Fans of legendary Motörhead leader Lemmy Kilmister might be surprised to learn that some of the late singer's favorite musicians weren't particularly hard-rocking types. In fact, Kilmister was even a fan of Bob Dylan...but he did have some bones to pick with the folk rock icon.
In a 2014 interview with Classic Rock, Kilmister shared his thoughts on the art of songwriting, praising the Eagles for writing "good lyrics."
“Some of their songs are fantastic, like 'Take It to the Limit' and 'New Kid in Town,'" he continued. "They're all very evocative of the west – as it never was, but it's a nice vision.”
Kilmister went on to share his opinion of Dylan's critically-acclaimed songwriting skills, revealing, “I did like Bob Dylan. I thought he was great. But he was a great con man! He strung a lot of nonsense together and made it seem like it was really important."
“'Masters Of War' was my favorite because that was straight down the line – right in the bollocks," Kilmister continued, adding, "But stuff like Bob Dylan’s '115th Dream' about going to America with Columbus is just nonsense!”
Kilmister went on to discuss his own approach to writing lyrics, noting, "you should be careful what you say in songs because people ain’t there when you write it and they don't know what you meant. And I don't wanna pass on bad messages, you know?”
How Lemmy Kilmister wrote one of Ozzy Osbourne's biggest hits
The rocker also opened up about being asked by Ozzy Osbourne to write the lyrics to what became one of his most popular songs ever, 'Mama, I'm Coming Home.'
“He sent me a tape of the song with where he wanted the lyrics, and I think he gave me the title, but that was it," Kilmister said. “I'm good at that because that's how I write our songs. I come up with a title and then write the song around it.
Later on, Kilmister recalled, the two musicians were giving interview together when someone mistakenly credited Osbourne with writing the lyrics.
“Ozzy and me were doing interviews in the same tent at a festival and this guy says, ‘Mama I'm Coming Home is the most personal thing you have written. Was it a big wrench?’ And Ozzy just points to me and goes, ‘He wrote it!’"
As Kilmister explained, the gig with Osbourne came at the perfect time.
“I really had a good time writing songs for Ozzy because when I moved to America I was broke. I had nothing in the bank," he said.
“Then Sharon Osbourne said, ‘Do you want to write four songs for Ozzy?’ And they gave me this lump sum that was more money than I'd ever seen in my life! More money than I'd ever earned with Motörhead, even when we were number one...I never got royalties, but that was all right with me."
Kilmister died in 2015 of prostate cancer. He was 70 years old.
Related: This Bob Dylan Album Made Jerry Garcia a Fan: 'Amazing, Poetic Beauty'
Hence then, the article about 80s hard rock icon once called bob dylan a great con man was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( '80s Hard Rock Icon Once Called Bob Dylan a 'Great Con Man' )
Also on site :
- Road over canal in Penkridge closed as bridge reportedly collapses
- Saudi Arabia to unify LPG gas cylinder prices nationwide from January 2026
- 2 found dead after family disturbance reported in Concord