Daddy Visits Motorhead

“It’s not so important where you go…    …..as long as you go…..”

I was getting ready to drive to Pennsylvania to see Lemmy when my father called. “I hear you’ll be in Pittsburg? he asked. That’s not very far from me here in Ohio. I haven’t been there in years!”
Having worked in the steel industry he had connections to Pittsburg, “The Steel City”.

“I wouldn’t mind driving out there. Maybe we can meet up?, he suggested.

“Well, would you like to see Motorhead? I’m sure Lemmy wouldn’t mind if you came backstage. What do you think?”

“Sure!” he said. “Exactly where will you be? I told him where the venue was and as I further explained he insisted he could find his own way. “See you there!” he said and hung up abruptly.

“Well, this will be interesting” I thought, rather excitedly. Both interesting and unique characters, my father and Lemmy were very much alike in many ways. I wondered if they’d immediately take to each other and be fast drinking companions or if there would be a competitive edge between them. It was a bit scary for me. My father could possibly embarrass me to tears, especially if he’s drinking. He was never as polite as Lemmy, and wouldn’t hesitate to cause a scene. It could be a disaster.

When I told Lemmy that my father was coming and asked if he could come backstage Lemmy was inviting and seemed intrigued to meet him.

Lemmy had met my sister Landa in Texas more than once, and although he seemed perplexed by her, he enjoyed her company and conversation. Landa was intelligent enough to keep up with him and it was fun listening to the banter between them.

I went to Dallas to see Landa once when Motorhead was in town and I’d heard that a local Northampton band in Massachusetts was playing with them. I knew these guys and loved them. All very good looking, they were also wild and untamed. The police shut down the show and they were banned from playing at the local bar in Northampton, Bay State Hotel, for onstage nudity and officially, “open and gross lewdness”. Nevertheless, they continued to play at Bay State under a different names!

As we pulled into the parking lot, before Landa even had a chance to come to a stop I saw Eugene, their drummer. I flew out of the car when I saw him and jumped into his arms as he swirled me around. It was a delightful surprise to see them, all of us from Northampton transplanted to Texas!

I wondered what Lemmy would think of Unband. Not knowledgeable about the music I wouldn’t presume to judge them. I loved their energy and distinct personalities. I thought of them as “baby rock n rollers”. Lemmy thought they were really good so that was nice to hear.

In stark contrast, when Lemmy met my sister Lauretta in Maine, her usual cranky self, she was a lump on the barstool with a judgmental attitude which he picked up on immediately as Laurie glowered at him. Knowing I held Lemmy in high esteem and that I had been enamored of him from the day I met him, as soon as he’d walked away from us she said to me “He’s the ugliest man I’ve ever met!” I suppose she’s always been mean, though I’d never realized it in our youth.

On seeing the band that day in Portland, I had the pleasure of running into Cory Parks as she came down the stairs of the tour bus onto the sidewalk, half naked and in the process of dressing. There was nothing more than a brief acknowledgement between us. She was stunning and I’m not surprised Lemmy held her in high esteem. She was obviously someone special and her physique was amazing. I think this was before any body modifications she chose to undergo other than her tattoos.

In later years I saw her in New Jersey, still stunning with much larger breasts quite literally falling out of her skimpy bikini top while on stage, and with a large tattoo under her navel saying “Eat Me”. At that show the band thought it would be hilarious to blast Tom Jones to the audience before Nashville Pussy opened the show. Phil asked me and Klaus to look for attractive girls in the audience and invite them backstage after the show. We made our best effort while Ton Jones singing “Delilah” blared throughout the venue.
But my mind is wandering…

I waited anxiously for my father to arrive. While Lemmy and I passed the time I asked him if he would do another answering machine message on my mobile phone. He had decided to put a message on my phone before:

“Hello, Cynthia can’t come to the phone right now as she’s out in the garden, dancing with the pixies. Do call back and the hobgoblin will take a message!”

That charming message had been lost when I got a new phone. He was happy to do another:

“Cyn can’t come to the phone right now as she’s out in the garden dancing with the Pittsburg Steelers…learning a few new steps, you know…leave a message and maybe she’ll call you back…if she likes the sound of your voice”

I thought I should warn Lemmy that my father was of an eccentric nature.
“I hope he’ll wear something appropriate for the occasion. There’s not telling how he might turn up” I mused out loud.

Seeming annoyed that I would say such a thing Lemmy abruptly turned and snapped at me stating adamantly “He can wear whatever he wants!”

“Ok, I said, surprised at his staunch reply and relieved that Lemmy would take it in stride no matter what my father wore. They did have the very short shorts in common. He probably would also accept my father’s sometimes abrasive, and surely eccentric ways. I feel sure, had they met, that Lemmy would have been amused by my father and they would have had understood one another and would have had a strong connection in some way.

I regret to say that the meeting between Lemmy and my father never came about. My father did show up and borrowed a mobile phone from someone in the parking lot to call me. I didn’t answer, not recognizing the number, and fearing it might be Tom, not wanting to defend my going to see Lemmy yet again. But my father was out in the parking lot tailgating with Motorhead fans and was having a fine time. At least he heard the music. I imagine they might have loved one another, recognizing that they were cut from the same cloth, or hated one another in some kind of male competitiveness. I was very disappointed, and regret to this day that Lemmy never met my father. He probably would have embarrassed me though…

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