“Lemmy would want to be remembered as a man of integrity, and a true rock’n’roller,” says Motorhead star Phil Campbell, of the band’s legendary frontman. “He was a one off.”
This weekend, fans can remember Lemmy this way as the late music star becomes permanently memorialised at Bloodstock – a UK metal festival which will now home some of his ashes in a specially commissioned bust.
Lemmy died in December 2015, aged 70, just days after being diagnosed with cancer and less than three weeks after appearing on stage in Berlin for what would be Motorhead’s final show.
Phil Campbell (left) with Lemmy at Glastonbury in June 2015. Pic: Jim Ross/Invision/AP
Since then, his spirit has lived on for his friends in bullets containing sprinklings of his ashes – with Metallica’s James Hetfield enshrining his in an Ace Of Spades inking on his right middle finger.
Now, fans get to pay their respects Lemmy style too, as the bust is unveiled along with an exhibition of memorabilia, previously unseen photographs and a recreation of the singer’s dressing room at the Bloodstock Festival in Derbyshire.
Campbell, who will speak at the event on Friday to pay tribute, told Sky News it is “a great way” to remember his friend and “true pioneer”, one of the most iconic rock stars of all time.
“People will be able to go and, share their thoughts with Lem or whatever they want to do,” he said. “Or scream and shout at him or whatever, for playing too loud. I often did.”
Alan and Vicky Hungerford, who run the Bloodstock Festival, met through Alan’s work as Lemmy’s PA and security guard
‘He was one of those unbelievable characters’
Bloodstock is one of only a few places around the world to house the ashes of the Motorhead star, along with his much-loved Rainbow Bar & Grill, in West Hollywood.
After the festival, they will be taken to music venue Rock City, in Nottingham, via Harley Davidson escort, but will return each year to “keep flying the flag for the great guy that he was”.
Formed in the 1970s by Lemmy, whose real name was Ian Kilmister, Motorhead went on to release more than 20 albums, with hits including Overkill, Iron Fist and Ace Of Spades.
Lemmy’s slot machine, which he would take on tour, is among items going on display at Bloodstock
Lemmy was always known as one of rock’s hardest-partying stars. “I still always remember a great quote,” the band’s manager Todd Singerman told Sky News following his death. “Lemmy from Motorhead makes Keith Richards from the Stones look like a Golden Girl.”
Campbell, who joined the band to play guitar in the mid-’80s, describes it as “one hell of a ride”. Lemmy always “lived life his own way”, he said, but “cared a lot” about the fans and the music he made.
“When he formed Motorhead, he told me, he basically just wanted to form an unforgettable rock’n’roll band,” Campbell said. “So I think he achieved his wish there, definitely.
“I miss Lem every day… there’s never a day goes by when I don’t think about him. He’s just one of those unbelievable characters, really. He was intelligent, kind, had lots of empathy for people. Very humorous. There’s not many people like that about anymore. So it’s great for him to be remembered and he definitely will be remembered all over the world.”
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The ashes bullet that panicked airport security
Campbell was also among the recipients of the famous Lemmy bullets. “I used to wear [it] around my neck,” he says. “But I had trouble getting through security the other month at the airport. They did let me through when I explained what it was, but it took a while to convince them. I had to go on the internet and show them it was a piece of jewellery, not a real bullet. So I don’t take that abroad anymore, but… it’s a great thing.”
Bloodstock is run by Vicky and Alan Hungerford – who met through Lemmy while Alan was working for the music star as his personal assistant and security guard. Like Campbell, they also have ashes bullets to remember him by.
“Lemmy was just amazing,” said Alan. “Every story you ever hear about him, no matter how fictitious it sounds, I can pretty much guarantee it’s true.”
Clothing including boots and the star’s famous hat will also be available for fans to see
The hat, the boots – and Milky Way chocolates
“I don’t think there’ll ever be another Lemmy,” said Vicky. “There won’t be another, in my opinion, ultimate rock and roll star like Lem.”
When details of the Bloodstock tribute were announced earlier this year, Singerman described the couple as “basically family of Lemmy” and said the festival had always been special to the singer.
The exhibition includes everything from his famous hat and bass guitar, to personal items such as reading glasses and a jar of his beloved Milky Way chocolates, as well as a slot machine he would take with him to play on the road, and a plaque commemorating the sold-out tour scheduled to start the month after his death.
It has been “emotional” looking back through the memorabilia, both Vicky and Alan said.
“I think a lot of people are going to find it a very emotional weekend,” said Vicky. “We want this to be the biggest celebration of Lemmy and Motorhead, especially in the UK, that anyone’s ever seen.”
“I love it because I looked after him in real life and now I get to look after him partly in the afterlife,” said Alan. “So I’m still stuck with him.”
Bloodstock heavy metal festival is on at Catton Park in Derbyshire from 8 to 11 August, with headliners Opeth, Architechts and Amon Amarth