Motorhead’s Phil Campbell Says Lemmy Kilmister is the ‘John Wayne of Rock’

For decades, the rock and metal community has looked up to Motorhead’s notorious frontman Lemmy Kilmister as an invincible force, so when Motorhead had to postpone some dates due to Kilmister’s ailing health, it came as a surprise to most -- but not Motorhead guitarist Phil Campbell.

Campbell, who has been by Kilmister’s side in Motorhead for thirty years, has been nothing but supportive of his friend and bandmate throughout his health issues. In a new interview with Wales Online he explained, “Look, none of us are getting any younger, so Lemmy’s condition didn’t exactly come as a massive shock,” explained Campbell. “But the older we get the more we tend to be there for one another and back each other up.”

Getting through Kilmister’s tough exterior is another story. “The main problem is that he’s displayed such a hard persona all his life that it makes it difficult for him to let people in,” Campbell shared. “He’s like the John Wayne of rock -- always wanting to soldier on and handle things on his own, you know?” After three decades together though, Campbell knows how to get through to his bandmate and offered an update on Kilmister’s health and their rescheduled European tour dates.

“His ticker’s fine now and he’s made sufficient changes to his lifestyle and diet in order to combat the diabetes,” explained Campbell. “It’s just that he felt he wasn’t 100 percent ready to go back on the road just yet.”

Maybe not yet, but with new gig dates recently revealed kicking off in February, Kilmister is clearly on the mend and ready to get back out on the road with Motorhead which is good news all around. Check out all the newly rescheduled dates below.