In 2005 Nickelback sang about us all wanting to be ‘big rockstars’ and listed all of the associated perks such as getting ‘a front door key to the Playboy mansion’ and hiring ‘eight body guards that love to beat up assholes’. There was certainly a slither of irony involved and we might not all have wanted the specifics they mentioned but we’ve all dreamt of being a metal legend at some point and imagined how we would have lived our lives differently. Some people don’t just dream it, they live it – here’s how 3x metal legends lived their lives.
Lemmy Kilmister
Ian Fraser Kilmister, aka Lemmy Kilmister lived the metal dream which took him from humble beginnings born on Christmas Eve in Stoke-on-Trent through to fronting Motorhead and finally passing away at the age of 70 in Los Angeles. Motorhead’s success peaked in 1980 and 1981 with the album No Sleep ‘til Hammersmith and the hit single “Ace of Spades”. Overall they released 22 studio albums, 10 live recordings, 12 compilations albums and five EPs over a career spanning 40 years.
It wasn’t a case of the quiet life away from the recording studio for Lemmy. Aside from his musical accomplishments he was famed for chain smoking and regular consumption of alcohol and amphetamines – a hard-living metal lifestyle. He also spent five days in jail in 1975 after being arrested at the Canada / USA border in Ontario on drug possession charges. But he also loved gambling with the poker videogame he regularly played at Sunset Strip’s Rainbow Bar and Grill rumoured to have been brought into his home shortly before his death. After he passed away, a Motorhead slot machine was launched online by NetEnt with “Ace of Spades” as the soundtrack. John from Casumobonus.com commented that he was “one of Motorhead’s biggest fans and in complete awe of the rock n roll lifestyle of Lemmy Kilmister”
Jeff Hanneman
Jeffrey John Hanneman was born in Oakland, California in 1964 and is best known for being a founding member of American thrash metal band Slayer. He wrote some of the band’s most popular songs like “Angel of Death”, “Raining Blood”, “War ensemble”, “South of Heaven” and “Seasons in the Abyss” before his death from liver failure on May 2nd 2013. Slayer was formed in 1981 and began by playing cover songs at parties and clubs in Southern California. They continue to this day with a farewell tour scheduled for 2018. Hanneman lived his life in the way metal legends do – differently and partying hard. He had a morbid fascination with Nazi Germany and included lyrics related to them and their history in his songs. During the mid-eighties cocaine use became the norm for Jeff but apart from that he wasn’t a fan of hard drugs. He loved his beer and parties and was famous for having a tall Coors Light can in his hand all day.
Ronnie James Dio
Not many people manage to popularise their own hand gesture but Dio managed this with aplomb. The next time you see someone make the “metal horns” think of Ronnie James Dio who died at the age of 67 in Los Angeles in 2010. As with any metal legend, he didn’t blend into the background. In life he fronted groups such as Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hell – and in death was inducted into the Hall of Heavy Metal History in January 2017. However, this isn’t a typical story of booze, drugs and casino memberships. Dio was a fan of opera in his youth and post-gigs at his peak he was most likely to be found signing autographs or on the phone to his wife. Many have credited his powerful singing voice to him not living the typical metal life; he never had any singing lessons and put his ability down to transferring his breathing techniques from trumpeting. When he passed away a public memorial service was held at The Hall of Liberty, Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills. Former and current band members joined friends and family members in giving speeches and performing in tribute to Dio.
We don’t all live the same lives and metal legends are no different. Some like to drink and gamble their way through life while others just deliver fantastic music. Nickelback weren’t far off talking about needing “a credit card that’s got no limit” and your “own star on Hollywood Boulevard” – however they lived their lives, we’d all like at least a little bit of it!
