Lemmy (2010)

Ian Fraiser Kilmister, better known to the world as Lemmy Kilmister, is arguably the single most indefatigable character in the history of rock & roll. Born in 1945, Lemmy played in a handful of small-time British acts before joining the pioneering "space rock" band Hawkwind in 1971, and sang lead on their best-known song, "Silver Machine." But it was when Lemmy formed Motörhead in 1975 that he took his first steps toward becoming a living legend. Motörhead played heavy metal faster and louder than anyone dared in the mid-'70s, and their relentless aural assault, fueled by Lemmy's bruising staccato bass lines and howling leather-lunged vocals, ushered in a new era of metal and was a key influence on Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, and literally hundreds of other bands in heavy metal and punk. While Motörhead's albums have never enjoyed consistent success on the charts, the band has continued to tour tirelessly, and well into his sixties Lemmy plays and lives as hard as he ever has, rocking head-banging audiences around the world as he survives on a diet of red meat, bourbon, and cigarettes. Filmmakers Wes Orshoski and Greg Olliver spent three years following Lemmy on the road and chatting with him at his modest Los Angeles home, and Lemmy is a documentary that pays homage to the legendary father of speed metal as well as profiling the surprisingly quiet man behind the thunder. Featuring interviews with Dave Grohl, Ozzy Osbourne, James Hetfield, Billy Bob Thornton, Alice Cooper, and many more, Lemmy received its world premiere at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi