A letter written by late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister, in which he warns of the dangers of heroin use, has been publicly released by the journalist who received the note from the legendary rocker back in 1994.
Writing for MetalTalk, former Metal Hammer columnist Pippa Lang has revealed the personal message she received from Kilmister 22 years ago, in which he responds to a column she wrote about the pitfalls and consequences of heroin.
In the letter, which can be seen in photos below, Kilmister congratulates Lang on her “diatribe against heroin”, and praises her for not glamorising heroin like some other music journalists.
“I’ve been saying the same thing for 20 bloody years, but they always know better, and they always snort it, not shoot it, and they always only do it at the weekend, and they always look at you with their stupid-cunning pinhead eyes and smirk – and they always die in a pool of their own blood with embolisms behind their knees, and they always break your fucking heart,” Kilmister writes.
“It’s the most vile fucking drug in the world. And these fucking writers still glamourise it, and I don’t know why.
“Why is it romantic to turn into a cringing little shithead with unhealed sores all over your body, unwashed and stinking with a three-week-old needle and your teeth falling out?”
In his letter, Kilmister says that he had seen at least 300 friends become involved with heroin, and recalls one particular time in London when the worst happened.
“One guy, when I was in Earl’s Court, went up to Piccadilly to score, really hurting, and he came back to the Earl’s Court Road cafe we were lounging about in, ran in the crapper to get well — and two minutes later came out the door backwards, his face black and his eyes rolled up, his tongue swollen so big it wouldn’t fit in his mouth.
“Some bastard sold him rat poison, aka certain death, smiled at him, took his £8 and sent him on his way, KNOWING. Murder, right?
“And that’s who you’re dealing with. No, no, no. Don’t be a sap. Don’t ‘just say no,’ kick his fucking teeth in. He wants to fuck up your life and probably everyone else you know’s life too.”
Signing off, Kilmister wrote, “Just thought I’d tell you. Love, Lemmy.”
Speaking about the letter, Lang says, “I’ve just found this after many years and it nearly brought me to tears. I want to share Lemmy’s letter with you, and I know he would approve.
“It is moving, emotional and intensely personal but, most of all, it conveys Lemmy’s loathing of the dealers of death who could not care less about the tragic consequences of selling their poisonous wares.”
You can catch photos of Lemmy’s full handwritten note, below.
Since his death in December 2015, Kilmister has also posthumously starred in a charity’s public service announcement to try and raise awareness about human trafficking.
Photos via MetalTalk
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Gallery: 13 Photos That Show Lemmy Kilmister At His Most Badass
13 Photos That Show Lemmy Kilmister At His Most Badass
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1. Lemmy Chills With Dimebag Darrell
Nothing warms our hearts more than this photo of The Kilmister in his prime, hanging out with a fellow rock legend at a charity benefit. Bet he’s up there drinking black tooth grins with Dime now. -
2. Lemmy Wears Short-Shorts, Holding A Katana, While Smoking A Cigarette
Your argument is invalid. -
3. Lemmy Launches Official Sex Toy Range
And brings new meaning to the name “Motörhead” -
4. Lemmy Shows Us His Sensitive Side
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5. Lemmy Does Double Denim
Seriously, not even Sean Connery circa Zardoz could pull off this look. -
6. Lemmy Stars In <em>The Loudest Silent Movie On Earth</em>
Proving a badass to the very end, Lemmy is one of the top-billed stars to feature in the upcoming silent film Gutterdämmerung. Speaking in the 2016 flick’s batshit crazy trailer, Lemmy says: “If you don’t like it, you can fuck off”. -
7. Lemmy Hangs With His BFF
Two worlds collided when the Prince Of Darkness met the King of Jack and speed metal some 38 years ago, and the pair have been close mates ever since. Lemmy even co-wrote four songs on Ozzy Osbourne’s 1991 album No More Tears (which may or may not explain how he got this bandaged wrist) -
8. Lemmy Gets In Touch With His Animal Instincts
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9. Lemmy Meets Some Of His Biggest Fans
“Lemmy, you are one of the primary reasons this band exists. We are forever grateful for all of your inspiration” – Metallica. -
10. Lemmy Dresses As The Pope
“God bless you, my child. Even though you’re an asshole.” -
11. Lemmy Is A Bad Influence On The Nicest Guy In Rock
“We recorded his track in Los Angeles in maybe two takes about a year and a half ago. Until then I’d never met what I’d call a real rock ‘n’ roll hero before. Fuck Elvis and Keith Richards, Lemmy’s the king of rock ‘n’ roll – he told me he never considered Motörhead a metal band, he was quite adamant. Lemmy’s a living, breathing, drinking and snorting fucking legend. No one else comes close.” – Dave Grohl -
12. Lemmy Is A ‘Sex Legend’
In a 2005 doco called Motörhead: Live Fast, Die Old, it was claimed that Lemmy had “bedded” in excess of 2,000 women. Lemmy himself later offered some clarification: “I said more than a thousand, the magazine made two thousand of it.” Right then. -
13. Lemmy Continues To Give Zero Fucks
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13. Lemmy Is God
Lemmy’s close friend Eddie Trunk of That Metal Show fame posted the following picture to Twitter after breaking the news of his death, claiming it was sent to him by none other than Rob Halford of Judas Priest