Beyond his immeasurable musical legacy, Motörhead frontman Lemmy is set to be forever memorialized in bronze with a statue in his native Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent in the UK.
The $2.8 million sculpture of the rock icon, who passed away in 2015, will finally be unveiled on May 8. Although it was initially authorized last year, a Queen Victoria-era law required further approval due to its placement on council-owned highway land. Now, with all necessary permissions secured, the tribute to Lemmy is set to become a permanent fixture in his hometown.
According to comments made by a Stoke-on-Trent Council spokesperson to the BBC: “Stoke-on-Trent has produced many famous faces over the years and what better way to honor one of our own than by installing a statue in the town where they were born – and in our centenary year as well. We are looking forward to welcoming visitors from all over the world for the unveiling.”
The statue, sculpted by Andy Edwards – the artist in charge of the world-famous Beatles statue in Liverpool – will depict Lemmy at the height of his fame in the ’80s, portraying him in his iconic pose: head slightly tilted upwards towards a microphone while playing his Rickenbacker 4001.
“Lemmy was a personal hero to me,” confesses Edwards in an interview with the BBC. “The reason for making this statue is to give other people that pleasure that I’ve had in thinking back, those memories at Victoria Hall, Bingley Hall, and Vale Park” – referring to the venues where he saw Lemmy perform.
“This new statue of Lem is special, not just because I share the same birthplace as him or because of how much he personally means to me, but because it’s so important to have a permanent international landmark celebrating him where he was born.
He continues, “Lemmy gave me joy, confidence in myself, and energy, and he’s also an avatar of the original spirit and power of rock and roll. I really hope it will become a meeting place for people from all over the world to take the journey to.”
The sculptor also paid special attention to recreating the finer details of Lemmy’s legendary bass – almost as famous as its player. “I put those details in because if you don’t, people sense there’s something not quite right and they don’t hang around as long,” he says.
“You want people to hang about because you want people to go back in time and get their imaginations going.”
Lemmy’s upcoming statue is one of several hometown tributes of legendary players erected in recent years. A statue of Rory Gallagher was recently unveiled in his “second home” of Belfast, with plans in place for the Northern Irish city to also commemorate its son, Gary Moore, with a similar tribute.
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