Jerry Cantrell – I Want Blood

https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/57AOabins5CaX3Ro4ctBmC?utm_source=generator

In a very recent interview, Jerry Cantrell, Alice in Chains riff GOD and my Lord and Savior, stated that regardless of who you are, no solo record should ever sound the same. And he certainly is living up to that credo with his latest record, I Want Blood, which was released just last Friday. I Want Blood is a massive departure from Jerry’s previous solo outing, 2021’s Country Rock opus Brighten. Brighten almost could’ve passed as a pre-Take It to the Limit Eagles album! Think of songs like “Take It Easy”.

With the release of the first single for the new album, which I already reviewed, it was clear that Jerry decided to bring more balls back to the music. He also decided to add a few old friends into the mix for these songs. While 95% of the Brighten crew returned, including ex-Dillinger Escape Plan members Greg Puciato (I just vomited in my mouth typing that!) on backing vocals and Gil Sharone on drums, Guns N’ Homos bassist Duff McKagen – Yeah, I said it! Fuck his band and him too! – there are a few additions. While Tyler Bates is the one man missing from the Brighten crew, Lola Collette – who I just found out is Tyler’s daughter! – provides backing vocals along with Greg. Also here, as mentioned in my “Vilified” review is Metallica bassist Rob Trujillo. Faith No More/ex-Ozzy drummer Mike Bordin also makes an appearance on two tracks.

Before I continue, I need to make clear that neither Rob nor Mike Bordin play on any tracks together. Therefore, if you were hoping for some kind of Degradation Trip audio reunion, as I was, you’re going to be disappointed.

As I was.

The opening track is “Vilified”, which again, I already reviewed, and you can read that review in the hyperlink I provided two paragraphs ago. “Off The Rails” makes it clear that “Vilified” is no fluke track, and that the album is to continue in this heavier direction. And for that, I say thank fuck! I really like the pedal tone lick that’s used to fill the empty spaces throughout the main riff before it double times. There’s even a guitar solo here! Next is “Afterglow” which was also the album’s second single to be released. I initially was not a fan of this tune. I understood this was meant to be a slower tune; but I initially saw the song as underwhelming, a tad too middle of the road. But upon hearing it in the context of the album as a whole, I appreciate it at least a little more.

It’s weird to hear the changes in Cantrell’s delivery as a singer and a guitarist as he ages. He remains a standout; you can never NOT recognize him upon hearing his style. But his lead playing style has lost some of its intensity, even if the songs themselves still kick major ass. And his voice is a tad shakier these days. I first noticed it on Brighten. So, I can’t tell if it’s something he’s just using for these solo albums to help them stand apart from his Alice material, or if this is his voice now, a product of much wear and tear. He’s 58 after all, so it’s rather plausible. But let’s not misunderstand – he STILL has a powerful voice when needed.

I chose to wait until now before reviewing the album’s title track as it was released as a single just a week prior to the album release date. I need to get this part out of the way now: The way he says, “I Want Blood!” at the beginning of the song is weird, almost funny. I understand the metaphor behind the title and the song, which is more about swinging for the fences than killing someone (too bad). But he almost sounds like a lazy vampire, if that makes sense. Maybe he can be compared to even the Count. Yes, THAT Count!

(Talks like the Count) I want blood, ha ha ha!

Basically, I’m not convinced Cantrell wants blood here. Put some more gusto into it, fucker!

In all seriousness, the track is fucking awesome! It’s so awesome I forgive him for using a tambourine! It almost reminds me a little bit of the chorus riff from “Dickeye” from Boggy Depot, but with even more beef to the guitar tones. It’s one of the fastest tracks on the entire record, and when I hear Jerry compare himself to a boxer in the track in interviews, I can envision it within the context of the song. “Echoes of Laughter” is next. I love the distorted phase effect used in the verses. It’s a slow one, bringing the pace back down after the faster pace of the previous track. But upon hearing the rest of the track, I personally feel like the production is a tad too slick, that there are far too many instrumental layers. I have zero complaints about vocal harmonies.

Next up is “Throw Me a Line” – my fucking FAVORITE TRACK ON THE ENTIRE ALBUM. It’s PERFECT. It’s got that Black Sabbath-style one-note riff, with the type of syncopation that became Jerry’s trademark via “Man in the Box” 34 years ago. The tempo and groove both allow every instrument and player to breathe. Also here is an important lesson for all musicians. Listen to that slight silence within the syncopated rhythm. Pay close attention. It’s slight but it counts. Why? Because what’s NOT played is equally as important as what is played. Space is still criminally underrated in music to this day.

