Name	Dave Grohl
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	David Eric Grohl
Alias	Late (pseudonym used by Grohl for his solo album Pocketwatch), Probot (moniker used by Grohl for his heavy metal "all-stars" album of the same name)
Born	January 14, 1969Warren, Ohio United States
Genre	Alternative rock, post-grunge, grunge, hardcore punk, heavy metal
Occupation	Musician, songwriter
Years active	1985-present
Instrument	Vocals, drums, guitar, piano, bass, percussions
Label	RCA, Capitol, Geffen, Dischord
Associated acts	Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Scream, Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, Tenacious D, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Probot, Killing Joke
Notable instruments	Gibson DG-335Gibson ES-335Gibson FirebirdGibson ExplorerAmpeg Dan Armstrong DW Jazz SeriesZildjian cymbals

David Eric "Dave" Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary songwriter for the Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana; the drummer for bands Them Crooked Vultures and Scream; and for his short-lived side projects Late! and Probot. He has also been involved with Queens of the Stone Age, and has performed session work for a variety of musicians, including Killing Joke, Tenacious D, Nine Inch Nails, The Prodigy, Slash and Juliette Lewis.

Early life

As a child, his family (father Jim Grohl, mother Virginia Wendt, and older sister Lisa) relocated from Warren, Ohio, to Springfield, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Three years later, when Grohl was six, his parents divorced, and Grohl grew up living with his mother. His early influences also involved tutorials in drumming from "Treasures of the Earth" drummer Timothy Aldridge.

At the age of twelve, Grohl began learning to play guitar. He quickly grew tired of lessons and instead became self-taught, honing his ability by playing in bands with friends. Soon he became guitarist for the punk rock band Midtown. A year later in 1982, Grohl and his sister spent the summer in Evanston, Illinois at their cousin Tracy's house. Tracy introduced them to punk rock by taking the pair to shows by a variety of punk bands. "From then on we were totally punk," Grohl explained. "We went home and bought Maximumrocknroll and tried to figure it all out." Mission Impossible later rebranded themselves Fast before breaking up, after which Grohl joined the post-punk-influenced hardcore punk band Dain Bramage.

Many of Grohl's early influences were gained at the 9:30 club, a live music venue in Washington D.C.; he said, "I went to the 9:30 club hundreds of times. I was always so excited to get there, and I was always bummed when it closed. I spent my teenage years at the club and saw some shows that changed my life." An amusing anecdote of that period at the 9:30 club comes from Urban Verbs singer Roddy Frantz: "Henry Rollins used to sneak in through the back door. Our roadie would let him in because he knew him from high school. He let Dave Grohl in, too, when he was some 15-year-old kid. I would've been nicer to him if I knew who he was going to be." To Grohl's surprise, the band asked him to join. After waffling for a brief period, Grohl accepted the offer. Grohl dropped out of high school in his junior year; he said, "I was seventeen and extremely anxious to see the world, so I did it." Over the next four years, Grohl toured extensively with the band, recording a couple of live albums and two studio albums, No More Censorship and Fumble, on which Grohl penned and sang vocals on the song "Gods Look Down".

While playing in Scream, Grohl became a fan of The Melvins and eventually befriended the band. During a 1990 tour stop on the west coast, The Melvins' Buzz Osborne took a couple of his friends, Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic, to see the band.

Nirvana

A few months later, Scream unexpectedly disbanded following the departure of its bass player, and Grohl placed a phone call to Osborne for advice. Knowing how much Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic liked Grohl's drumming, Osborne gave Novoselic's phone number to Grohl. Novoselic invited Grohl to Seattle, where Grohl attended Nirvana's infamous show at the Motor Sports Garage, the one Nirvana show that featured Dan Peters on drums. (Grohl admitted to Rolling Stone magazine in 2005 that he spent most of Nirvana's set outside talking to a friend.) Grohl subsequently auditioned for the band, and soon joined them full-time.

At the time that Grohl joined Nirvana, the band had already recorded several demos for what would be the follow-up to their debut album Bleach, having spent time recording with producer Butch Vig in Wisconsin. Initially, the plans were to release the album on Sub Pop, but the band found itself receiving a great deal of major label interest based on the demos. Grohl spent the initial months with Nirvana traveling to various major labels as the band shopped for a deal, eventually signing with DGC Records. In the spring of 1991, the band entered the studio to record the album.

Upon its release, Nevermind exceeded all expectations and became a massive success, catapulting the band to worldwide stardom. At the same time, Grohl found himself fighting with his status in the band. While his drumming style was a significant element in the band's success, Grohl saw himself as just another in a long line of drummers. In his mind, Nirvana was the band that recorded Bleach; his arrival had altered that sound dramatically, and, as he saw it, not necessarily in a positive way. Though Grohl had been writing songs for several years, he declined to introduce his songs to the band for fear of damaging the band's chemistry. Instead, Grohl compiled his songs and recorded them himself, releasing a cassette called Pocketwatch in 1992 on indie label Simple Machines. Rather than using his own name, Grohl released the cassette under the pseudonym "Late!".

