Be humble and always wear black — life lessons from Lemmy …

On December 28, 2015 — just four days after his 70th birthday — Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister passed away in his West Hollywood apartment. His death proving that even rock gods are mortal, no matter how unlikely it may seem …

From touring with Jimi Hendrix in the ‘60s, to spending over 40 years as the whiskey-and-cig voiced lead singer of Motörhead, Lemmy was the embodiment of all that Rock ’N’ Roll can be. But the death of him marks the end of an era; there will never be another like him. Surely anyone brave enough to try and recreate his lifestyle would die almost instantly of an amphetamine overdose, alcohol intoxication or literally drown in sea of pussy by the time they reach the age of 30. He was the physical manifestation of excess.

As it stands, we still have Ozzy and Keith Richards sitting comfortable on Team Unkillable, two legends who have toned down their lifestyle. But Lemmy, he lived fast and loud untill his final days — drinking, smoking, and doing speed until the very end. Motörhead played what would be its final show on Dec 11 in Berlin (video below), with a European tour scheduled to start this January. What a fucking badass.

Though he is now likely playing sold out shows in some sort of afterworld alongside other greats, my favorite rock icon taught me some things about life while he was still a living rock legend here on earth. 

Looks never matter if you're a badass …

Lemmy was one of the ugliest motherfuckers on earth, and knew it, but still managed to get down with well over 1,000 women in his day. One report put the number at 2,000, but Lemmy quickly responded to the claim by saying: "There was a magazine in England who said I screwed 2,000 women and I didn't, I said 1,000." But even bedding 1,000 women while having two baseball sized moles on his face is an accomplishment. Oh, you have acne and cant get ladies? Fuck you, start a band. That’s what Lemmy did.

Quitting is for losers …

When Lemmy was kicked out of his first band for “doing the wrong drugs,” did he give up? Fuck no. He started Motörhead, which would go on to play for 40 years, record 22 studio albums and play thousands of shows while entertaining millions.

When Lemmy’s health began to fail in 2013, did he give up the hardcore lifestyle? Fuck no. He started drinking a bottle of vodka a day instead of a bottle of Jack. Was Lemmy going to stop smoking after starting at age 13? What do you think? He lived fast until the day he died.

Be yourself …

Lemmy was a rock star, and had no interest in being anything else. In the early days he spent time living in abandoned apartments and rooming with The Hells Angles motorcycle gang to save money and keep the dream alive (and do inconceivable amounts of drugs). He wasn’t a family man, and he wasn’t a reality TV star. Anyone that wanted to change that could piss right off.

Stay humble …

Though he was a millionaire many times over, Lemmy still lived in the shitty two bedroom Hollywood apartment he had for over 20 years. He never had a fancy car — in fact he never had a drivers license. On any given night, when he wasn’t touring, you could find him at Rainbow Bar, his favorite dive in LA, drinking the entire supply of whiskey and making women swoon from 40 feet away while he played his favorite arcade games.  

Wear black …

Besides the occasional denim vest, Lemmy didn’t own a single piece of clothing that wasn’t black. Black was his uniform — an extension of his personality and outlook on the world. It also made him look like an absolute badass 24/7. If you want to be taken seriously, the only option is to wear unassuming colors. No one has ever been intimidated by someone wearing yellow from head to toe. Colors make you look soft, and Lemmy figured that out way back in 1945. So take that ROYGBIV and shove it up your ass.