Speaking of Black Sabbath, do you hear that bend in the main riff to “Let it Lie”? Jerry’s guitar style from Dirt to now is greatly informed by that type of bend, courtesy of his jerking off to “Iron Man” as a kid. That riff alone could’ve absolutely been on an Alice in Chains record. I also love his super thick wah tone in the solo. It’s been that thick even since Rainier Fog and it even reminds me of the solo to “Drone” of that record, even if the solo leaves a little something to be desired.

“No tearful confession, I admit to nothing wrong…” is the acapella line that starts off “Held Your Tongue” before the band kicks in. This along with the previous two tracks are among the heaviest of the entire record. “We belong together”, he sings in a three-part harmony fitting only of God himself. The song as a whole could have fit anywhere on Degradation Trip as far as I’m concerned. The chorus and flange-soaked arpeggio that starts off “It Comes”, the album’s closer, is beyond trippy. I actually envision multicolored, psychedelic swirls each time I play it back. It’s a slow dirge until approximately 3:25 when it picks up some speed and makes way for possibly Jerry’s best solo in the entire alum. It’s infused with wah, soaked in delay, as has become his signature ever since Black Gives Way to Blue was released fifteen years ago. And just like that, it crashes back down. That’s how dynamics are properly executed.

After Brighten, I’m very surprised at Jerry for pivoting back into a heavier style. I feel like that album is a more accurate representation of Jerry and his personality today. But respect goes to him for insisting on pivoting anyway, especially since he of all people could’ve easily kept moving in the same direction. He has NOTHING to prove to anyone, yet he chooses to challenge himself.

Recommended Tracks:

Vilified, I Want Blood, Throw Me A Line, Held Your Tongue, It Comes

I give I Want Blood four out of five middle fingers.

Jerry Cantrell – “Vilified”

I dare you to tell me with a straight face that you saw this coming. I sure didn’t! We knew he was recording…something…and that was made apparent when his iconic 1985 G&L “Blue Dress” Rampage was misplaced for a day after initially being declared as “stolen”. So when “Vilified” dropped about a week ago, it was a pleasant surprise in so many ways.

The opening drum pattern, which establishes off the bat the song is going to be played in 6/8, is rather powerful. A John Bonham-esque triplet is the kickoff point for the rest of band to kick in. Cantrell’s main riff is rather simple, very one-note, seventies-like, but it kicks ass. It wasn’t until after I heard it that I discovered that Gil Sharone is back on drums for “Vilified”. On bass? None other than Robert fucking Trujillo. Degradation Trip reunion!

Before I continue, here’s a bit of context for the clueless out there. Jerry’s rhythm section for Degradation Trip Vol. 1 & 2, released in 2002, were comprised of both Robert on bass and Mike Bordin on drums. Those two were Ozzy’s rhythm section at the time, with Degradation Trip being released the year before Robert left Ozzy to replace Jason Newsted in Metallica. Ok, back to the song!

“Vilified” is very much a hard rock song, a major contrast to anything on his previous solo record, which I will allude to more soon. Keeping in the 70’s style of hard rock, Jerry uses the Talk Box for one guitar track. He’s been using that more in the last six years than he has in a long time! The song breaks with its 6/8 pattern at the 2:10 mark for a break down section, lasting about 25 seconds before the original time signature returns in time for harmonized guitar solo. Between his guitar solos on the last album and here, Jerry’s solos are rather simple, nothing compared to his solos in Alice in Chains and perhaps that’s by design. Who knows. But I liked it, it’s still more than what could be heard on the last record. One last breakdown section appears at 3:45 point and finishes the song. It’s a solid, slow headbanger section and an excellent way to end “Vilified”.

Lyrically, “Vilified” appears to be about the internet, the recent rise of Artificial Intelligence in particular, and society’s tendency to rely on AI, as well as fall for its deceptiveness, via fake pictures, videos with manipulated dialogue where no one sees that the sound doesn’t match the movement of the lips, etc. A word he uses in the first pre-chorus is schadenfreude. Schadenfreude is a German word that means harm-joy. It’s the feeling of joy that someone gets from watching others suffer, which we see a lot on social media, and the most insecure losers living in their mommy’s basements right now are looking for to make themselves feel more validated in life. Bullying. So, when he sings “schadenfreude crescendo/AI, skew the innuendo“, I can only imagine he’s addressing the dopamine increase we as a society get from watching everything on our computers and phones and determining it’s all happening in real time when in reality, a lot of it isn’t even true.

