Motorhead Issue Statement on Lemmy
It's only natural that Motorhead fans would be worried about Lemmy these days, but the band assures us that his recent health woes are only temporary.
The legendarily hard-living frontman, who's endured a spate of medical issues that have included having a defibrillator implanted and subsequently suffering a hematoma that forced the cancellation of a series of tour dates, sparked a fresh round of rumors after he had to cut short Motorhead's recent appearance at the Wacken Open Air festival. According to a statement from the group, the Wacken incident was just a case of Lemmy getting a little ahead of himself with his recovery.
"The show had to go on because that's how Lemmy rolls," begins the statement, posted at the Motorhead website. "Even though he was not 100 percent fit, he refused to feel he was letting the 85,000 Wacken fans down. They kicked ass in the 100+degree heat for a shortened, but powerful, set before, Lemmy finally realized he might have bitten off a little more than he could chew. Thus he will embark upon the recuperation recommended. We know that rumors are flying around, but once he fully recharges, Motorhead will be back, don't you worry."
Guitarist Phil Campbell was even more succinct on Twitter, telling followers, "Contrary to some reports, Lem is alive and kicking so take no notice of these rumours from a--hole tweeters."
It all echoes the sentiments expressed by Lemmy himself in a note he wrote to fans after the band canceled its European tour. "It was a tough decision for me, as I don’t like to disappoint the fans, especially in times where economy is bad and people spent their money to see us," he admitted. "But sometimes you can’t do anything else than following doctor’s orders. Be sure we will be back and kick everybody’s ass."