The FANTASY is so much better….

You know how sometimes, when you have a secret crush on someone, you create all those wonderful fantasies in your mind, of what that person is like?
And then, one day, when you actually get to KNOW that person, and you see all their flaws, the fantasy dies right there. It was all in your mind. You created that perfect person. There ARE no perfect people, and the disappointment is very real.

Well… it’s the same with rock stars.

im-tired-of-pretending-im-not-a-total-bitchin-rock-star-from-mars-quote-1

I’ve had the opportunity to get to know some of my teenage idols on a more realistic, human level, and it didn’t always go down too well.
It’s no wonder when you think about it. Because their music means a lot to you, so you think of the person who created it, as someone extraordinary.

When I was a teenager, rock stars were freaking GODS! They were larger than life, they were aliens, they were simply not regular people. Heck, I couldn’t even imagine that they went to the toilet like other human beings. They were from another planet and much like Wayne and Garth I would be like this:

So the leap from THAT to reality can be pretty harsh.

Suddenly you get to see the human side of these “gods”.
The primadonna behavior, the sad alcoholics and drug addicts who can’t even make it to the bathroom without the help of someone who drags them there, guys acting like pigs, treating women like trash, or even worse – treating their fans like trash.
Like one who shall remain nameless, who totally ignored a 10-year old boy who’d been waiting for him all day long with a poster he was hoping to get signed. There was nobody there, and the “Rock Star” didn’t as much as look at him. He walked right past him and treated the kid like he was invisible.

There was another Rock Star who I had idolized for a while, who I got to know as a friend over the years, and realized he was a whiny bastard who thought the whole world owed him something.
He accepted no flaws in other people, but expected everybody to accept and forgive him for HIS.

I was disappointed and for a while there I couldn’t even listen to his music because it had been somehow ruined by the realization of who he truly WAS. I would have been better off if I had never found out.

6

Same with another dude who I thought was a fantastic performer, whose records I would play over and over again… We got to know eachother well cause I was on so many tours, press conferences and interviews, it just naturally got that way.

And although I liked his personality sometimes, he could quickly and easily transform into this terrible egoistic asshole who I wanted nothing to do with.
The friendship had its ups and downs but I couldn’t stay a “fan” after that. When he was on stage he was a friend who was living his dream with his pals, the band. Not the Larger Than Life unobtainable Rock Star. Far from it.

These experiences taught me something. The Fantasy is better.

They can be whoever you want them to be. They can mean whatever you want them to mean to you, because you create their personalities in your own mind, and that way they remain the amazing Stars whose music means the world to you. They can never disappoint you, if you never get to know them.

Learning this made it easier to make my own decisions on who I wanted to befriend and who I would deliberately keep at a distance as much as possible, so that I could enjoy what they and their MUSIC has meant to me, without ruining it by getting to know them.

670px-Be-a-Groupie-Step-2

Rob Halford of Judas Priest would be one of those people. He’s the ultimate god because he and Judas Priest have meant so much in my life, it’s beyond what I could even explain. I wouldn’t be sitting here today writing about my life in the music biz, because without Priest it wouldn’t even have happened.

I’ve met Rob several times since that very first meeting back in 1990. I’ve talked to Rob on the phone many times. And I’ve been at hotels, backstage and on tour buses with Priest and with his own band Halford through the years. BUT, I’ve made sure to keep it on a very, very professional and manageable level. I didn’t want to even attempt to make friends with Rob on a level that I would consider a “real” friendship, because I want to keep him on his Metal God status forever.

It’s a conscious choice. I like Rob Halford a lot. I think he’s a great man and I have nothing bad to say about him whatsoever. I haven’t seen any bad sides of him, on the contrary, he’s been a very kind and inspiring man to talk to.

1510407_1395531710696775_1340663784_n

Others have been keen on telling me the “nasty details” about him, as if I wanted to hear about it. I’ve even told people NOT to tell me anything bad, if it’s truly bad, because I don’t want to know. It doesn’t bring anything I want to my life.

The way I look at it is this… Rock stars are two different people in one:
The STAGE persona – the side that the world gets to see, the person whose lyrics and music can be interpreted any way you want, and have it mean anything you need or want it to be. That’s the ROCK STAR side.

Then you have the PERSON, the human being, the one who might disappoint you because he/she doesn’t fit YOUR image of them. The person whose personality might be the exact opposite of what you see on stage. And in most cases, the stage person is NOT who you will meet once the spotlights are off.