In the later years of Nirvana, Grohl's songwriting contributions increased. In Grohl's initial months in Seattle, Cobain overheard him working on a song called "Color Pictures of a Marigold", and the two ended up jamming on it. Grohl would later record the song for the Pocketwatch cassette. During the sessions for In Utero, he decided to re-record the song, and the band released this version as a b-side on the "Heart-Shaped Box" single, titled simply "Marigold". Earlier, as the band worked on new material for In Utero, Grohl contributed the main guitar riff for what ended up becoming "Scentless Apprentice". Cobain conceded in a late 1993 MTV interview that he initially thought the riff was "kind of boneheaded", but was gratified at how the song developed (a process captured in part in a demo on the Nirvana box set With the Lights Out). Cobain noted that he was excited at the possibility of having Novoselic and Grohl contribute more to the band's songwriting.

Prior to their 1994 European tour, the band decided to schedule session time at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle to work on demos. For most of the three-day session, Cobain was absent, so Novoselic and Grohl worked on demos of their own songs. The duo completed several of Grohl's songs, including future Foo Fighters songs "Exhausted", "Big Me", "February Stars", and "Butterflies". On the third day of the session, Cobain finally arrived, and the band recorded a demo of a song later named "You Know You're Right". It was the band's final studio recording.

Foo Fighters

Following Cobain's death in April 1994, Grohl retreated, unsure of where to go and what to do with himself. In October 1994, Grohl scheduled studio time, again at Robert Lang's Studio, and quickly recorded a fifteen-track demo. With the exception of a single guitar part on "X-Static" played by Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs, Grohl performed all of the instruments himself.

At the same time, Grohl wondered if his future might be in drumming for other bands. In November, Grohl took a brief turn with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, including a memorable performance on Saturday Night Live. Petty asked him to join permanently, but Grohl realized that his future lay elsewhere, and thus he declined the invitation. Grohl's name was also rumored as a possible replacement for Pearl Jam drummer Dave Abbruzzese, and Grohl even performed with the band for a song or two at three shows during Pearl Jam's March 1995 Australian tour. However, by then, Pearl Jam had already settled on ex- Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer, Jack Irons, and Grohl had other solo plans in the works.

After passing the demo around, Grohl found himself with considerable major label interest. Nirvana's A&R; rep Gary Gersh had subsequently taken over as president of Capitol Records and lured Grohl to sign with the label. Grohl did not want the effort to be considered the start of a solo career so he recruited other band members: former Nirvana touring guitarist Pat Smear, and two members of the band Sunny Day Real Estate, William Goldsmith (drums) and Nate Mendel (bass). Rather than re-record the album, Grohl's demo was given a professional mix by Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock and was released in July 1995 as Foo Fighters' debut album.

During a break between tours, the band entered the studio and recorded a cover of Gary Numan's "Down in the Park". In February 1996, Grohl and his then-wife Jennifer Youngblood made a brief cameo appearance on the X-Files third season episode "Pusher". (The two can be spotted walking in the FBI building, just after the Pusher character has put on his phony pass. Grohl pauses to look at his watch.)

After touring for the self-titled album for more than a year, Grohl returned home and began work on the soundtrack to the 1997 movie Touch. Grohl performed all of the instruments and vocals himself, save for vocals from Veruca Salt singer Louise Post on the title track, and vocals and guitar by X's John Doe on "This Loving Thing (Lynn's Song)". Grohl completed the recording in two weeks, and immediately joined Foo Fighters to work on their follow-up.

In the midst of the initial sessions for Foo Fighters' second album, tension emerged between Grohl and Goldsmith. According to Goldsmith, "Dave had me do 96 takes of one song, and I had to do thirteen hours' worth of takes on another one. ... It just seemed that everything I did wasn't good enough for him, or anyone else." Goldsmith also believed that Capitol and producer Gil Norton wanted Grohl to drum on the album. With the album seemingly complete, Grohl headed home to Virginia with a copy of the rough mixes, and found himself unhappy with the results. Grohl penned a few new songs, recording one of them, "Walking After You", by himself at a studio in Washington, DC. Inspired by the session, Grohl opted to move the band, without Goldsmith's knowledge,

On November 23, 2002, Grohl achieved a unique historical milestone by replacing himself on the top of the Billboard Modern Rock chart, when "You Know You're Right" by Nirvana was replaced by "All My Life" by Foo Fighters. When "All My Life" ended its run, after a one week respite, "No One Knows" by Queens of the Stone Age took the number one spot. Between October 26, 2002 and March 1, 2003 Grohl was in the number one spot on the Modern Rock charts for 17 of 18 successive weeks, as a member of three different groups.

Grohl and Foo Fighters released their fifth album In Your Honor on June 14, 2005. Prior to starting work on the album, the band spent almost a year relocating Grohl's home-based Virginia studio to a brand new facility, dubbed Studio 606, located in a warehouse near Los Angeles. Featuring collaborations with John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and Norah Jones, the album was a departure from previous efforts, and included one rock and one acoustic disc.

