Great book, but the audible version is horrifically bad. They got some American woman to read it, very, very badly. She mispronounced everything, I understood why she might mispronounce some English place names, but she was getting standard words wrong that are no different in US English. And it was full of bad editing, she was constantly stumbling then repeating, why were these not edited out? So, a great book to read, but avoid the audible version.

It's an all right auto-bio I suppose. Because fucking his way through an endless crop of 15-20 year olds and having everyone around you overdosing constantly was blase to Lemmy, he manages to make it pretty blase to readers, too. Perhaps because he's never overcome with self-doubt nor even seems to ever entertain the concept, he skates through this book as though life was but a dream. From Hawkwind to Motorhead he's in very volatile bands which churn members constantly, but as it's just business as usual for Lemmy it's not particularly dramatic. Even when his friendships burn out due to endless touring or interpersonal relations he laughs it off so it's hard to really get drawn in emotionally.

Additionally he spends a lot of time sneering at feminists, while declaiming passionately his support for women in rock and it gets a little tired. Or complaining that the US govt coddles illegal immigrants while complaining that he missed out on the amnesty. I dunno fella.

He's amusing, I got some chuckles along the way, but the story lacks any real moments of 'and we almost gave up' or 'and the plane almost crashed' and while bonne chance that life was that good, it does seem like the overall tale is a little bland.

Lem's a fascinating character.

An enjoyable easy read.

Got this around the time Lemmy died, finally got around to reading it. A lot of fun for folks that liked Lemmy's candor and storytelling or those who like interesting stories about drugs, rock, and life through an insider's eyes. Lemmy will make you laugh at quite a bit you might not have otherwise and startle you with some darker truths as well.

I read a fair number of biographies and I can't say it's particularly common for me coming away saying, "I wish I didn't know that person as well as I do."

Lemmy is a meme. He's sort of an embodied expression of what people think of when they think of being a "bad-ass rock and roller," and has been for a very long time. To that point, it's easy to really get in to the idea of that image and lifestyle and glorify the person living it out.

At the same time, I'm not one to use the phrase, "OK Boomer" often, but it's so common throughout this where he talks about younger people being weak, then being mad about punks and other rebellious subcultures not going about being rebellious right, then talks about how young people aren't as rebellious as people were in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. "Rock and roll isn't made for old people! I will never grow old!" says Old Man after telling kids to get off his lawn.

There are a lot of annoying contradictions throughout the book as well, like Lemmy talking about how he gets mad about "feminists giving him a hard time when he's helped so many women rockers get a break," while basically always adding something about their physical appearance along with whatever positive qualities he attributed to them.

And I suppose we can argue, "He's a product of his time," and honestly, "What can we expect from a musician who got into music to get laid?" I'll say Willie Nelson, Phil Collins, Keith Richards, and any number of other musicians who got into music for the same reason and alive in the same time frame had some reflexivity. Willie Nelson married a couple of times and discovered his image. Phil Collins just kept getting divorced and found the Alamo. Keith Richards found eternal life and some side projects. Lemmy's autobiography isn't particularly compelling because while he's sort of known for being this stalwart figure who doesn't change, the thing that makes an autobiography is growth, is showing vulnerability, and really fleshing out who you are as a person.

Lemmy really doesn't do that, which makes for a book that turns pretty boring as it sticks to sexual exploits, issues with record labels, and him spouting off shallow arguments against people he disagrees with. I kept the book at a two because it is readable, and I'll say that it has sort of the, "Hanging out with someone telling stories at a bar" vibe, but it was disappointing as a biography goes.

easily one of my favourite books this year. this book is so... LEMMY. i could practically hear him narrating it. super-fantastic.