Ex-Motorhead guitarist and captain of Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons, Phil Campbell shares insight on how he imagines Lemmy might have approached the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing the no-nonsense god of rock‘n'roll might have disregarded it at first.
In the new issue of Classic Rock, which is on sale now, Campbell tells the mag that, “He might have just said f**k it, gone out and played. But when he saw people dropping, I think he’d have realised the danger."
He adds, “I don’t think he would have wanted to tour. He was quite lazy as well. Lem liked to just stay home when he could. Go to the Rainbow [bar in LA, his regular haunt] and that’d be it. That’d be his day.”
One thing that has informed how we’ve all approached this year has been instruction from our own governments. Campbell tells us that Lemmy wouldn't be pleased with how the pandemic has been dealt with by UK leaders, stating: “I don’t think anyone is. It’s just farcical. An absolute joke. It’s one bumble or cock-up after the other. They’re just lining their own pockets, keeping themselves in jobs – the usual stuff.”
As we approach Christmas, the time period of both Lemmy’s birth and passing, we ask whether he thinks back to his time with the frontman more frequently:
“Nah, I think of him most days. Just being on the stage or the tour bus, coming down to use the toilet at five in the morning and Lem’s still awake. He’s always around, at the back of my head somewhere.”
Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons’ new album We’re The Bastards was released on September 24 and on sale now.
To read the full interview with Campbell, grab the latest issue of Classic Rock which is now available to purchase.
The latest issue takes a look at Classic Rock’s Top 50 Albums Of The Year and the standout reissues, as well as features including FM, Mark Kelly, Diamond Head, Keith Richards, Jimi Hendrix and George Thorogood.