Foo Fighters's sixth studio album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace was released on September 25, 2007. It was recorded during a three-month period between March 2007 and June 2007, and its release was preceded by the first single "The Pretender" on September 17. The second single, "Long Road to Ruin", was released on December 3, 2007, followed by the third single, "Let It Die", June 24, 2008.

On November 2, 2009 Foo Fighters released their first Greatest Hits collection, consisting of 16 tracks including a previously unreleased acoustic version of "Everlong" and two new tracks "Wheels" and "Word Forward" which were produced by Nevermind's producer Butch Vig. Grohl has been quoted saying the Greatest Hits is too early and "...can look like an obituary." He does not feel they have written their best hits yet.

The last minute Foo Fighters show at Paladino's in Tarzana, California on Wednesday night (December 22) was being shot for a documentary. Not only was new material from the band's forthcoming album aired, but for the encore, the remaining members of Nirvana played together for the second time since the death of Kurt Cobain.

Grohl behind the drum kit, was joined onstage by bassist Krist Novoselic and the band's live guitarist Pat Smear for a version of the 1993 Nirvana b-side 'Marigold', one of the few Nirvana tracks Grohl had actually done vocals for.

Other projects

Apart from his main bands, Grohl has been involved in other music projects. In 1992, Grohl played drums on Buzz Osborne's Kiss-styled solo-EP King Buzzo, where he was credited as Dale Nixon, a pseudonym that Greg Ginn adopted to play bass on Black Flag's My War. Grohl also released the music cassette Pocketwatch under the pseudonym Late! on the now defunct indie label, Simple Machines.

In 1993, Grohl was recruited to help recreate the music of The Beatles' early years for the movie Backbeat. Grohl played drums in an "all-star" lineup that included Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs, indie producer Don Fleming, Mike Mills of R.E.M., Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, and Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum. A music video was filmed for the song "Money (That's What I Want)" while Grohl was with Nirvana on their 1994 European tour, footage of Grohl was filmed later and included.

Later in 1994, Grohl played drums on two tracks for Mike Watt's Ball-Hog or Tugboat?. In early 1995, Grohl and Foo Fighters played their first US tour opening for Watt, and helped make up Watt's supporting band. Nicknamed the "Ringspiel" tour, Watt's band featured Grohl and William Goldsmith on drums, Eddie Vedder and Pat Smear on guitar, and Watt on bass.

During the early 2000s, Grohl spent time in his basement studio writing and recording a number of songs for a "metal" project. Over the span of several years, Grohl recruited his favorite metal vocalists from the 1980s, including Lemmy of Motörhead, Conrad "Cronos" Lant from Venom, King Diamond, Scott Weinrich, and Max Cavalera of Sepultura, to perform the vocals for the songs. The project was released in 2004 under the moniker Probot.

Also in 2003, Grohl stepped behind the kit to perform on Killing Joke's second self-titled album. The move surprised some Nirvana fans, given that Nirvana had been accused of stealing the opening riff of "Come as You Are" from Killing Joke's 1984 song "Eighties". However, the controversy failed to create a lasting rift between the bands. Foo Fighters covered Killing Joke's "Requiem" during the late 1990s, and were even joined by Killing Joke singer Jaz Coleman for a performance of the song at a show in New Zealand in 2003.

Grohl lent his drumming skills to other artists during the early 2000s. In 2000, Dave played drums and sang on a track, "Goodbye Lament", from Tony Iommi's album Iommi. In 2001, Grohl performed on Tenacious D's debut album, and appeared in the video for lead single "Tribute" as Satan. He later appeared in the duo's 2006 movie Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny as Beelzeboss and performed on its soundtrack. In 2002, Grohl helped Chan Marshall of Cat Power on the album You Are Free and also played with Queens of the Stone Age on their album Songs for the Deaf. In 2004, Grohl drummed on several tracks for Nine Inch Nails' 2005 album With Teeth. He also drummed on the song "Bad Boyfriend" on Garbage's 2005 album Bleed Like Me. Most recently, he recorded all the drums on Juliette and the Licks's 2006 album Four on the Floor and the song "For Us" from Pete Yorn's 2006 album Nightcrawler. Beyond drumming, Grohl contributed guitar to a cover of Neil Young's "I've Been Waiting For You" on David Bowie's 2002 album Heathen.

In June 2008, Grohl was Paul McCartney's special guest for a concert at the Anfield football stadium in Liverpool, in one of the central events of the English city's year as European Capital of Culture. Grohl joined McCartney's band singing backup vocals and playing guitar on "Band on the Run" and drums on "Back in the U.S.S.R." and "I Saw Her Standing There". Grohl also performed with McCartney at the 51st Grammy Awards, again playing drums on "I Saw Her Standing There".

Grohl played drums on the tracks 'Run With The Wolves' and 'Stand Up' on The Prodigy's 2009 album Invaders Must Die. In July 2009, it was revealed that Grohl was recording with Josh Homme and John Paul Jones as Them Crooked Vultures. The trio performed their first show together on August 9, 2009 at Metro in Chicago. The band played their first UK gig on August 26, 2009, with a surprise appearance at Brixton Academy in London, supporting the Arctic Monkeys. The band released their debut album Them Crooked Vultures on November 16, 2009 in the UK and November 17, 2009 in the US. Grohl has recently been involved in producing emerging Brit-rock outift A Band Called Bert, notably on the track It's Over Now.