Must feel good to have “something” validate your thoughts.

I’m noticing a lot of people commenting on Jerry’s vocal harmonies when he sings the line “Oh, my savior, our failure“, comparing it to a harmony he easily would’ve performed with the late Layne Staley. Upon repeated listens I hear it. I really do. The only giveaway that it isn’t Layne is Jerry has that Oklahoma twang in his vocals, a product of his childhood growing up there. Overall, however, his voice is fucking STRONG here.

“Vilified” was released a day or so before it was announced that a new album, I Want Blood, will be released in October. And if “Vilified” is any indicator, I Want Blood will probably sound nothing like 2021’s Brighten, as so many people were thinking about with dread. Clearly, you can see that I liked Brighten and found it to be a solid alum if you clicked on that last hyperlink. It might’ve appeared however to be a tad too country rock for some. They can suck my dick.

But I wouldn’t go ahead and assume right off the bat that this upcoming album is going to be another Degradation Trip like I’m seeing some people jerk off to the idea of. “Vilified” is a banger; but Jerry has yet to release a solo album that didn’t have its own character. And since I have DT – and ALL of Jerry’s solo albums for that matter! – I can tell you right now that I Want Blood will probably not sound like DT, nor would I want it to. Get your hands out of your pants and let Jerry continue to give each album its own identity!

In fact, you can even preorder the album here! Now BUY THE FUCKING RECORD!

I give “Vilified” four middle fingers.

My Take On Metallica’s Being A Band.

https://open.spotify.com/show/4Adxscmvu0LeAWt2xA734l

They’ve got to be kidding…right?

Upon hearing a week ago that Metallica were hosting their own Masterclass series titled Being A Band, I quickly saw just as many eyebrows raised throughout the internet. Nice to know I wasn’t the only one with a brain. Let’s be real: the idea of Metallica teaching ANYONE how to be a band is absolutely laughable. I could give two shits about their legacy, it’s absolutely moot to the purpose of this article.

I just wonder if anyone reading this has actually paid to watch that shit. I can only imagine they’d have no choice but to dwell on their dark past (OTHER than Cliff Burton’s gruesome death in 1986 and James Hetfield entering rehab in 2001) that NO ONE really brings up. So that begs the question: how much of their “advice” is based on the truth? How much more of it is based on a fabricated history? Fuck, Jason Newsted had recently alluded to the fact that there are a “lot of secrets” within Metallica.

That aside, I know better than to watch this shitshow. But I’m here today to bring you my own, homespun, brutally honest interpretation of Being A Band, all for free and all for your displeasure. Let’s go with number 1, shall we??

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  1. Labor For Far Longer Than Necessary Over Song Arrangements

That’s right. Go find a band that’s a major influence on you the way Saxon influenced Lars, watch them beat a song arrangement to death when it probably sounded good after just a few tries, assume that it’s the only way to write songs and prepare for a career chock full of infighting within your band. Do you happen to have a musician in your band that’s a songwriting genius that can just shit out song after song on his own while keeping shit basic? Does your band have the ability to make a QUALITY album in a relatively short amount of time?

Fuck that! Make sure that you ALWAYS have to have a say in EVERYTHING the band does. Make sure you oversee every minute detail of the simplest, four minute single. Makes sure your band practices that song over and over again to the point that, once you finally hit that record button, your deadline for the album is just around the corner. How the fuck could first take magic possibly mean shit when you can take years to write all of ten songs and totally piss of your loyal fan base, as they wait possibly close to a decade before you release that next album? Duh!

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2. Make Sure Your Producer Doubles As A Yoko

You’re inching closer and closer to success with each passing album. You’ve finally hit Platinum status in sales AND you’re even a home owner now. Imagine you and your band jamming away on a fast, probably badass new track as the big name producer your label brought in arrives and hears what you’re playing. His hello to the band is to tell you to stop and play it slower.

Absolutely listen to him and let him know right away that he has control over you and that your balls are safe…in his grip! It won’t seem like that at first, especially since your initial record under his supervision becomes your biggest selling album of ALL TIME, even if it unquestionably divides fans, and leaving some questioning your integrity. Keep that producer for the next several years, as he influences you to explore sonic territory that not only is unnecessary, but alienates whatever ever “back in the day” fans you have left.

