Lemmy Kilmister, a rock star who defined an entire generation was a well-known gambling lover. Motorhead’s album ‘Ace of Spades’ was all about capturing his passion for indulging in games of chance.
The song ‘Ace of Spades’ in particular has opening lyrics that go like ‘If you like to gamble, I tell you – I am your man’ clearly showing his love for gambling. Lemmy, who now enjoys the status of a rock legend, passed away in 2015, leaving behind a legacy that many-many future generations would look up to. Other than his immense love for music, he was known to be an ardent blackjack player too. The song Ace of Spades was written as a dissection of the human psyche and telling everyone what it felt like to be a gambling lover.
Was Lemmy very fond of gambling?
Lemmy had certain ways that really set them apart, but on the whole he was known as a kind individual who simply wanted to enjoy his life and have a good time at LA’s Rainbow Bar & Grill. Such was his love for the place that he even purchased the apartment immediately above this bar, ensuring that he could enjoy drinking there whenever he wanted to, and chat with anyone who he came across.
The Ace of Spades album which was released in 1980 continues to be amongst the lasting legacies of the rockstar, with sounds as if it was recorded only yesterday! It’s a very peculiar album for several reasons, however, what it does right away is that it introduces you to Lemmy as the person he was. The album is the story of each and every old rascal in possession of an excellent heart, someone who was loved by all.
In the song, Lemmy talks about winning some and losing some, enlightening everyone about why gamblers are so fond of gambling. Despite the fact that Lemmy Kilmister wasn’t any Dostoyevsky and you wouldn’t normally find him looking up new bookmakers on the internet (as he was a blackjack fanatic), he still managed to enlighten everyone about human truths, through some excellent riffs on his guitar. He further highlights in the song that he doesn’t share anyone’s greed and the only card he needs is the Ace of Spades, signifying that he isn’t after any fame or money, and is only interested in loving life, with everyone in it.
He lived to win
All of us bear our own crosses and Lemmy doesn’t hold back when talking about his. The Ace of Spades album comprehensively covers all the strange encounters one faces in life. For instance, in the song Fire, he talks about the feeling of revenge. He is refused a ‘light’ and says ‘I’m a match for you’. The fast-paced rock music continues to fill up the number, with Lemmy defying anyone and everyone willing to listen. He sings ‘You can’t put me out…you ain’t nowhere near safe with me’.
Having played a lot of blackjack during his days, Lemmy knows all about the odds and if looked at closely ‘Ace of Spades’ isn’t so much about his ramblings as a rock ‘n’ roll legend, rather there is plenty of emotion in every line. In fact, he talks about love in every song.