On February 6, 2010, Grohl performed with his band Them Crooked Vultures the songs "Mind Eraser, No Chaser" and "New Fang" as musical guests on Saturday Night Live. Dave Grohl appeared as an old punk rock drummer reuniting the group "Crisis of Conformity" after 25 years in a skit later on in the episode.

On October 23, 2010, Grohl performed with Tenacious D at Blizzcon. He appeared as the drummer for the entire concert.

Grohl played drums on the Michael Jackson song (I Can't Make It) Another Day which also featured Lenny Kravitz, recorded in 2001. The track appeared on the 2010 posthumous album, Michael.

Grohl has been confirmed to have a cameo role as himself in the upcoming Muppets film, drumming for the Muppets band while Animal is in anger management.

In December 2010, Grohl performed "Maybe I'm Amazed" by Paul McCartney at the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors in honor of award recipient Paul McCartney.

Personal life

Grohl has been married twice. He was first married to photographer Jennifer Youngblood from 1993 to 1997. After their divorce, Grohl had relationships with Louise Post from Veruca Salt, solo artist and Hole bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur, and pro-snowboarder Tina Basich.

He then went on to marry his second wife, Jordyn Blum on August 2, 2003, at their home in Los Angeles. Guests included Clive Davis, Jack Black, and former Nirvana bandmate Krist Novoselic. On April 15, 2006, Grohl and his wife welcomed their first child, daughter Violet Maye, in Los Angeles. She was named after Grohl's maternal grandmother. Earlier that year, Foo Fighters bandmate Taylor Hawkins told MTV, "We're going to be touring Europe in January and February, but we've got to be home by March, because Dave and his wife are having a baby," he said, adding, "but I probably wasn't supposed to tell you that." Grohl said that he had been playing music to his unborn child, saying "she 'likes' The Beatles. Doesn't really get down to The Beach Boys. Digs Mozart." On April 17, 2009, Grohl and his wife welcomed their second child, daughter Harper Willow.

In May 2006, Grohl sent a note of support to the two trapped miners in the Beaconsfield mine collapse in Tasmania, Australia. In the initial days following the collapse, one of the men requested an iPod with Foo Fighters album In Your Honor, to be sent down to them through a small hole. Grohl's note read, in part, "Though I'm halfway around the world right now, my heart is with you both, and I want you to know that when you come home, there's two tickets to any Foos show, anywhere, and two cold beers waiting for yous. Deal?" In October 2006, one of the miners took up his offer, joining Grohl for a drink after Foo Fighters acoustic concert at the Sydney Opera House. Grohl wrote an instrumental piece for the meeting, which Grohl pledged he would include on the band's next album. The song, titled "Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners," appears on Foo Fighters' latest release Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, and features Kaki King.

In August 2009 Grohl was given the key to the city of Warren, Ohio and performed the songs "Everlong", "Times Like These", and "My Hero". A roadway in downtown Warren named "David Grohl Alley" has been dedicated to him with murals by local artists.

DUI in Australia

On January 23, 2000, while on tour with Foo Fighters in Australia, Grohl was arrested by Australian police for driving under the influence following a concert on the Gold Coast in Queensland. Grohl was pulled over on his moped, breathalyzed and recorded a blood alcohol level of 0.09 (The legal limit in Queensland is 0.05). He was fined $400 and had his Australian driving permit revoked for three months. Following the incident Grohl stated: "So, people, I guess if there's anything to learn here, it's: don't drive after a few beers, even if you feel entirely capable like I did."

Discography

;Nirvana

Nevermind (1991)

Incesticide (1992)

In Utero (1993)

MTV Unplugged in New York (1994)

From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah (1996)

Nirvana (2002)

With the Lights Out (2004)

(2005)

Live at Reading (2009)

;Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters (1995)

The Colour and the Shape (1997)

There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999)

One by One (2002)

In Your Honor (2005)

Skin and Bones (2006)

Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007)

;Queens of the Stone Age

Songs for the Deaf (2002)

;Them Crooked Vultures

Them Crooked Vultures (2009)

;Solo

Pocketwatch (1992) (released under the pseudonym "Late!")

References

External links

Foo Fighters official website

Live Review at ArtistDirect.com

Category:1969 births Category:1980s singers Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:American male singers Category:American multi-instrumentalists Category:American music video directors Category:American rock drummers Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock singer-songwriters Category:Backing vocalists Category:Foo Fighters members Category:Grunge musicians Category:Killing Joke members Category:Musicians from Ohio Category:Musicians from Virginia Category:Nirvana members Category:People from Fairfax County, Virginia Category:People from Warren, Ohio Category:Queens of the Stone Age members Category:Scream members Category:Living people

Caption	Ferrell in May 2009
Birth date	July 16, 1967
Birth name	John William Ferrell
Birth place	Irvine, California, U.S.
Spouse	Viveca Paulin (2000–present)
Years active	1995–present
Occupation	Comedian, impressionist, actor, writer

John William "Will" Ferrell (; born , 1967) is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, , , Stranger than Fiction, Blades of Glory, Semi-Pro, and The Other Guys. He is considered a member of the "Frat Pack," a generation of leading Hollywood comic actors to emerge in the late 1990s and the 2000s including Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Steve Carell, Vince Vaughn, and brothers Owen and Luke Wilson.

