Over the years, Lemmy never held back in interviews. Whether he was talking about politics, religion or fellow musicians, the Motörhead frontman spoke exactly how he felt. One of his more surprising comments was aimed at Bob Dylan.
“I did like Bob Dylan, I thought he was great,” Lemmy said in an interview, before adding bluntly, “but he was a great con man. He strung a lot of nonsense together and made it seem like it was really important.”
The remark wasn’t made in anger. It came up during conversations about songwriting and how critics elevate certain artists. Lemmy had immense respect for Dylan’s cultural impact — especially his 1960s output, which reshaped rock lyricism. But he questioned the almost sacred reputation Dylan’s abstract writing had earned in the press.
Lemmy’s view reflected his own musical philosophy. With Motörhead, he built a career on direct, aggressive, no-frills rock songs. Tracks like “Ace of Spades” didn’t hide behind metaphor or surreal imagery — they were sharp, fast and to the point. In contrast, Dylan’s mid-’60s work — songs packed with layered symbolism and cryptic lines — often invited interpretation rather than clarity.
In other interviews, Lemmy expressed frustration with what he saw as over-intellectualizing rock music. He once argued that critics sometimes “read too much” into lyrics that may not have been intended to carry that much weight. His “con man” comment appears to fit into that broader skepticism. It wasn’t that he believed Dylan lacked talent — far from it. He simply felt that Dylan had mastered the art of making ambiguity feel profound.
The irony is that Dylan himself has often dismissed the idea that his songs carry hidden master plans. During the height of his protest-era fame, he repeatedly denied being a spokesman for a generation. Yet critics and fans continued to assign deeper meanings to his work.
Lemmy’s quote endures because it captures a long-running debate in rock music: is meaning created by the writer, or by the listener? And when does mystique become mythology?
Despite the sharp wording, there’s no record of personal animosity between the two. It was one musician offering an unfiltered opinion about another — something Lemmy did regularly and unapologetically.
Two legends. Two very different approaches to songwriting. And one quote that still sparks conversation.
