Grammy Award winning producer Howard Benson — known for his work with MOTÖRHEAD, SEPULTURA, BANG TANGO, etc. — recently guested on the 80’s Glam Metalcast.
When talked about working MOTÖRHEAD, Benson says: “Lemmy rescued my career because after the hair band thing was dead, I wasn’t getting any projects. I was in there with the Tom Werman‘s and the Beau Hill’s. We did hair bands, that was our thing. When modern rock came in, I wasn’t getting those gigs.
“Lemmy liked the sound of Psycho Cafe. His manager called me, and we met. Let me tell you, it was an absolute f*cking nightmare producing MOTÖRHEAD! But I needed the gig. At this point, I had done 10 records and was getting my feet underneath me as a producer. I argued with Lemmy on everything, and that’s why he kept hiring me. He told me ‘Nobody f*cking argues with me like you do! You actually give a sh*t.'”
As previously reported, Lemmy will get the biopic treatment.
The upcoming film, Lemmy, will be directed by Greg Olliver, who previously helmed the 2010 documentary of the same name, Lemmy, Deadline reported.
The film will follow Lemmy’s life growing up in Stoke on Trent, becoming a roadie for Jimi Hendrix and a member of HAWKWIND before establishing MOTÖRHEAD.
VMI Worldwide‘s Andre Relis will produce, alongside Damon Lane. The screenplay was written by Medeni Griffiths, with additional writing by Greg Olliver. MOTÖRHEAD‘s manager Todd Singerman and Steffan Chirazi will serve as executive producers. Production will likely start in early 2021, depending on coronavirus restrictions.
“Everything you’ve heard about Lemmy is probably true… not because he was embracing rock ‘n’ roll clichés, but because he was creating them,” Olliver said. “Marlboro Reds and Jack Daniel’s for breakfast, speed for dinner — all true. But behind that steely-eyed façade of rock ‘n’ roll was also a compelling, complicated and lion-hearted man who stayed the course and never gave up playing the music that made him happy. We’ve been carefully developing this biopic since 2013, making sure to stay true to Lemmy, MOTÖRHEAD band members Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee, and all the other folks that played important roles in Lemmy‘s life. This will be a film they’ll be proud of.”
“It is a story of immense cultural importance,” Chirazi and Singerman added, “If the last five years of his absence has taught us anything, it is that he was more unique than anyone could ever have known because no one touches the quality and sheer freedom of the man. Greg is a deeply trusted part of our circle, and we are delighted to see this film coming to fruition.”
Lemmy passed away on 28 December 2015, four days after his 70th birthday, from prostate cancer, cardiac arrhythmia and congestive heart failure. According to the band, his cancer had only been diagnosed two days prior to his death.