Early life

Ferrell was born in Irvine, California, the son of Betty Kay ( Overman), a teacher who taught at Old Mill School elementary school, and Roy Lee Ferrell, Jr., a guitarist for The Righteous Brothers. His parents were both natives of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, and moved to California in 1964; Ferrell also has Irish ancestry. He first attended school at Turtle Rock Elementary, and later attended Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, both in Irvine. He attended University High School in Irvine, and was a kicker for the school's varsity football team. He told the Orange County Register that the dullness of Irvine contributed to the growth of his humor:

Growing up in suburbia, in safe, master-planned Irvine, there was no drama so we had to create it in our heads. My main form of entertainment was cracking my friends up and exploring new ways of being funny. I didn't have to have the survival mode instinct like other comics, who grew up in tough neighborhoods. I had the opposite. For me, I grew up in Mayberry, and the humor broke the boredom. And there was a lot to make fun of.

He enrolled at the University of Southern California, where he studied Sports Broadcasting and graduated with a degree in Sports Information. He is also a member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. After graduating in 1990, he developed his improvisation skills as a member of the comedy group The Groundlings.

Saturday Night Live

Ferrell joined Saturday Night Live in 1995 and left in 2002 after a successful seven-year tenure. He returned to host twice (both in season finales), and once in the cold open of the final episode of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday

During his time on SNL, Ferrell made a name for himself with his impersonations, which included:

U.S. President George W. Bush

Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray,

Singer Robert Goulet (crooning a cappella pieces of music by Sisqó, Baha Men, and Notorious B.I.G.),

Singer Neil Diamond,

Inside the Actors Studio host James Lipton (who was quoted several times to favor Ferrell's impersonation),

Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy,

United States Attorney General Janet Reno,

Convicted Unabomber Ted Kaczynski,

Game show host Alex Trebek,

Fictitious black private detective Shaft,

Professional wrestler-turned-Governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura,

U.S. Vice President Al Gore (Darrell Hammond took over once Ferrell started playing Bush),

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein,

Cuban President Fidel Castro.

His original characters included "Morning Latte" co-host Tom Wilkins, Ed the Horse's twin brother Ned, fictional Blue Öyster Cult member Gene Frenkle (physically modeled after Blue Öyster Cult vocalist Eric Bloom), music teacher Marty Culp, Spartan cheerleader Craig Buchanan, Dale Sturtevant from "Dissing Your Dog", Hank of the Bill Brasky Buddies, David Leary from "Dog Show", and night clubber Steve Butabi in a sketch that went to the big screen in 1998's A Night at the Roxbury.

Ferrell returned to Saturday Night Live as a guest host on , 2005, and , 2009. Both times, he reprised his role as Alex Trebek in the "Celebrity Jeopardy" sketches. On the appearance, Ferrell reprised his role as Robert Goulet in a fake commercial advertising a series of crooned ringtones and, during the performance of the song "Little Sister" by musical guests Queens of the Stone Age, Ferrell came on stage playing the cowbell.

Ferrell became the highest paid cast member of Saturday Night Live in 2001 with a season salary of $350,000.

Film

During his time on Saturday Night Live, Ferrell appeared in several movies: , A Night at the Roxbury, Superstar, The Ladies Man, Dick, Drowning Mona, , Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Zoolander.

His first starring role came after his departure from SNL with Frank "The Tank" Richard in Old School (2003). The film "belongs to Mr. Ferrell," declared the New York Times, which described how he "uses his hilarious, anxious zealotry to sell the part." Old School was a major success and Ferrell received an MTV Movie Awards nomination for Best Comedic Performance.

The title role in Elf (2003) followed, as did another MTV Movie Awards nomination. Ferrell continued to land comedy roles in 2004 and 2005 in films such as Melinda and Melinda, , Starsky & Hutch earning himself a place among Hollywood's Frat Pack. In 2005, Ferrell earned . In 2006, Ferrell starred in Stranger Than Fiction and ; both received critical and box office success. Ferrell's performance in Stranger Than Fiction introduced audiences to the dramatic potential of Ferrell's acting talents. On , 2006, 'The Magazine' named Ferrell as one of its three actors of the year in their 2006 year in review issue.

, December 2007]] Ferrell appeared as part of a pre-game video package for the Rose Bowl along with Texas alum Matthew McConaughey. Ferrell also sang a song at the ESPY Awards in 2006 about Lance Armstrong and Neil Armstrong. He and John C. Reilly also did a spot during the 2008 ESPY Awards where they made demands in order for them to appear at the ESPYs like asking Portland Trail Blazers' center Greg Oden to tuck them in at night and tell them stories of the old times or to bring back the Cold War so the Olympics can be interesting again.