Go ahead and let him be considered by the public to be your band’s fifth member (or sixth if your band’s a five piece already). Take him everywhere you go like the little lapdog he is, and he’ll know he doesn’t need to worry about the source of his next pay check. If you lose a band member, let him PLAY on your next album, thus giving him hope that he might even join your band that he helped to completely alter the course of. Let him dominate you like you’re his BDSM dungeon bitch so bad that the stench is strong for decades to…cum.

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3. Overuse Your Wah Wah Pedal To The Point Of Sexual Abuse

Are you the lead guitarist in your band? Did you idolize guitarists that made decent use of their wah pedals the way Kirk Hammett says Michael Schenker is one of the reasons he himself started relying on the wah pedal? Well what the fuck are you waiting for? Stomp that pedal and rock it back and forth uncontrollably and far more often than your idols ever did!

You can’t stand out if your wah pedal use has control and intentional limitations. You need to use your wah pedal on practically EVERY SINGLE SOLO YOU EVER PLAY. Your tone with the wah MUST be insufferable, and you have to sound like you have absolutely no right hand at all.

At all.

Ever.

Not even to jerk off.

4. Grant A Film Crew Unlimited Access To All Of Your Band’s Drama

Did you decide to have a little fun and let the whole world see your band in the middle of recording an album? Did shit not go as planned? Did a band member quit? Did someone go to rehab after years of unchecked abuse that’s still nothing compared to another ex member, whose trips to rehabs surpassed double digits long before your first go at sobriety? Is this person you?

Pay that film crew for the rights to that footage and continue to film away!

Expose your personal business to the entire world. Hire a “performance enhancement” coach known for working with NFL teams, because it doesn’t matter how many business deals you’ve gone through as a band – you can’t handle someone quitting. This coach CANNOT be a licensed psychologist or even a licensed psychotherapist. Treat him like your own, personal security blanket and keep him on your payroll for far longer than any other band in history. Much like your producer (see #2), make HIM so comfortable that he starts trying to write lyrics for your band in the middle of a recording session. The more leeches in your life the better, of course!

Speaking of band members leaving, I saved the most important bit of advice for last.

5. Drive Your Most Loyal Bandmate To Quit

This is the last thing I’ve ever wish on any band. But imagine you lost a band member in a horrific accident ala Cliff Burton. Instead of taking time off to grieve the loss of your comrade in arms, throw yourselves immediately into replacing him before you head overseas to tour. Find yourself your band’s biggest fan.

  • He worships the very bandmember he’s replacing
  • He knows your entire catalog inside and out
  • He’s willing to do anything you want because he doesn’t want to take this chance for granted
  • He’ll sign autographs backstage while your lazy ass is already back at the hotel getting shitfaced

Haze the shit out of him. You want to remind him that he didn’t just waltz into a happy situation; but because neither you or your band ever gave yourselves the time needed to grieve, you can just take out all of your anger on that loyal, new replacement. Prank him backstage, embarrass him onstage. Dictate what and how he plays when recording an album.

Completely shatter his spirit by being the one guy to still haze him even years after everybody else grows up and accepts reality. Condemn him during an interview with a national publication for daring to express his desires to record an album with a decidedly different sounding side band because you’re afraid to lose him, even if you’re still treating him the new kid years after his arrival into your life. And when he requests to hold a meeting with the band to further express his desires for a break because he physically ran himself to the ground for you and your band, show up drunk at 10 in the morning and tell him no, ultimately strengthening his resolve to tell you to he’s gone.

Follow these five easy steps and YOU just might be on your way to a highly successful career in music!

4/28/22 – look below to see the most hilarious fangirl comment I’ve ever seen. It’s dopes, like this who forget that I’m basically speaking opinion here, whose over the top reactions let me know I’m doing my job. Thanks bud!

Random Thoughts

jim-wendler

See this guy?  This guy is the man.  Fuck that – he’s my hero.  If you don’t know who he is Jim Wendler is the COO of Elite FTS, making him CEO Dave Tate’s right hand man.  But what makes in more important than even that is his awesome training program he developed for all kinds of lifters from bodybuilders to athletes to powerlifters, 5/3/1.