Sometimes they’re better people in real life than they want the world to see when they’re playing the act of the Rock Star they want to be. Sometimes it’s the opposite. If you can’t handle the truth, then don’t seek it. That’s how I’ve dealt with it.

It’s not that I’m naive by any means. I know exactly how it is and somewhere in the back of my head, I also know that some of the “bad” things that people have told me about my “idols” are true – I just choose to block it out because I want the positive side of them to brighten my life.

lead_guitarist_groupies_wanted_by_deanfenechanimations-d46mfho

Take David Coverdale for example. I’ve heard from so many people through the years how mean he can be to people, how egoistic and unpleasant he can be. Some of the stories have shocked me, why would someone BE like that at all?
But then I shove it aside because he’s been nice to ME through the years. ALWAYS. He’s made me feel good with his music, his voice . and the way he’s treated me every time he’s seen me – whether it was at an interview, a press conference, at a hotel or in a crowd – he has always had a smile to spare and a few lovely, kind compliments. So I simply choose to love THAT David Coverdale. Not that other person that other people have been unfortunate enough to experience.

12932639_1701406160109327_6431649409195816083_n

Or Lita Ford. Twenty years ago I was talking to two guys who had been on tour with her, and they had a few select stories to tell about the chick I thought was so badass. She wasn’t badass, she was simply not a person you wanted to be around, apparently.

They weren’t the only ones who were less than impressed by miss Ford, to say the least, I’ve heard it a few times, so I’m aware of that too.

However – she’s played a BIG role in my life as well, serving as an inspiration and role-model in a world that was reserved for men. NOW people can’t understand what I’m talking about, because the scene has changed so much since the early 80’s, but back THEN it was a different ball game. There was no one to show you who you could be, what you could do, what you should look like as a young, female rocker.

For a teenager who needed “guidance”, Lita Ford was the heavy metal goddess. Regardless who she was behind the scenes, what she did, who she treated badly or who she screwed – to ME she was the icon who showed that you COULD be in charge of your own destiny, you COULD be respected in a male dominated world, you could be sexy and feminine without being a stupid slutty bimbo, and you could be in metal without looking like a dude (all the other girls looked like dudes – Joan Jett, Girlschool, Rock Goddess, it was just very much jeans and t-shirts, whereas Lita walked around in high heels and fishnet stockings. Somehow that appealed more to me than the “dude style”).

When I finally met her, for that interview in Malmo a few years ago (I was happy to find a pic of that meeting in her biography recenty!) she was just the way I imagined her and I could relate to so many things she said. The IDEA of her, and MY experience of her in REALITY was the same.

That doesn’t mean that she isn’t a pain in the butt to deal with, like some have mentioned, maybe she is. But again, I have no reason to focus on that aspect, I make a choice when I want to – to see the side of her that works in my life and serves as the inspiration she’s always been and continues to be.

It is what it is. But one thing is for sure. The FANTASY is always better than reality. Cherish it. :)

The Guitar Gods disaster in Miami

As always, when there is TONS to write about, I never have TIME to write. Since my last post, I’ve been to the US for the Guitar Gods festival in Miami, the Monsters of Rock Cruise to the Bahamas, to Hamburg, Germany for Avantasia and right now I’m in Nashville relaxing for a change (although there will be a gig tonight).

So, I’m behind with the updates, but since I finally have lots of time and no stress (wow, I almost forgot THAT feeling…) I thought I’d try to go back to where I left off and see how much I can remember of this past month’s adventures!

Going back to my trip to Miami…

The Monsters of Rock Cruise was planned a year in advance, so I already had my flight tickets, hotel arrangements and everything taken care of. But then, about two weeks before departure, there was an announcement that there would be a Guitar Gods festival on Miami Beach, featuring Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai and Gus G, among others.

guitargodsfestival2016poster-1

It sounded like an absolute DREAM! Three monster guitarists on stage together, I was super excited! So, like I mentioned in my last post, I had to buy a new flight ticket to make it to that show. The original ticket was non-refundable and couldn’t be changed, and I would never have made it if I had chosen that flight. But – I thought it would be worth it. Wouldn’t miss this for the world!

After a comfortable flight with Austrian Airlines, I landed in Miami at 3.30 PM and breezed my way through customs and immigration. I even got a laugh when the immigration officer asked the standard question: “So, what brings you to the United States?” and I said that I was there for the Monsters of Rock Cruise.