Ferrell participated in a 79th Academy Awards musical-comedy performance with John C. Reilly and Jack Black, wherein they sang a song about comedies being snubbed by the voters in favor of dramas.

In May 2009 it was announced Ferrell is in talks to star in Neighborhood Watch, a comedy about an urbanite who moves to the suburbs and uncovers a conspiracy. In negotiations to direct is David Dobkin, who gave Ferrell a cameo in Wedding Crashers. In August 2009, Ferrell decided not to do the film. In the summer of 2009, Ferrell did a large amount of filming with several young actors. He helped out on a film entitled Making a Movie, which is now on DVD.

In June 2009, Land of the Lost was released. It was a commercial and critical flop after earning on opening weekend, about two-thirds of what the studio expected.

In 2010, he was the executive producer and star of The Other Guys, a buddy cop film, which also has an ensemble cast which consists of Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Ray Stevenson, Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson. Unlike Land of the Lost, the film was a commercial success, earning over $140 million, and was positively reviewed by critics.

Voice acting

Ferrell has worked as a voice actor in several animated television programs, including his portrayal of Bob Oblong, a 1950s-style father with no arms or legs, in the short-lived animated television series The Oblongs. He has had several guest appearances on Family Guy, where he played the Black Knight in "Mr. Saturday Knight", as well as Fat Greek Guy and Miles "Chatterbox" Musket in "Fifteen Minutes of Shame". Ferrell also starred as Ted (a.k.a. The Man in the Yellow Hat) in the movie Curious George and guest voiced on an episode of the FOX sitcom King of the Hill as an overly PC soccer coach. He voiced the title character in the 2010 DreamWorks Animation film Megamind.

Funny or Die

In April 2007, Ferrell launched "Funny or Die", a streaming video website where short comedy films are uploaded and voted on by users. The site features The Landlord, starring Ferrell and Funny or Die co-founder Adam McKay. Ferrell's character is harassed for the rent by his landlady, a swearing, beer-loving, two-year-old girl (played by McKay's daughter, Pearl). Child psychologists have criticized Ferrell and the McKay family for child exploitation, to which McKay responded: }} They followed with the release of a video entitled "Good Cop, Baby Cop" which also starred baby Pearl; the end of the video stated that this would be her final appearance and wished her a happy "baby retirement."

In September 2008, Ferrell released another video entitled "Will Ferrell Answers Internet Questions" where he takes some pressing questions and comments from his fans.

Other Ferrell's appearance on "Funny or Die",

Eastbound & Down

Ferrell co-produces (with Adam McKay) an HBO show starring Danny McBride called Eastbound & Down. He also has a recurring role as car dealer Ashley Schaeffer.

Personal life

In August 2000, Ferrell married Swedish actress Viveca Paulin, whom he met in 1995 at an acting class. They live in New York City and in Orange County, California and have three sons, Magnus Paulin Ferrell, born , 2004, Mattias Paulin Ferrell, born , 2006, and Axel Paulin Ferrell, born , 2010.

In 2006, I-Newswire.com, a site that accepts submissions from readers and publishes them as "press releases", reported that Ferrell had died in a paragliding accident. The hoax was published before its factual inaccuracy was noticed. The story was further propagated when it appeared on Google News.

Ferrell is a fan of USC Trojan football. At USC, Ferrell was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity and is now an active alumnus. Ferrell has worked with former head coach Pete Carroll to do motivational stunts for the players during the season. Ferrell represented Chelsea as honorary captain in the coin toss before the Chelsea v Inter Milan match at The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on , 2009.

Ferrell enjoys running and has participated in several major marathons such as the Boston, New York and Stockholm Marathons. He also raises money for charity, including his Scholarships for Cancer Survivors campaign through Crowdrise; a social networking community for volunteers and a micro-donations fundraising platform.

In 2007, Autograph magazine named Ferrell the worst celebrity autographer. Its editor stated, "What's so frustrating about Will Ferrell being the worst autograph signer this past year is that he used to be so nice to fans and collectors and a great signer. What makes him so bad is that he'll taunt people asking for his autograph." In response, Ferrell has stated, "I don't know how I got on the list. I sign a lot of autographs," but has admitted to taunting autograph-seekers: "I do. I really do. I'm like, 'How badly do you want this autograph?' 'Are you sure?' 'You say you're my biggest fan, really, prove it.' I'll do things like that. They have to earn it."

Ferrell had noted that, although he was well known for his SNL impersonation of President George W. Bush, he chose, for both professional and political reasons, not to meet the President on several occasions, unlike his SNL predecessor Dana Carvey's famous chummy relationship with George H. W. Bush: "I declined, partly out of comedic purposes, because when I was on the show Saturday Night Live at the time, it didn't make sense to really meet the people that you play, for fear of them influencing you. And then the other side of it is, from a political standpoint, I don't want to meet that guy."

