Former Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee has paid tribute to his late bandmate Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, offering a touching reflection on the frontman’s character and their deep personal bond.
Dee, who currently sits behind the kit for Scorpions, appeared as the featured guest on the latest episode of “Metal Sticks,” a new podcast co-hosted by Modern Drummer CEO David Frangioni and legendary drummer Nicko McBrain. McBrain, who recently retired from touring duties with Iron Maiden after 42 years, joined Dee for a wide-ranging discussion that inevitably turned to the legacy of the “Ace of Spades” icon.
Reflecting on his tenure in the band, Dee emphasized that the chemistry within Motörhead was a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon, driven largely by Kilmister‘s unique worldview.
“There will never be another band like Motörhead. There wasn’t before, and it’s never gonna be again, because there’s so many ingredients that are so unique for that band,” Dee explained (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “Let’s start with Lemmy [himself]. His way of thinking, his way of living, his way of seeing the world reflects a lot in how this band was.”
Dee went on to suggest that the world could learn a great deal from the late bassist’s temperament.
“I keep saying, if everybody was like Lem, we would never have a war, we would never run into this f**king political bulls**t correctness, and everybody could take a joke and everybody could live life,” Dee said. “And Lemmy was extremely intelligent, and that made him to what he was — a very simple, easygoing guy. He was never, ever a rock star.”
The drummer also shared a piece of advice Kilmister gave him immediately upon joining the band—a sentiment that perfectly encapsulated the frontman’s balance of respect and no-nonsense attitude.
“The first thing he told me when I joined, he took me on my shoulders and said, ‘You know what, Mikkey?! Good manners cost nothing. Remember that. But if you walk into a room and there’s a f**king a**hole in there, make sure you are the biggest a**hole of them all.'”
Despite Kilmister‘s larger-than-life persona, Dee insisted that the internal dynamics of Motörhead were surprisingly democratic. While it was undeniably Lemmy‘s band, decisions were often made collectively alongside guitarist Phil Campbell and former member Michael “Würzel” Burston.
“[Lemmy] was extremely simple, which also made it very easy to work with [him] and also very hard, because you already knew what he was gonna say or think,” Dee noted. “We were very much a democracy in Motörhead… But there was a few times where we actually had to walk across him or walk over him because he just made the wrong decision and we had to prove it for him. And we did.”
Ultimately, Dee looks back on those years not just as a professional highlight, but as a period of profound brotherhood.
“It was such a great friendship and great democracy in this band that I don’t think I will never, ever, ever experience anything like it.”
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