Kirk Hammett’s Anger Over Motorhead, Thin Lizzy Rock Hall Snubs
Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett expressed his strong feelings about Motorhead and Thin Lizzy not being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, even though both bands were nominated for the class of 2020.
He argued that the groups led by Lemmy Kilmister and Phil Lynott, respectively, had enough influence in rock 'n' roll to deserve induction, and said that if their lack of record sales were keeping them out, then it was a “piece of shit.”
“I really think that when things like that happen, it might be a generational thing where maybe some of the older people just don't get it — they just don't fucking get it,” Hammett told the Let There Be Talk podcast. “They don't see the range of influence and the impact and the inspiration that certain bands have. They don't hear it, because maybe they're part of a different generation and were told that vocals sung like that are bad. But they're not. … Some of those Motorhead recordings are fucking so beautifully raw.”
The guitarist argued that good music is usually able to “transcend generations,” but speculated that some bands’ work didn’t do that because “at certain times, people are just closed off from it from the get-go, for whatever reason. ... For those kind of people, Motorhead is a little bit of a bitter pill. ... It could be a little better comprehended.”
Turning to Thin Lizzy, Hammett noted that "they were such a huge influence with me and all my friends and all the bands that were coming up at the same time we were, and they're still not in the fucking Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Again, maybe it's generational, I don't know. Maybe they just didn't sell enough fucking albums. Sometimes it feels like you have to sell a certain amount of albums before they would even consider you, which is, I think, a big piece of shit too.”
Motorhead have been eligible for induction since 2002; Thin Lizzy have been eligible since 1996.