Ferrell made a comical debut as a relief pitcher for the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, on , 2010. He was introduced as "Billy Ray 'Rojo' Johnson", and was brought in to relief pitch for the sixth inning. He then entertained the fans by bringing a sack of beer cans to the mound, as well as being ejected and getting chased by the opposing batter. He revealed himself to the fans when his moustache fell off during the chase. The appearance was cooked up by Ferrell and the Express, who sent out a press release announcing Johnson's "signing", to promote The Will Powered Golf Classic the following day at the nearby Cimarron Hills Country Club, which benefits Cancer for College, an organization that provides scholarships to cancer survivors.

Awards and nominations

Emmy Awards

Nominated:

2001: Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program (for Saturday Night Live)

ESPY Awards

Won:

2007 ESPY Awards, Best Sports Movie (for )

2008 ESPY Awards, Best Sports Movie (for Semi-Pro)

Golden Globe Awards

Nominated:

2006: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (for The Producers)

2007: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (for Stranger than Fiction)

James Joyce Award

2008: James Joyce Award from University College Dublin's Literary and Historical Society in recognition for "excelling in his field".

MTV Movie Awards

Won:

2007: Best Kiss for (with Sacha Baron Cohen)

Nominated:

2003: Best Comedic Performance (for Old School)

2003: Best On-Screen Team (with Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn for Old School)

2004: Best Comedic Performance (for Elf)

2005: Best Comedic Performance (for )

2005: Best On-Screen Team (with Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and David Koechner for )

2005: Best Musical Performance (with Paul Rudd, David Koechner and Steve Carell for )

2007: Best Comedic Performance (for Blades of Glory)

2007: Best Fight (for Blades of Glory)

Razzie Awards

Nominated:

2005: Worst Actor for Bewitched and Kicking & Screaming

Satellite Awards

Nominated:

2006: Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical (for Stranger Than Fiction)

Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards

Won:

2007 Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards, Funniest Mo-fo

2007 Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards, Most Viral Video

Teen Choice Awards

Won:

2007: Choice Movie Actor - Comedy for and Blades of Glory

Nominated:

2004: Choice Comedian

2004: Choice Movie Actor - Comedy for Elf

2005: Choice Comedian

2005: Choice Movie Actor - Comedy for and Kicking & Screaming

2005: Choice Movie Hissy Fit for Kicking & Screaming

2005: Choice Movie Rumble for

2005: Choice Movie Sleazebag for Kicking & Screaming

2007: Choice Comedian

2007: Choice Movie Chemistry (with Jon Heder), for Blades of Glory

2007: Choice Movie Dance (with Jon Heder), for Blades of Glory

2007: Choice Movie Hissy Fit for Blades of Glory

2008: Choice Comedian

2008: Choice Movie Actor - Comedy for Semi-Pro

2009: Choice Movie Actor - Comedy for Land of the Lost

Tony Awards

Nominated:

2009: Best Special Theatrical Event (for You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush)

Filmography

{| border="2" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;" !Year !! Movie !! Role !! U.S. gross !! Notes |- |rowspan="2"| 1995 || Bucket of Blood || Young Man || || Made for TV |- | Criminal Hearts || Newscaster || || |- |rowspan="2"| 1997 || || Mustafa || US$53.9 million || |- | Men Seeking Women || Al || || |- |rowspan="2"| 1998 || A Night at the Roxbury || Steve Butabi || US$30.3 million || Also Writer |- | The Thin Pink Line || Darren Clark || || |- |rowspan="4"| 1999 || Superstar || Sky Corrigan/God || US$30.6 million || |- | Dick || Bob Woodward || US$6.2 million || |- | || Mustafa || US$206 million || |- | The Suburbans || Gil || US$11,130 || |- |rowspan="2"| 2000 || The Ladies Man || Lance DeLune || US$13.6 million || |- | Drowning Mona || Cubby the Funeral Director || US$15.4 million || |- |rowspan="2"| 2001 || Zoolander || Mugatu || US$45.2 million || |- | Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back || Federal Wildlife Marshal Willenholly || US$30.1 million || |- | 2002 || Boat Trip || Brian's Boyfriend || US$8.6 million || Uncredited |- |rowspan="2"| 2003 | Old School || Frank "the Tank" Ricard || US$74.6 million || |- | Elf || Buddy || US$173.4 million || |- |rowspan="5"| 2004 || Melinda and Melinda || Hobie || US$3.8 million || |- | || Ron Burgundy || US$84.1 million || Also Writer |- | || Ron Burgundy || || Straight-To-DVDAlso Writer |- | Starsky & Hutch || Big Earl || US$88.2 million || Uncredited |- | Oh, What a Lovely Tea Party || Himself || || |- |rowspan="6"| 2005 | The Producers || Franz Liebkind ||US$19.4 million || |- | Wedding Crashers|| Chazz Reinhold || US$209.2 million || Uncredited |- | Winter Passing || Corbit || US$101,228 || |- | Bewitched || Jack Wyatt/Darrin || US$62.3 million || |- | Kicking & Screaming || Phil Weston || US$52.6 million || |- | The Wendell Baker Story || Dave Bix || US$127,144 || |- |rowspan="3"| 2006 | Stranger Than Fiction || Harold Crick ||US$40.1 million || |- | || Ricky Bobby ||US$148.2 million || Also Writer/Executive Producer |- | Curious George || Ted/The Man in the Yellow Hat || US$58.3 million || Voice Role |- || 2007 | Blades of Glory || Chazz Michael Michaels || US$118.2 million || |- |rowspan="2"| 2008 | Semi-Pro || Jackie Moon || US$33.4 million || |- | Step Brothers || Brennan Huff || US$101.1 million || Also Writer/Executive Producer |- |rowspan="3"| 2009 |Land of the Lost || Dr. Rick Marshall || US$49.4 million || |- | || Craig McDermott || US$15.1 million || UncreditedAlso Producer |- |SpongeBob's Truth or Square || Himself || || |- |rowspan="4"| 2010 |The Other Guys || Detective Allen Gamble || US$140 million || Also Executive Producer |- |Megamind || Megamind || ||Voice Role |- |Hubworld || Himself || ||Guest starSeason 1, Episode 1 |- |Everything Must Go || Nick Halsey || || |- |rowspan="2"| 2011 |Casa De Mi Padre || || || |}