On paper it seems as annoying to decode as any other powerlifting program with calculating percentages, etc.  But what makes this program so unique, at least to me, is that Jim takes the guess work right out of everything.  It’s real simple; in one 4-week cycle you will perform three sets of your main lift for 3 working sets of  5 reps during the first week, 3 sets of 3 reps the next week, and then for the last week you will perform 3 working sets of 5 reps, then 3 reps and then 1 rep or more if you can.  After your main lift, you will perform two or three assistance lifts, followed by light or  hard conditioning (he likes to push prowlers and run up hills a lot)  depending on the day.  After all that you will enjoy a deload week as your fourth week as a way to recover while still staying active before going back into the heavy stuff.

I like this a lot because in short the name of the game of long term gains.  This isn’t some eight week program you read about in mainstream bodybuilding magazines.  This is about making new gains and breaking new PR’s every cycle, regardless of what that PR is.  If during a cycle you bench 155lbs for 5 reps during the third week and then in the next cycle your benching those same numbers for 8 reps, it’s still a PR.  You’re still getting stronger.

I’m pretty sure this program has been real good to me since I began using it back in October because as of today I finally Deadlifted 305lbs for the first time.  I’d like to thank Motorhead’s badass track “The Hammer” for giving me the energy to do this!  I probably should’ve gotten there two cycles ago but instead of increasing the weights every cycle by ten pounds I increased them by five.  Oops.  I’m beyond grateful that my gym in Clifton, New York Sports Club, actually has a deadlift platform with bumper plates because I refuse to deadlift with those shitty octagonal plates EVER again.  In fact, I hope who ever created those plates gets shot in the fucking throat repeatedly because they make TRUE strength training such a hindrance.

Week 3: Day 2 – Deadlift Day!

Deadlift

125lbs – 1 x 5

155lbs – 1 x 5

185lbs – 1 x 5

245lbs – 1 x 5

275lbs – 1 x 3

305lbs – 1 x3

Hyperextensions

35lbs – 3 x 12, 12 10

Ab Core machine

20lbs – 3 x 20, 20, 20

I wanted to use the ab crunch machine and do three sets with 105lbs but some middle aged bitch was occupying it, taking her sweet ass time.  You know the ones, they sit on the machine for 10 minutes, while socializing, and they even stop DURING THEIR SETS to yap some more.  Why are they even in the gym?  Shouldn’t they be in the beauty parlor with their other middle aged friends gossiping about some worthless piece of shit reality show they probably rush home for every day because they have NOTHING ELSE to live for??

Oh!  Speaking of Motorhead…

Lemmy

My girlfriend told me two days ago that Dingbatz was going to host the streaming of Lemmy’s memorial service in L.A. using Motorhead’s YouTube page, so of course we went.  It’s awesome knowing I’m literally a driving distance of ten minutes from the place.  There weren’t as many people there to watch it as we figured there would be, which was fine by me because we actually got seats at the bar giving us a great view of the brand new flat screens that the management just had installed, with the much older “tubes” now sitting outside of the bar.

It was held at a chapel, there was no way in fuck that this would be held at a church.  Nope nope!  Next to a podium was a table with a few souvenirs, if you will; Lemmy’s pirate hat which covered his urn – I had no idea he was cremated! – something from the WWE with their logo on it, always tacky guys, you never learn, do you?  His cowboy boots were on it along with some speed…a parting gift from Motorhead guitarist Phil Campbell, who surprised all of us by NOT being there.  I repeat: PHIL CAMPBELL was NOT at his own bandmate’s FUNERAL.  Surrounding both sides of the chapel?  Lemmy’s Marshall “MURDER ONE” Full Stacks.  FUCK.  YES.

Not many people there in suits, maybe one or two people.  But the difference between those two people was all too clear:  one guy probably wore a suit out of respect, like I would, and Triple H wore a suit because he has a corporate image to uphold.  Yeah, I said it.  There were a lot of people there to speak about Lemmy as well as one or two people I know I sure didn’t expect.  Did any of you truly expect GENE SIMMONS to be there?  Since when the fuck does GENE FUCKING SIMMONS care about anyone BUT himself??  Geezer Butler was also there, which was cool of him.  Of course Ozzy and $haron were there, I mean $haron only screwed him out of potentially MILLIONS in royalties for writing classic songs on both No More Tears and Ozzmosis by giving him flat rates.  Cunt.

Among the speakers were various people, from random friends from Germany, to Lemmy’s somn Paul, to the band’s management and road crew (You know what song came to my mind every time!), to celebrities we all know.  Just like that the theme of this service was all too clear: friendship.  As much of a modern day pirate as he was, Lemmy was everybody’s friend and those people who were invited to speak were obviously those he made the most impact on from a personal level.  A surprisingly emotional Mike Inez of Alice In Chains spoke, as well as Slash, who spoke about the time he spent with Lemmy in the hospital after he was fitted with a pacemaker, being by his side everyday until he was released.  I had no idea.  I’ll never be a fan of Slash’s guitar playing and I LOATHE Guns N Roses but he always comes of like that guy you can hang out with for hours.

