Dave Grohl has once again proven his status as rock’n’roll’s hairy godmother, this time by persuading the Grammys to pay tribute to late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister.
Introducing rock supergroup The Hollywood Vampires – which features Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp among others – Grohl led the award show’s tribute to the iconic rocker.
“I will confess I didn’t have a lot of Motörhead on my iPad,” Ken Ehrlich, the longtime producer of the awards show said. “The metalheads have Dave Grohl to thank for that, because when I asked Dave if he would introduce that segment, he said, ‘I’ll do it – if you do something for Lemmy’.
“It became a challenge to do the proper thing and, at the same time, not let the show turn into a series of tributes,” he added.
Speaking of the legendary frontman at the ceremony, Grohl said on the night: “Many of us play rock’n’roll but a rare few among us are rock’n’roll. Lemmy was rock’n’roll. He was a rebel, an outsider, one of a kind, and a way of life. He was Motörhead. He was a legend and I was proud to call him my friend.
“I have an ‘Ace Of Spades’ tattoo, but the truth is that Lemmy left us mark on me a long, long time ago. As Lemmy told us in the song ‘Ace Of Spades‘, the pleasure is to play. I’d like to thank Lemmy and the late Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor for their music and everything it meant for Motörhead.”
Featuring Aerosmith‘s Joe Perry as well as former Guns N Roses alums Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum alongside Cooper and Depp, the performance was the television debut of the band. Taking to the stage to play one their own song As Bad As I Am, the supergroup soon segued into a cover of the iconic Motörhead hit Ace Of Spades.
Check out the performance itself here below, alongside a fan filmed video of Grohl’s speech.
Watch: Dave Grohl introduces Hollywood Vampires at the 2016 Grammy Awards
https://youtu.be/BpR6tROunsE
Watch: Hollywood Vampires – Ace of Spades (Live)
https://youtu.be/hFcNVJxKQS0
