:

Rob Z Tobor said...

I think you will be OK even if he reads this as worse things have happened to him over the years....

SkippyMom said...

Ah concert memories, but I do have say yours is one of the better ones. Can't wait to send this along to Pooldad. He LOVED going to concert growing up - and he can probably relate to this. hee

And Rush is considered metal? I never knew, especially since Getty Lee is flutist. With a wicked, high pitched voice. I love 'em, but funnily enough it is the ONLY band that Pooldad and I disagree on. He can't stand 'em.

Great post, as always.

The Angry Lurker said...

I used to never like them but as I and they got older they grew on me like athletes foot, good story!

moztheroz said...

Good story mate. First band I saw in 1980 at Bradford. Met Lemmy outside and I took all my records for the band to sign, which they duly did but not before Lemmy bollocked me for bringing too many to get signed. Starstruck would sum it up, he was a gent, albeit a pissed gent.

Pat Hatt said...

Those clip shows are trash

Outcast said...

This story really made me laugh mate, I think that Moterhead are an absolute class act as a band, just a bad ass band of rock and rollers, this story makes him sound incredible bad ass haha, I can't believe your mate poked him in the eye!

Margaret said...

That is so funny. Your brush with fame and hooliganism all in one.

Janie Junebug said...

That's absolutely hilarious.

Love,
Janie

Jules said...

Born to raise Hell? True Brit style. I'm proud :)

Emmylou said...

This sounds like a scene from a Kevin Smith movie....hehe...memories, eh?

Al Penwasser said...

Nothing wrong with reruns. I enjoy them.
Except that Obama rerun from 2008.
And I can't even change the channel.

Anonymous said...

It may have been a re-run, but no complaints from this quarter. I have to read again to see if you still have the jacket.

Poster said...

lol this is great bro

Nicki Elson said...

I think you're reposting because you have a secret desire to be busted by Lemmy. I'm totaly right, aren't I?

Tara Tyler said...

boys never grow up, do they!
great story with a point! =)