**James Hetfield Criticizes Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for Ignoring Lemmy Kilmister**
James Hetfield has taken a stand against the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for not including the late Motörhead icon Lemmy Kilmister, describing him as “the most rock and roll lifestyle-living person on this planet.”
The Rock Hall has faced much criticism over the years from both fans and musicians for neglecting many rock legends. Hetfield, Metallica’s frontman, addressed this issue directly, calling out the Hall of Fame for its omission of Lemmy Kilmister, whom he considers a rightful legend.
On the latest episode of Metallica’s podcast, “The Metallica Report,” Hetfield did not hold back, labeling Lemmy’s exclusion “a travesty” (transcription via Blabbermouth):
“The most rock and roll lifestyle-living person on this planet is not in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, which is a travesty, a shame. It’s kind of a disrespect to rock and roll, basically. So this is me paying homage to him.”
The discussion arose as Hetfield talked about one of his latest tattoos, which incorporates some of Lemmy’s ashes that Hetfield had previously received in a bullet casing. He explained:
“Adriana, my girlfriend, her best friend passed away. And we had just talked about the ability to put ashes in the ink to represent someone who you carry around in your life. So thinking up of ideas of what would represent that person and memories for their life — I mean, that’s really what they are; they’re memories — and remembering that I had been given some ashes of Lemmy and a little silver bullet that was like a necklace and using that to get my — yeah, the Iron Cross and the Ace of Spades.”
He added:
“So Lemmy is able to still fly the bird to the world via me. And just a reminder of what an inspiration he has been in my life — what to do, what not to do. And for me paying respects to him in maybe lieu of him being in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, which still continues to piss me off.”
Lemmy Kilmister also held a special place in the life of Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo. Trujillo noted last year that he had just started developing a “connection” with Lemmy when he passed away:
“Occasionally in a place like Los Angeles, you get the opportunity to jam with some of these fine musicians. Lemmy was a good friend to myself and a really good friend to my family; he was a sweetheart to my son. It was such a shame to lose him, at a time we were becoming a lot more friendly with him. We were developing a connection.”
Trujillo further mentioned that his playing on “Lux Æterna,” the lead single from Metallica’s latest studio album “72 Seasons,” was heavily influenced by Lemmy:
“In fact, I attribute the first single from ’72 Seasons’ to Lemmy. The bass is pedaling, but it’s relentless. On ‘Lux Æterna’, I really did channel Lemmy – I was thinking about him when I was playing.”