“Monsters of Rock Cruise? I believe that is the cruise where last year they ran out of beer! Why would you want to go on THAT?” He laughed, gave me my passport and wished me a good stay.

I had a reserved cab that was waiting for me to take me to my hotel. On the way there, I saw the venue and people standing in line outside.
Got to my hotel, I checked in and just threw in all my stuff in a pile on the bed, quickly put on some extra lipstick and ran out the door.

There was a long line of people alright, but not nearly as long as I had expected. And what the heck was going on, why were they late? The doors were supposed to open at 5 I think, but it took more than an hour before they started letting people in, no explanation or apology, no nothing. Well okay…

Once I got in, it looked like some weird sort of cabaret/family fair with clowns and unicycle acrobats or whatever… Just not at all what I would expect to see at a rock event.

The cause was great, I liked that it was to benefit the April Malmsteen Foundation, a foundation that works to protect endangered species and their habitats around the globe. I’m all for that, anyone who actively works for animal rights is in my good books. But quite frankly – my impression of this event as a whole was… “WTF?”

It was a pretty small outside venue, the stage looked like someone had just thrown everything they had off the truck, on stage without any thought whatsoever. The visual impression was anything but impressive. It looked like the work of total amateurs, like there was some sort of local talent show for the neighborhood, not something that was going to feature some of the most amazing musicians on the planet!

Seriously, it was embarrassing.

There WAS a talent show. It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen. Not the contestants, they were all pretty good actually, but the organization of it was nonexistent.
People were running around on the stage like headless chickens, nobody seemed to be in charge of anything. It was as if they didn’t even know who was doing the presentation of the players – or when.

The backing tracks that the contestants brought on their iPhones or tablets, was the source of major confusion. It took several minutes between every contestant, to figure out the technical issues (=how to plug in an iPhone to get the sound through the PA… Very advanced stuff apparently).

And the worst part was when the poor guy who WON, was handed over the microphone by the host so he could say a few words – but next thing he knew, the host was gone. Just wandered off the stage and the guy just stood there with the microphone after he was done, wondering wtf to do with it. Nobody there to grab the mic and go: “Thank you, let’s hear it for xxxx and congratulations!”. The winner was left alone on stage with a microphone. Lovely.

You get the picture. A total freaking disaster.

But the disaster wasn’t over.

Now it was time for the actual GUITAR GODS. First one was Gus G, one of my favorite guitarists. He walked out on stage and played flawlessly, like he always does. I heard people behind me and beside me talking, they were hoping he would come back and play more, cause he only did one song.

12768383_1682582168658393_2570629375462790647_o

I was waiting for the JAM! The one I’d been looking forward to since the damn thing was announced. The JAM that made me buy another flight ticket, cause I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Yngwie, Steve and Gus, what a treat! But… I’ll get to that.

Next up was Steve Vai. I think that guy can play in a shed somewhere and still be brilliant, make people forget about the circumstances, and he almost did just that. Steve Vai is pure CLASS.

12747237_1682582181991725_5118684548566742256_o

Last up, the “god” himself, Yngwie Malmsteen. Anyone who knows me or is reading this blog, knows that I’m a huge Malmsteen fan. I always have been. Last year I saw him at the Monsters of Rock in Brazil, then I travelled to Bucharest, Romania to see him, and years before that I saw him in New York City at the Gramercy and now this, I just try to see him anywhere I can, since he’s decided not to play in Sweden for whatever reason (I’ve heard a few explanations but it’s all just rumors).

But seeing him run out on that “kid’s dress rehearsal for their school play for their parents“-stage was a bit sad.

He’s supposed to be larger than life, a guitar god. The setting was for anything BUT.
Again – embarrassing. The crowd was…not huge, and that’s an understatement. I had expected this to be the event of the year, kind of. Instead, it was… THIS.

All that aside – I love his playing, I love his old-school rock star antics, his posing, his music…. I enjoyed THAT, and tried not to think too much about everything else. I will always be touched by his music, there’s no getting around that.

I was STILL waiting for that Yngwie/Steve/Gus jam though.

Then FINALLY, after all the mess inbetween songs and artists, it looked like it was time for THE JAM. That was going to be worth the flight ticket, the time, the money, the badly organized event, everything. So I was bracing myself for that, woo-hooo!

Yngwie started introducing his guests. Steve Vai, his “brother”, Rudy Sarzo, the one and only, Nicko McBrain on drums yeyyy and…. no Gus. Okay, well, maybe he’ll make an appearance in another song or something.

