The rock world has been waiting for a literary event such as this for years. Oh soon, you will be able to read Sting's autobiography, which will surely mention the joys of tantric sex or his visits to the rain forest he wants to save while at the same time discovering the hallucinatory powers of certain jungle roots. For a more down to earth story, one needs to read the tale of one Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister. No shark stories, pate throwing fits, or super models are to be found here. If one were to compare Lemmy to any other rock star, I would have to say that my choice would be Keith Richards. To me, these men are indestructable, and the stories in this book are ample proof.

Lemmy takes the reader on his life's journey from being the son of a minister, terrorizing the landscape of his youth, attempting to impregnate the young ladies at a summer camp, and finally, FINALLY, being sucked into the world of rock and roll or, should I say snorted. Young Lemmy took to the vagabond life of rock n roll like a fish to water. No home, no family, no money, no problem. Whether times were good or bad, Lemmy never complains. In fact, throughout "White Line Fever", the reader never gets the feeling that Lemmy has any reservations about his career. Oh sure, Motorhead has had their share of robbing managers and bad timing, but there is no doubt that they made there mark. You will also find the obligatory references to the mass consumption of every drug imaginable, but Lemmy does not take the route of preaching against or glorifying the use of said chemicals. Instead, the readers are given the pros and cons and are left to decide for themselves.

Growing up a metal head in the late 70s and early 80s, I rarely had the opportunity to hear any Motorhead, but due to my obsession with music, I did read about their success in Europe. It was only in the year 1985 that I had the opportunity to see just how important Lemmy was to popular music. I was backstage at the Monsters of Rock show in England when I first spotted him. He was surrounded by the members of Metallica. You could tell that the guys in the band were as excited as I was to be in his presence. I remember getting as near to their group as possible without giving away the fact that I had ventured into the artists area. Even though Lemmy wasn't performing that day, to all of us in his presence, he was the man. Now go get his book.