Lemmy

The documentary follows Lemmy Kilmister, founder and singer of Motörhead. The camera follows him at home, in the bar, on stage and on the tour bus. He lives in a small flat in Los Angeles; it is packed full and there is no order to it. He goes to the same bar every day and plays the same machine. The narrative goes back as well: the Hawkwind years, being thrown out of the band, the founding of Motörhead and how the sound was found. Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski direct. The documentary dates from 2010 and the filming spread over three years. Those who speak include musicians he worked with and names who grew up listening to him. What the narrative builds is not legend but daily life; the documentary shows Lemmy not as a large figure but as a man living by his habits. The sections on the press and the band's commercial standing are direct; Motörhead never entered the ranks of the biggest groups and the film does not hide it. The section on his collection is the most talked about; Lemmy is shown collecting objects from the Second World War and explains it himself. Its limit is distance; the film admires its subject and there is little critical view. It is long and loosely structured; the documentary proceeds in sections. Who it is for: viewers who like the history of rock and documentaries about musicians. Who it is not for: the structure is loose, there is little new information, and the register is admiring.