Editing Lemmy (section)

=== 1971–1975: Hawkwind ===
: ''See also [[Hawkwind#1970–1975: United Artists era|Hawkwind (1970–75: United Artists era)]]''

[[File:Lemmy-1974-Hawkwind.png|thumb|upright|alt=Lemmy in 1974 in St. Louis, USA Hawkwind Hall of the Mountain Grill tour|Lemmy in 1974 in St. Louis, USA Hawkwind Hall of the Mountain Grill tour (his last with the band)]]

In August 1971, Lemmy joined the [[space rock]] band [[Hawkwind]], who were based in [[Ladbroke Grove]], London, as a bassist and vocalist. He had no previous experience as a bass guitarist, and was cajoled into joining immediately before a benefit gig in [[Notting Hill]] by bandmate Michael "Dik Mik" Davies, to have two members who enjoyed [[amphetamine]].{{sfn|Kilmister|Garza|2012|p=71}} Lemmy states that he originally auditioned for Hawkwind as a guitarist, but on the morning of the Notting Hill gig, they decided not to get another guitarist. By chance, the bass player did not show up and left his equipment in the van. He often said, "Their bass player was pretty much saying 'please steal my gig!' So I stole his gig." Lemmy quickly developed a distinctive style that was strongly shaped by his early experience as a rhythm guitarist, often using [[double stop]]s and chords rather than the single note lines preferred by most bassists. His bass work was a distinctive part of the Hawkwind sound during his tenure, perhaps best documented on the double live album ''[[Space Ritual]]''. He also provided the lead vocals on several songs, including the band's biggest UK chart single, "[[Silver Machine]]", which reached #3 in 1972.

In May 1975, during a North American tour, Lemmy was arrested at the Canadian border in [[Windsor, Ontario]], on drug possession charges. The border police mistook the [[amphetamine]] he was carrying for cocaine and he was kept overnight in jail before being released without charge. The band and management were concerned that his arrest might stop the band from crossing back into the United States, even though he had been released without charge. They were also tired of what they saw as his erratic behaviour, so they decided to fire him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.motorhead.ru/int7trials.htm|title=The Trials of Lemmy – NME 1975|work=motorhead.ru|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120804215913/http://www.motorhead.ru/int7trials.htm|archive-date=4 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.songwritingmagazine.co.uk/news/lemmy-dies-aged-70/29094 |title=Lemmy dies, aged 70 |date=29 December 2015 |magazine=Songwriting Magazine |access-date=31 December 2015}}</ref>

He once said of Hawkwind: "I did like being in Hawkwind, and I believe I'd still be playing with them today if I hadn't been kicked out. It was fun onstage, not so much offstage. They didn't want to mesh with me. Musically, I loved the drummer, the guitar player. It was a great band.” <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://bravewords.com/news/motorheads-lemmy-kilmister-talks-little-richard-hawkwind-being-best-worst-band-in-the-world |title=Motörhead's Lemmy Kilmister Talks Little Richard, Hawkwind, Being "Best Worst Band In The World" |last=Cot |first=Greg |date=16 February 2011 |website=Bravewords |access-date=11 May 2018}}</ref>