12710778_1682582095325067_950454935260398727_o 12747396_1682582268658383_7915789293733409348_o

The jam session included Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love by Van Halen, played by Steve and Yngwie. It was actually so bad that Steve Vai had my YouTube account locked down till August for sharing the video.

Quite frankly, I had a feeling that somebody would get the hickups when they saw that, but I hadn’t expected it to be Steve. He did just great. In fact, he was the only person NOT slaughtering that song. I don’t blame him for panicking and wanting that video off YouTube right away.
The reason why I shared it was because of the unique mix of artists playing a VH song, at this last-minute event. It was newsworthy, I always think in those terms. Even bad PR is good PR sometimes.
Blabbermouth had already shared it – like they do with all my videos – so thousands of people had already seen it and reacted in the usual Blabbermouth troll-manner…

stevevaijpg

Sorry Steve, and Yngwie for that matter, I love you both, but I suppose that was proof that even “gods” fuck up sometimes. Probably made a whole lot of aspiring guitarists out there feel better about themselves for about five minutes, before the clip was removed. ;)

Gus G however, had nothing to be ashamed of though, so I’ll just share his performance instead:

Speaking of Gus, I was STILL waiting for him to get on stage with the others. He never did. I’m not the only one who was pissed off about that. I heard people in the crowd talking as well, where is Gus? Why isn’t he up there?

One of the main reasons why I even wanted to see this gig was cause I’d get to see a cool jam with these THREE guitar gods. Instead, there were only TWO.

Frankly? I think it’s the most unclassy thing I’ve ever seen or heard of. If you’re organizing a festival event, and you invite guests, then the crowd will EXPECT ALL of those guest musicians to be on stage for a final jam.
Excluding someone is something that only an asshole would do. I don’t know who that asshole was, so I’ll leave that unsaid, but someone was responsible and I hope that that person realizes how unprofessional it was to do something like that.

On the other hand, the jam was so bad that not even Steve himself could stand it, so Gus was probably lucky for not having to be associated with it.

The guy who won the guitar contest was really good though, and I hope he does well in the future. :)

And the “custom made” pizza that I got at the venue after the show was good. So, it was not a complete disaster. I hope next time they’ll hire professionals who know what they’re doing.

Rant over.

Define insanity (living my rock’n’roll dream)

A few days ago, a friend of mine made a simple comment on my Facebook-page that said: “You’re the most insane person I know, yet you seem perfectly happy with it. I’m envious!”

I told him that we all have different definitions of what insanity is.

I know that I’ve analyzed this before, but it keeps coming back somehow. This is the way I look at it:

Our days are limited. Every single precious day is a gift (and yeah, I know that it sounds like a Hallmark card).

Many people spend those precious days doing anything but what they truly love to do. Afraid of sticking out, afraid of what “people might think”, afraid of what family and friends might say, or just plain insecurity or a different way of looking at things.

They spend every evening watching meaningless reality shows, admiring people who do nothing of value with their lives. The rich and the famous, women who live for botox and shopping. Kardashians, Hollywood-wives. All those people.

460x0(ByWidth_TopLeft_Transparent_True)

That’s fine, to kill a few hours of your time watching TV or going to the local bar getting drunk to numb your feelings of desperation, dissatisfaction and frustration. We all know how everyday life can be sometimes.

My point is – why settle for that? Why not just take a leap and BE CRAZY, if it makes you happy? Why am I considered “insane” when it’s NOT considered insane to NOT live your dreams?

Last week I found out that Yngwie Malmsteen and Gus G would be playing at Miami Beach on the day that I arrive in Miami (a few days before the cruise, wanted to adjust so I don’t get jetlagged on the actual cruise). Without as much as thinking, I got myself a ticket for that. I had already been cursing the fact that Yngwie would play on a different cruise than “mine”, so this opportunity – along with Gus, who I’ve seen all over the planet, literally, was fate’s way of saying: “Now, GO!”

yngwie_malmsteen777 12552913_956564604422783_5890607127363701892_n

The problem was that my original flight with Swiss would land in Miami at 6PM, leaving me very little time to make it though customs and immigration on time to get to the show, and I didn’t want to risk it. What to do?
You do the INSANE thing. Buy another plane ticket. Well knowing that you won’t get your money back for the first one, because you didn’t buy an extra insurance that would make it possible to cancel your reservation until the last minute. I never thought I would have a reason to, so I didn’t waste that extra money. Instead I ended up losing ALL of it – yet I’m HAPPY! How about that?

