Today concludes the fantastic interview with Lemmy from the Times.

Lemmy on career choices:

After school he aspired to be a horse breaker but found work as a lathe operator. Rock’n’roll saved him from both. “It did one good thing for me, being a lathe operator,” Lemmy nods. “It convinced me I’d rather starve to f***ing death than go back. Some of my mates are still there, because they had nowhere to go.”

Lemmy on Jimi Hendrix, and the best acid in the world:

Already a face on the local band scene, Lemmy was lured to the London rock circuit in 1967. He served his apprenticeship as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix, spending eight months out of his mind on “the best acid in the world”, which was still legal. Hendrix remains a role model to this day, especially his refined manners, an unlikely personal watchword for Motorhead’s hacksaw-voiced road warrior.

Lemmy on Jimi Hendrix and his legendary manners:

"Jimi was an exceptionally nice geezer,” he nods. “Incredibly old-world manners. If a chick came into the room, he’d jump to his feet, didn’t matter if she was an old biddy or whatever. He’d pull out chairs for chicks, open doors for chicks. I do that and people laugh at me. They don’t cost anything, good manners.” 

Lemmy on politics:

“Live and let live is the cornerstone of my life,” he says. “I’m essentially an anarchist – you can’t trust people, you know? If you gave everybody the same amount of money tomorrow, in two weeks somebody, somewhere would have most of it.”

Lemmy on drugs:

Drugs are another of Lemmy’s personal crusades. His band may take their name from the slang term for an amphetamine addict, but he is personally disgusted by heroin, which killed one of his former girlfriends.

Lemmy on his penis named Percy and Viagra

In One Night Stand, a track on Motorhead’s most recent album, Kiss of Death, Lemmy proudly boasts of being a “slut all my life”. His longest ever relationship lasted three years, and even then he was sleeping with other women. He recently discovered the joys of Viagra. “I still use it, now and again,” he nods. “If Percy isn’t pointing at the pulchritude then he needs a bit of a push. What’s wrong with that?”

Lemmy on how many women he's pounded:

Lemmy claims to have bedded around 1,000 partners, give or take the odd 100. But he admits “the opportunities are dwindling now because I’m so old. But I’m not complaining, I still get enough to stay cheerful.”

Lemmy on being single:

Motorhead’s unlikely groupie magnet remains single partly because he disapproves of infidelity. “You can’t keep guys faithful,” he shrugs. “If people want to get married and then run around, that’s dishonest. If you’re going to get married, get f***ing married and that’s it. I never saw a chick that could stop me looking at all the others, so I didn’t.”

Lemmy on getting old:

"If you look as good as I do, why not?” he says with a wheeze of self-deprecating irony. “I don’t remember there being an age limit when I started. Thou shalt not go beyond 59? F*** that. The only thing that will stop me is if I become physically unable. But what is there in retirement that could possibly be better than what I’ve got?”

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