Few musicians were as unapologetically honest as Lemmy Kilmister. The Motörhead frontman didn’t just live rock ‘n’ roll—he was rock ‘n’ roll. Whether perched at the bar with a whiskey in hand or speaking to the press, he never shied away from voicing his opinions, no matter how brutal they were. He had strong views on everything from politics to pop culture, but when it came to music, he was particularly outspoken about the bands he couldn’t stand.
Lemmy wasn’t interested in trends, gimmicks, or bands he deemed unworthy of rock’s rebellious spirit. While he had deep admiration for The Beatles and the Ramones, there were plenty of artists he thought were overrated, pretentious, or just plain bad. Here are five bands that felt the full force of Lemmy’s sharp tongue.
The Rolling Stones – “They were always sht on stage.”*
Despite being a product of the 1960s rock explosion, Lemmy had no love for The Rolling Stones. Unlike The Beatles, whom he respected for their working-class roots and songwriting brilliance, he dismissed the Stones as privileged “mummy’s boys” from the outskirts of London.
In his autobiography White Line Fever, Lemmy didn’t hold back:
“The Rolling Stones were the mummy’s boys—they were all college students from the outskirts of London. (…) The Stones made great records, but they were always sht on stage, whereas The Beatles were the gear.”*
While he admitted they made some great records, he believed they lacked the raw energy and live performance skills that truly defined rock ‘n’ roll.
Radiohead – “Jesus, Radiohead… f** me.”*
Lemmy was a purist when it came to rock, and bands like Radiohead didn’t fit the bill. Their experimental, cerebral approach to music didn’t impress him in the slightest.
Speaking to Stay Thirsty Media, he mocked the idea of modern rock magazines hyping up bands like Radiohead and Coldplay:
“All the sht that these magazines like is not exciting. Like, Jesus, Radiohead, you know. F*** me, you know. Coldplay. Jesus. These are not rock bands. These are sub-emo, you know.”*
Though he acknowledged that Radiohead had some decent material, he flatly rejected the idea that they represented rock ‘n’ roll:
“I mean, they did some good stuff. Fair enough. But it’s not rock ‘n’ roll. I know fing rock ‘n’ roll when I hear it. I’ve been listening to it since I was 12, you know? So f* off!”*
Limp Bizkit – “What the f** is this? It’s just rubbish!”*
Lemmy had zero patience for nu-metal. He saw it as a gimmick, an empty fad that lacked any real substance. Limp Bizkit, in particular, was a band he couldn’t understand.
Speaking to Ear Candy in 2000, he expressed his complete confusion over their success:
“People like Limp Bizkit, I don’t understand it. I don’t understand their success. What the f** is this? It’s just rubbish!”*
His contempt extended beyond their music—he took aim at their whole image, calling them “garage attendants with f***ing gas masks on.” He even called out frontman Fred Durst while discussing Napster in 2001, sarcastically remarking:
“That f**ing idiot from Limp Bizkit. Yeah… please come steal my money.”*
For Lemmy, rock ‘n’ roll had to be authentic, and he saw Limp Bizkit as anything but.
The Who – “I don’t know why they still bother.”
Lemmy had no issue criticizing legendary rock bands, and The Who was no exception. While the band had once embodied the wild spirit of rock, he believed they lost their way after the deaths of Keith Moon in 1978 and John Entwistle in 2002.
Blunt as ever, he stated:
“The Who are f**ed. I don’t know why they still bother without John and Keith, you know? They should have broken up in 1978.”*
To Lemmy, The Who had already cemented their legacy, but continuing without their most vital members felt like a desperate attempt to hold onto something that was long gone.
The Clash – “ Never liked The Clash.”
Despite his appreciation for punk music, Lemmy had little love for The Clash. While he was a huge fan of the Ramones, he felt The Clash were nothing more than a hollow imitation of punk rebellion.
In a 2009 interview with Spin, he made his stance clear:
“I never liked The Clash. They sounded like old music, dressed up as punk.”
He further criticized their political posturing, seeing it as disingenuous:
“I never had time for The Clash and their pretend politics, but the Damned and the Ramones were great rock ‘n’ roll bands.”
For Lemmy, punk was about raw energy and attitude, not about pretending to be revolutionaries.
Lemmy’s No-Nonsense Approach to Music
Lemmy never cared about what was popular, what was critically acclaimed, or what other people thought. He loved music that had heart, attitude, and raw power—and if a band didn’t measure up, he had no problem calling them out.
While his words may seem harsh, they were never about personal grudges. He simply believed in rock ‘n’ roll as a way of life, and if a band didn’t embody that spirit, they weren’t worth his time.