Because I will get to see Yngwie and Gus, and get the perfect start of my stay in Miami, I can’t think of anything bad about it. Yeah, I lost some money, and it’s not like it grows on trees, but… it’s just money, you can’t take it with you – if you know what I mean…

I’m not careless, I just look at money as something that has no value really, unless you use it to survive, first and foremost and secondly, to make your time on this planet as worthwhile as possible. And I have. So – it’s all good.

rosa_84523333

People have laughed and called me crazy for going to South Korea over a weekend to see Ozzy. But I just wanted to see Ozzy – and I love travel, so to me, I did exactly what I wanted to do. My goal wasn’t to go and be a tourist. My goal was to see a show, enjoy the adventure of travel, which I love no matter WHAT the destination is, and maybe meet some people before going home. You can do a lot in a very short time, that’s something I’ve learned over the years.

Many years ago, I did other crazy things, such as selling my furniture because I wanted to see a few more Whitesnake-shows in the UK. It was right before Christmas, I didn’t have money and I would have to use the little that I had on Christmas presents. Yet I was really buzzin’ after the Whitesnake-shows I had just seen in Sweden, so I had to make it happen, one way or another.

The solution was – sell the furniture. I didn’t need it anyway, just the couch, the bed and a table. I was good. The rest was capital. I could always buy new stuff later. And off I went. I didn’t have a hotel booked, I had no idea how to get to Southampton from London, I knew nothing really – I just got on a plane and went there. The rest worked itself out. I never regretted that for one second.

When you look back on your life someday, you won’t be thinking of the money you spent, you will remember the memories and how it made you feel. And that’s all that matters.

Music is my greatest passion in life. This rock’n’roll gypsy-life makes it worth BEING here. :) And I know it can all be gone tomorrow. If I lose my job, I will lose this life that makes me happy. I will have to adapt to a different kind of life, you just never know. All you’ve got is what’s here and NOW.

Maybe I’m childish, maybe I’m insane, and maybe I’m just not like “most” people, but we all have our weirdness that makes us who we are. I was never lucky in love, but I’m lucky in LIFE. I’ve seen the world, I’ve met amazing people, I’ve felt ALIVE, I’ve followed my dreams and done what made me happy – something I still do and will continue to do as long as I’m able.

If that makes me insane, then I will carry that brand with pride! :D

Our heroes didn’t die, they’ve just been upgraded…

1919081_582164721960026_1804371800740166991_n

I found the quote above while scrolling through my Facebook-feed, and I couldn’t have said it better myself.
If you’re reading this blog, chances are you share my passion for music. “Rock stars” have made me the person that I am today. Their music has been the soundtrack of my existence, and that’s a pretty big deal.

My first experience of loss was when I was 7, and Elvis died. I remember it very clearly. It was a regular weekday and I went with dad to a local mall. He used to buy a newspaper, get a coffee and read the paper. Well, that day he met a friend there so while they were talking I grabbed the newspaper and saw the headline: “Elvis has died“.

EXPElvisdod1977-520x799

Elvis was my first “real” idol. I couldn’t believe that someone like that could die. Stars, musicians, celebrities – in my mind, they weren’t like regular, mortal people. They were above that, somehow.
And in a way, I guess they are. They never die. For all I know, he could be alive and well, making music. I never met him anyway and probably never would.

But that first shock stuck in my mind. Death was something I had very little experience of at the time. All my relatives were still alive, nobody had died, loved ones, friends – all there. I felt like life was so long that it was almost “forever”.

Well, the second shock came three years later, when I was ten. The timing couldn’t have been worse. I was such a dedicated Beatles-fan, it was true love, like a teenage crush, just something that made my heart sing. Beatles and their music – that was like celebrating Christmas, New Year’s and my birthday every single day. That’s the best way I could describe it.

One day, our teacher came to class, looking like something really terrible happened. He didn’t say much, and he was usually a very talkative man.

He went straight to the record player that was in the left corner of the class room, and put on John Lennon‘s latest album, “Double Fantasy” and the first words of “Just like starting over” filled the room.

He lit a candle and said: “John Lennon has been shot. He’s dead”.

Our teacher was a big music fan as well. He used to play songs he liked for us. He was the one who introduced me to Simon and Garfunkel and many other classic artists.

