Amid the six-year anniversary of the death of Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister, Judas Priest rocker Rob Halford has shared memories about his close friend and fellow muso.
Speaking to Revolver, Halford opened up about his relationship with Lemmy, saying: “On a friendship level, I was always a little bit in awe of Lemmy because he was — and still is — this larger-than-life persona.
“When you talk to anybody about Lemmy, you see this mental picture in your head — the guy in the cowboy boots and the jeans and the bullet belt and the leather jacket and the moustache. His physical characteristics are really, really pronounced, so you’ve got all that wrapped up in his persona, as well.”
Halford added that it wasn’t just Lemmy’s looks that drew attention, saying his forthcoming attitude was what he “loved” about the rocker.
“There should be a book of Lemmy quotes, because he never held back,” Halford said.
“That’s what I loved about him. He epitomised this great virtue in rock and roll, which is not only music but speaking your mind. He always had an opinion on any matter in life, and it was always Lemmy-esque.
“He had a very unique way of looking at the world because he was a very smart man. He was a total bookworm and he loved his war history and memorabilia. His very astute way of talking and thinking made him remarkable.”
Love Metal?
Get the latest Metal news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
It comes following Halford revealing that he was one of a number of Lemmy’s close personal friends who received bullet casings filled with his ashes after his death.
“When Lemmy passed away, I had this beautiful opportunity to speak at his memorial. We had a great get-together; all of us musicians from all over the world, we met in Hollywood and we talked about Lemmy and his great life and the things that he’s left us.
“And then, not too far back, I get something in the mail from the Lemmy people; Lemmy’s office, his manager and everybody still work tirelessly to keep his name with us, as he always will be. They sent me — it’s a bullet, it’s a bullet with some of Lemmy’s ashes inside of it.”
He continued: “This is nuts. This is the kind of thing that Lemmy would have loved to have done. However you choose to interpret what I’ve just said, that’s entirely up to you.
“But to be thought of, to be brought into this small circle of friends where you actually own a little bit of Lemmy’s ashes and you wear it around your neck on a pendant and he’s close to your heart in the truest sense in terms of his mortal remains, that’s just mind-blowingly powerful.
“To use an object like that to carry his remains is just so Lemmy — it’s provocative, it makes you think, it makes you talk. But as far as having a beautiful part of Lemmy physically with me right now in my house, that’s just magical.”
Lemmy died in December 2015, aged 70. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer just two days before his death. The Motörhead icon had battled many health issues for the last few years of his life.
For more on this topic, follow the Metal Observer.
Check out Rob Halford on SpeedFreaks:
