The frontman Slash called of his hero: “I appreciate everything about him”

Very few things can leave Slash starstruck these days. As one of the most esteemed guitarists in the world, he has effortlessly collaborated with music legends, from sharing the stage with The Rolling Stones and blues icons like BB King to contributing leads on Ray Charles albums. Despite these remarkable experiences, Slash admitted that one of the greatest thrills of his career was working with Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead.

Before Slash existed, Lemmy was the embodiment of what hard rock was supposed to sound like. He may not have had a guitar slung across his back, but by playing his bass as loud as possible and delivering every song with that raspy voice, he seemed to be the greatest bridge between old-school rock and roll and the modern sound of hard rock.

Lemmy never set out to reinvent the wheel. If asked about his life’s ambitions, he would probably have said he wanted to join a rock and roll band or get laid. Musically, he always gravitated towards songs that left a visceral feeling, whether it was Chuck Berry or Little Richard. Most of Motörhead’s material might seem like a far cry from that early version of rock and roll, but some of their most interesting turns come from going back to the roots of the genre, whether reinventing the wheel on “Another Perfect Day” or getting bluesier with age on the song “Whorehouse Blues” from the 2000s.

For Slash, Lemmy’s mentality as a working musician epitomized what a rock and roll figure should be. When cutting his solo album, Slash thought it made perfect sense to include Lemmy on a track. “Lemmy’s like one of my all-time f—ing heroes, and he’s a mate too. I really appreciate everything about him. I asked him to play on the record because it just seemed like one of the coolest things to do. He came in, and he wrote these great f—ing words – he’s such an awesome lyricist,” Slash shared.

The track “Doctor Alibi,” which Lemmy contributed to, could easily be his life story. Compared to the greatest bad boys of rock and roll, Lemmy could put Keith Richards to shame with how much excess he lived up to. He usually maintained an around-the-clock buzz with his traditional Jack Daniel’s and Coke on the road before heading back to the studio to cut another record. His lyrics about not listening to doctors’ warnings about his rock and roll habits could very well have mirrored a real conversation he had with a specialist.

Even in his final hours, Lemmy was determined to go out on his own terms. Diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer shortly before his passing, he still played until he dropped. He went through the touring circuit for as long as he could stand upright, tearing through songs like “Overkill.”

Slash saw a kinship in how Lemmy operated. Both had their fair share of wild behavior in their glory years, but there’s nothing that a kickass riff and some attitude couldn’t fix once the record button got pressed. Their collaboration stands as a testament to Lemmy’s undying influence and the timeless essence of rock and roll.