Extended Q&A with Motorhead leader Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister

Lanky and long-haired, with mutton chops and moles, Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister looked and lived like a hard-rock hero. He founded Motorhead in 1975, and continued recording and touring with the band until his death. He began every legendary live show with the announcement, “We are Motorhead, and we play rock and roll!” The singer and bassist died Monday at age 70 after a brief battle with aggressive cancer, said his agent Andrew Goodfriend. He had learned of the diagnosis just two days earlier, according to a statement from the band. The following interview is from 2008:

Of the quotable quotes coughed up through the years by Motorhead leader and heavy-metal godfather Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, one perfectly describes the effect of his biker gang of a band:

"If Motorhead moved in next door to you, your lawn would die."

Despite a bulbous, mole-marked mug, and despite the cultivation of an ear-bleeding sound, the British singer and bass player and longtime Los Angeles resident comes off during an interview like a proper 62-year-old Englishman taking a break from his afternoon tea and crumpets. Here is Lemmy on his Grammy Award-winning band's latest album, Motorizer; living in the moment; why he loves it loud; and sunbathing:

Q: You're in Phoenix? Have you been outside today? I don't take you for much of a sun worshipper.

A: "I used to, actually. When I first came to L.A., I was so unused to the sun. I was out in it almost constantly. I looked like a Pakistani."

Q: Why have you lived in L.A. for almost 20 years?

A: "I couldn't live in England no more. It's 12 bucks for a gallon of gas over there. It's (expletive) stupid. I don't know how anyone can live there."

Q: You've been playing amphitheaters and arenas (with Judas Priest and Heaven and Hell -- the Ronnie James Dio version of Black Sabbath). Are you looking forward to -- or dreading -- playing Newport Music Hall-size spaces?

A: "I don't mind. You get the same show from us anywhere."

Q: Your new album, Motorizer , is your 20th. It doesn't sound like you've deviated much from the blueprints you've used since the '70s.

A: "Yeah, we haven't really slowed down too much, have we? But there are different things on different records but always within the genre. We probably should have our own category now: -- 'Motorhead.' "

Q: One new song really stands out -- The Thousand Names of God, which, I'm assuming is a commentary on the war in the Middle East.

A: "I think it's the best on the album. It doesn't grab you the first time. You have to listen to it a couple of times."

Q: When do you start writing lyrics to a song?

A: "On the day (of the recording). It's always pretty much under the knife. We always wrote like that. It suits us. When (drummer) Mikkey (Dee) joined us, he couldn't believe it. He was horrified. He said, 'You cannot work like this!' I said, 'Yeah, you can. Look.' "

Q: When did you stop worrying about anything?

A: "You've got to take things into consideration but you can't worry about anything. Just be prepared like the Boy Scouts, you know? As long as you know what the (expletive) you're doing in the first place then you shouldn't have much trouble."

Q: The first time I saw Motorhead, I thought, "'This doesn't sound so much like metal as it does Little Richard and Chuck Berry on speed and steroids." As far as music goes, does your influence stop at '50s and '60s rock?

A: "Oh, no, no. MC5 were big, and lately -- and you won't believe this -- but I've been listening to a lot of Evanescence. The production, I was reminded of the late-Beatles stuff."

Q: Can you recall anything about writing the lyrics to any Motorhead song - Ace of Spades or maybe Shake Your Blood ?

A: "I was in the studio writing them. All of them, really. That's where I do my best stuff -- panicked, under the clock, with people going, 'Hurry up! Hurry up! We've only got two hours left!' "

Q: What are the broad subjects of every Motorhead song?

A: "Sex, death and war. And justice. There's no shortage of lyrics there."

Q: Do you do anything to preserve your voice?

A: "Nah. Out it comes, you know. I have sort of a high voice, really. If you're singing along to something like Killed by Death, it's tough."

Q: What do you like about the volume of the music you play?

A: "Well, it's supposed to be loud, isn't it? I mean, what's the point of quiet rock 'n' roll? You can have ballads and things, but you always have to go back to the killer punch at the end. I just always liked it loud. That's why I always liked Little Richard because he was about as loud as it got back then. I mean, you had Elvis with his well-mannered backing group the Jordanaires humming along, and then you had Little Richard, and it's like, 'Oh, there it is. That's the stuff I was looking for!' "

Q: Do people miss that in Motorhead? I mean, even during a song like Killed by Death you're singing it with a smile.

A: "They miss a lot in Motorhead. They think we're dumb. It just doesn't work that way. Everybody thinks everybody in a metal band or a heavy band is stupid but I don't know why. They're some of the best technicians, especially on guitar, in the world. And bass, I hasten to add. And if you watch our drummer do a drum solo you'll go away scratching your head if you think he's stupid."

Q: Why have you always sung with the microphone stand positioned above your head?

A: "If it's up there I don't have to look at the audience. In the early days, there was very often no audience. We played to empty places. But it's also easier to get the notes out. Straight out the windpipe, you know."

Q: So, the famous moles on your face -- has a doctor ever said, 'Wow, maybe we should remove those' "?

A: "No. It's kind of suspect, isn't it? They probably want me to die."

Q: If you had one thing to do over what would it be?

A: "There's no room for regrets, man. It's too late anyway. You shouldn't spend the rest of your life thinking about what you did wrong. You should try and make it right next time."

Q: You will turn 63 on Christmas Eve. Do you have any birthday plans?

A: "No, I go and hide in Vegas, usually. I don't want to go and stand around at some tedious party with everybody going, 'Oh, Lemmy, you're 63? Yeah, fantastic.' No thanks, man. I like going up to Vegas, lose a bit of money, win a bit of money, whatever."

Q: You started Motorhead in '75. Had you known then that you'd signed yourself up for 34 years of this, would you have done it?

A: "It's (expletive) ridiculous. If you'd have said that to me 34 years ago I'd have said (expletive) off."

Q: How has your health regimen changed in 34 years?

A: "On the road it hasn't much except that we used to take a lot more drugs because they were cheaper."

Q: How have you managed to still be on your feet?

A: "Pure dumb luck. Everything in your life is pure dumb luck. It isn't the Lord; it's whether you're still the one standing when all of the (expletive) settles down."