Triple H (most boring wrestler EVER) told some funny stories about Lemmy.  Remember, before he became a corporate sellout he was a metalhead who would often do interview segments in a battle jacket with either one of his own shirts or the Motorhead England shirt.  In that regard he was for real.  He had the honor of having Motorhead play him to the ring for two Wrestlemanias.  Luckily for me he lost both times.  He mentioned that when that happened Lemmy said to him: “You can’t win a match to save your life, can you?  That’s why you’re good for us!”  But after talking of Lemmy the ballbuster he spoke of Lemmy the gentleman.

He and his wife went to see Motorhead backstage at a festival show.  He went backstage and he found Lemmy with two towels on, topless girls and coke on the table.  He was about to come in until Lemmy noticed Stephanie.  “Whoop!  Close the door!”, he yelled as Trips waited outside.  When Lemmy reopened the door he was now dressed, the girls were dressed and the coke was gone, which Trips could only assume Lemmy snorted all of – and all because Stephanie was there.  Sure sounds like a gentleman to me, even though not too long ago Steph actually had double implants.

All of us in the bar were VERY surprised when Rob Halford came up to speak.  I had no idea he’d be there but it shouldn’t be too much of a shocker.  Like Lemmy, this world is Rob’s life and even after all the decades he’s been doing this he’s still a fan.  He told everyone: “When I was in the presence of Lord Lemmy, I was a bit overwhelmed …”  Yeah?  Well, so were the rest of us bud.  Points for calling him “Lord Lemmy”, by the way.  After Rob left Lemmy’s girlfriend came up.  She was clearly drunk, slurring her words the entire time.  No denying she’s in a major panic right now, trying to figure out what to do next.

Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo of Metallica came up and that’s when I got interested.  Upon walking up to the podium, Lars looked…different.  I don’t mean the homeless guy beard he had but his vibe was different.  He was clearly shaken up there…even vulnerable.  Metallica are dead to me after …And Justice For All, but there would be no Metallica without Motorhead and Lars made it painfully obvious in every interview he’s ever done. You knew it when he spoke of opening for Motorhead in 1982, the year before Metallica were even signed to Megaforce Records, and Lemmy recognized him from their meeting in Denmark not too long before that.  The theme of his speech was that Lemmy always treated him as an equal.  I’m sure Lars could’ve said much more…if he wasn’t still shaken.  It must’ve finally hit him that his idol is gone.  That has to really suck for Lars, knowing that the reason he is the drummer for biggest band in the world is no longer here.

Dave Grohl was the last person to speak, which is what everyone was waiting for.  You know his general history: drummer for extremely overrated grunge band turned frontman/guitarist for middle of the road rock band.  But those who REALLY know ANYTHING about the guy know too well that he’s nearly as big a Motorhead fan as even Lars!  He occupation as guitarist for his middle of the road rock band basically finances his love of all things hardcore, crust and metal.  If you know ANYTHING about Dave Grohl you heard his metal side project Probot, which featured several different metal vocalist, including Lemmy, with whom he recorded the only good track on that CD, “Shake Your Blood:, in which Lemmy also played bass.

Over the years Dave and Lemmy truly developed a bond with a each other.  The two of them got together many times and were clearly the best of friends for years.  Watching him up there you can tell he was truly humbled to be friend with the guy.  What sucked was when the mic got cut off and we couldn’t hear shit for about ten minutes, and went right back on before he finished.  He mentioned their love of Little Richard, which plays and important part here.  Right before Lemmy died Dave got Little Richard to autograph a bible pamphlet for him to give to Lemmy, but Lemmy died right before he could give it to him.  So right before he let the podium Dave recited a few lines from Little Richard’s song “Precious Lord Take My Hand”, before raising a toast to Lemmy.

After it was done Lemmy’s tech plugged in his Rickenbacker signature “Rickenbastard” bass, leaned it against his full stack and let that shit feed back forever.  THAT is how you hold a memorial service.  Let’s celebrate the guys life – I think he’d make fun of all of us for mourning him, I know he wouldn’t want us to, although the woman sitting across from us was in tears the entire time.  The world is still a shittier place without you though pal.