I felt like throwing up. John?! Dead?! He was BEYOND DEATH. So many thoughts and emotions that I couldn’t get a grip of. I was still too young to understand, I cried all day.

My heart was in a thousand pieces, I knew every song, every little detail in every Beatles song, Lennon song…. I didn’t have any other hobbies or passions back then. I focused ALL my time and love on music. And there WAS no other music in my world, but the Beatles. I was still exploring other types of music, which maybe wasn’t typical for other 10-year olds who were interested in mainstream Top 40 type of music. I don’t know where that came from really…

I played Beatles records all day that day, and just cried till I could barely breathe. It was the end of the world. John Lennon?! The greatest of them ALL! “You’ve got to hide your love away” from the “Help!”-album felt like a voice from the other side.

My mother came home, yelled at me because I hadn’t done the dishes, which was my chore. She had no understanding whatsoever of my grief, she thought I was just being ridiculous. It only made things worse that I had nobody to talk to who felt the same and would understand where I was coming from.

The third really big strike was when Ronnie James Dio passed away. I remember being in Split, Croatia with my dad at the time, and someone texted me the news, cause I didn’t have access to WiFi.

I felt so horrible, wanted to just crawl up in a corner and cry, or just call someone, anyone, and vent for a few hours. But I couldn’t. I was in an environment where nobody would get it. At ALL.

My dad was the most wonderful person on the planet, but he couldn’t understand what he called “idol worship”. He used to say “they are just people, no better than you or me!”. What do you say to that? Dad and I lived on different planets sometimes…

I remember texting my friend Kevin in Florida about it, he was just as devastated as I was. The news of Dio’s death hit us all hard. He was one of the true greats of hard rock/heavy metal. Not only that, but this time I was an adult and had personal memories and references. I had met Dio as a fan and as a journalist, and he was always kind. It felt so wrong that he had to go.

Most recently we lost an icon – Lemmy, and one of the biggest pop/rock geniuses of all time, David Bowie.

I don’t think anyone was surprised that it was time for Lemmy to say goodbye, I’m sure he wasn’t either. With Lemmy, it wasn’t so much his music, cause I was never a huge fan of Motörhead, but it was because he was genuine and real. He symbolized rock’n’roll like nobody else, he lived like most people only dream of, with the integrity of very few on the music business. It was a HUGE loss. He was just the coolest, baddest of them ALL.

[Filmed this one summer at Sweden Rock when I was fortunate enough to be invited to side stage to watch the show]

I spent the evening at the local rock club, Dr Feelgood’s, with about 100 other fans, watching Lemmy’s memorial service on a big screen in the darkness, feeling sad but at the same time a feeling of peace and happiness because it was a celebration of life more than anything. The way it should be.

David Bowie… I cried again. I can’t imagine the music world without Bowie. The music he created, the spectacle, the piece of ART he made of himself…. will never be surpassed. They don’t make artists like that anymore. I still feel incredibly sad when I think about it.

I couldn’t watch his last video “Lazarus”. It broke my heart, I felt horrible. Will never watch it again. It’s just so bizarre. Even in death he speaks, it’s as if it was all perfectly staged and timed. “Let’s make this video, then let’s release the album on my birthday, then let me go and die a few days later and nobody will ever forget it – and I left my own goodbye message”…

At the same time… The band in the sky will kick heavenly ass, and I can’t wait to get my front row ticket to an angel choir consisting of Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Freddie Mercury and David Bowie for instance.

For a musician, death is not the end. It’s the beginning of ETERNITY. It’s when they truly become bigger than EVER.
For a musician, dying is the way to sell more albums and becoming a legend.

It’s all the way it should be. Thank you for the music, all you guys and gals up there…. or down below, wherever you all gather for your afterlife jamsessions… Without you, I would be nothing.
I finally feel that it’s okay to cry. We all stand united in life and in death. I never say “Rest in peace” to any rocker. They weren’t made for resting in THIS life and they certainly won’t be resting on the other side.

 

 

Motörhead memory: October 27, 1998

I was watching Lemmy’s memorial service yesterday at the local rock bar, Dr Feelgood’s here in Malmo. We were about 100 people there who met up to watch it.

One thing kept coming up in the speeches, and that was how Lemmy made a point of making himself available to people.

So I dug up this old story that I wrote back then, in 1998, about my first concert with Motorhead and how great they all treated us. We were just there as fans. I was working as a music journalist at the time, but I had already done a phoner with Lemmy so this was not business, just hanging there like everybody else.

