Greetings from Tromaville!
The loss of Motörhead legend Lemmy Kilmister on December 28, 2015 had a significant impact at the Troma Films studio in Queens, NY. Lemmy had come to be known as a regular on Troma movie sets for twenty years. It would be an understatement to say that Lemmy truly understood Troma’s artistic intentions and his collaboration and support bolstered the cinema experience for creators and audiences alike. A longtime friend of Lloyd Kaufman, prexy of Troma Entertainment and creator of, “The Toxic Avenger”, Lemmy Kilmister has been a featured celebrity cameo in Troma productions as well as a generous musical contributor. Upon hearing the news of Lemmy’s passing, Kaufman said;
“Although Lemmy was one of the greatest rock-n-roll pioneers in history, with an enormous following, Lemmy was always a supporter of the genuine artist and the underdog. On a personal level he always made time to generously appear in Troma movies, no matter how deep in the underground. The Troma Team and I have very few sincere friends in the mainstream so to lose Lemmy makes us all especially sad. He was a super shit-disturber and was a great role model for all us shit-disturbers.”
In 2013, Lloyd Kaufman produced a heartfelt Tribute to Lemmy, available on the Troma Movies YouTube channel.
First appearing as the narrator in the 1997 Shakespearian inspired NYC tragedy, “Tromeo and Juliet”, Lemmy’s powerful performance made a lasting impression on the final film and he was from that moment on one of the most highly anticipated cameos in Troma works. In 1999 Lemmy played the role of a news interviewer in, “Terror Firmer”, a Tromaville citizen in the 2001 sequel to “The Toxic Avenger”, “Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV” as well as the President of the United States in, “Return to Nuke ‘Em High: Volume 1”, famously posting orders that, “Taco Tuesday will be a hit!”. Lemmy will appear once again in, “Return Nuke ‘Em High: Volume 2” (scheduled release 2016) in his untimely Tromatic coup-de-grace.
Lloyd Kaufman has always described Lemmy fondly, stating, “Lemmy has put his reputation on the line over and over again in th cause of independent art.” He was a man who never asked for any money for his appearances, only for a bttle of Jack Daniels or Maker’s Mark and two Tromettes to talk to during the long and boring hours waiting on set to shoot. In another quote, Kaufman said,
“He is one of the coolest guys in the world and how cool is it for the Troma Team to be supported by a guy who doesn’t need anything from Troma, that’s for sure.”
In the 2008 forward by the metal-god for Lloyd Kaufman’s book, Direct Your Own Goddamn Movie, Lemmy writes about Lloyd,
“So here I am writing the short sidebar for Lloyd “woops-a-daisy” Kaufman who is a fine, upstanding loony, as everybody knows! I have been in some of his movies over these many years and I have always had a great time doing them. However, I always had only a v. sketchy idea of the plot, except for “Tromeo”, because I cheated and read the Shakespeare version. All in all, I think Lloyd’s updated scenario worked better!
I will always respect Lloyd Kaufman. God knows, he hasn’t chosen an easy row to hoe(!) but his persistence struck a chord in me (as another annoying bastard who refuses to go away!) and good luck to all who sail in him.”
-Love, Lemmy. London, July, 2008.
As a musical contributor, Lemmy and Motörhead first generously gave their song, “Sacrifice” to the soundtrack of “Tromeo and Juliet” and in 2010 again gave a song, titled, “Outaw”, to be featured in to 2010 Troma film,”Mr. Bricks”. “Mr. Bricks” was a tooted by Lemmy as, “a maniancal metal ride from start to finish, a truly innovative musical that fires on all headbanging cylinders.”
Lemmy will be missed profoundly by Lloyd Kaufman and his team at Troma Entertainment, who warmly recall his words from a radio interview in 1999, shortly after shooting “Terror Firmer”. When asked what it was like to be immortalized in film, Lemmy famously replied,
“Immortalized is one thing, Troma is another. I don’t know if they’re going to last”
Hail Lemmy Kilmister!
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