Anyway, here’s that story:

Motörhead running timesMotörhead and Dio – Tuesday and Wednesday… It’s been two rockin´ days and it feels good, it really does! I mean, This is what it’s all about – it’s about music, about dedication and communication between the artists, the fans and people around them!

In other words- I was finally HOME!

Let’s begin by remembering the Motörhead day, on Tuesday October 27th, 1998. It was only 4 in the afternoon when I drove down to KB where they were gonna be playing.

My pal and her boyfriend were already there, freezing half to death. The rain was pissing down, it was stormy and it was so cold that you could justbarely EXIST. You couldn’t even use your umbrella because of the storm and no matter what you were wearing, it was freezing cold!

Anyway, when we had been standing there for a while, watching people walking in and out of the tour bus, a nice guy with a laminate ran past us and shouted:

– You must be CRAZY standing out here!

– We ARE! I replied.

Then he went up on the bus and disappeared. A few seconds later he returned and said:

– What have you got to sign? I’ll bring it up on the bus – they’ll sign it for you.

It wasn’t quite the same as having it signed personally, but I could see the point – I wouldn’t want to stand there in the rain and the cold signing autographs either.

So, we waited for the guy to come out again, and a few minutes later he did – looking like a donkey with all that STUFF that we just tossed all over him.Lemmys autograph

[Picture: Lemmy signed my leather jacket – he actually found a clear spot to write on!]

Then, surprisingly, he told us to come inside. And once we got into the club he asked us if we wanted a cup of coffee or tea or something, still mumbling something about how crazy we were “standing out there in the freezing cold and rain”…

We were shown into a catering-room (that’s usually a small bar in the back of the club, called the Vinyl-bar – but when Motörhead and crew were there- it was a catering!).

He got us cups and told us to help ourselves. I was still shaking from the cold and my clothes were soaked to the skin! We thanked him very much for his kindness, I mean, people like that are pretty rare. He asked me what my name was and introduced himself, but I didn’t hear what he said, cause they were soundchecking.

He said he was the tour manager and that he’d be looking for us later at the show “we’ll get you passes or something...” . Well, at least we were on the guestlist, and that was all we wanted. The important thing was to see the show, first and foremost.

Then we all went home and changed to DRY clothes (but I was still freezing HOURS after that!), and a few hours later, we went back to KB (the club). It was PACKED – I haven’t seen so many people at a concert in a long time. But I noticed that lately,hard rock events attract a LOT of people, so mark my words…! :-D Hard rock is on the way back!! Again. Get ready for it people, it won’t be long now!

Lemmy in the morningpaper[Picture: Lemmy in the morning paper!]

The show was okay. This was the first time I ever saw Motörhead live, and Lemmy was really cool! So, in a way it was better than I thought, only that…well, Motörhead’s music isn’t really what I’d listen to every day. 

But it was great to see so many PEOPLE! I couldn’t even move! But eventhough the MUSIC isn’t my thing, I can’t help being impressed by Lemmy because he is so GENUINE. There’s no bullshit about that man. What you see is most definitely what you get! Yeah, he’s cool..! :-)

Anyway, after the show I tried to find my pal and her boyfriend, and finally found them. They were standing right by the backstage-entrance. We hadn’t seen the tour manager, and we didn’t have passes. (So, NOW what…?) But the security-guy looked familiar for some reason, and my friend was convinced that I knew him (and I know I DO, I just can’t remember WHERE I’ve seen him before! Isn’t it such a drag when THAThappens?!) so… I took a chance and went over to him. I just asked something about the band, if they were still up there and if they were gonna come downstairs.

And he just went:

– They are not coming down. But you can go up there if you want!

Some guy tried to “cruise in” when the door opened, but got a loud and clear “fuck off”, while the three of us just went straight up to Motörhead’s dressing-room…! And the worst thing is – I STILL don’t know where I know that guy from… So embarrassing.

Anyways, when we got up there, Lemmy was at the bar, drinking something, Mikkey Dee was talking to some fans, and the rest were in the couch just relaxing. The few people who were there kept walking over to Lemmy asking for autographs or telling him how great the show was or whatever.

I was surprised that he was so short… I mean, he looks VERY tall on stage, but he wasn’t THAT tall. 

We didn’t stay long up there, it was a very laid back atmosphere, people looked very relaxed. But I was tired and needed to get home, so we left early.