Television work

Saturday Night Live (cast member from 1995 to 2002, host in 2005 and 2009)

Cow and Chicken (1997–2001, voice in various episodes)

Saturday Night Live: Presidential Bash 2000 (2000)

Family Guy (as the Black Knight, 2001)

Undeclared (guest star)

The Oblongs (Bob Oblong, 2001–2002, voice)

King of the Hill (as Coach Lucas, 1999, voice)

The Tom Green Show (guest star)

Family Guy (as himself, 2005)

The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show (guest star)

Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (voiceover and guest)

Eastbound & Down (BMW Dealership Owner Ashley Schaeffer)

You're Welcome America: A Final Night With George W. Bush

Man vs. Wild (guest star)

Live with Regis and Kelly (co-host)

''63rd Tony Awards (2009), 2009 MTV Movie Awards and 2009 TV Land Awards

'' The Merrick & Rosso Show (as himself, 2009)

SpongeBob SquarePants (as himself, 2009)

Strangers with Candy (2000)

Funny or Die Presents (2010)

Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job (2010)

30 Rock (2010)

Salary

(2006) $20,000,000

Bewitched (2005) $20,000,000

Kicking & Screaming (2005) $20,000,000

(2004) $6,900,000

References

External links

Will Ferrell's High Five Hollywood

Will Ferrell's profile on Funny Or Die

10 Best Will Ferrell Skits

Will Ferrell Interview for 'Everything Must Go'

Will Ferrell Interview

Maxim Rated Top SNL performer

Will Ferrell at Complex Magazine

HBO's Special Event page for Will Ferrell You're Welcome America: A Final Night with George W Bush

Crowdrise Scholarships for Cancer Survivors Fundraising Campaign

Category:1967 births Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American impressionists (entertainers) Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American screenwriters Category:American television actors Category:American television producers Category:American television writers Category:American voice actors Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from California Category:The Groundlings Category:American comedians of Irish descent Category:American writers of Irish descent Category:Living people

Category:People from Irvine, California Category:People from Orange County, California Category:University of Southern California alumni

Name	Lemmy Kilmister
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Ian Fraser Kilmister
Alias	Lemmy KilmisterIan Fraser Willis
Born	December 24, 1945Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, UK
Instrument	Bass, vocals, guitar, harmonica
Genre	Heavy metal, speed metal, rock and roll, punk rock
Occupation	Musician, songwriter, actor
Years active	1965–present
Associated acts	Motörhead, Hawkwind, The Damned, The Rainmakers, The Rockin' Vickers, Opal Butterfly, Sam Gopal, The Head Cat, Girlschool, Probot, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Airbourne
Url	imotorhead.com
Notable instruments	Rickenbacker 4001Gibson Thunderbird

Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister (born on 24 December 1945 in Burslem, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, England), is an English rock musician. He is best known as the founding and sole constant member of the heavy metal band Motörhead. His appearance, including fiendly mutton chops (sideburn-moustache combination), and gravelly voice have made him a cult icon. Lemmy was placed 48th by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Singers of All Time list.

Childhood and early life

Lemmy was born on Christmas Eve in 1945 in Burslem, Stoke on Trent, England. When Lemmy was three months old, his father, an ex-Royal Air Force chaplain, separated from his mother. His mother and grandmother settled in Newcastle-under-Lyme then moved on to Madeley, Staffordshire.

When Lemmy was 10, his mother married George Willis, who had two older children from a previous marriage, Patricia and Tony, with whom he did not get along. The family moved to a farm in Benllech, Anglesey, North Wales and it was during this time that he started to show an interest in rock and roll music, girls and horses. He attended Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones school in Amlwch, where he was nicknamed Lemmy, although he is unsure why, and it would later be claimed that it originated from the phrase "lemmy a quid till Friday" because of his habit of borrowing money from people to feed his addiction to fruit machines (slot machines).

He saw The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club when he was 16, then played guitar along to their first album, learning the chords. He also admired the sarcastic attitude of the group, particularly that of John Lennon. Upon leaving school and with his family relocated in Conwy, Lemmy undertook menial jobs including working at the local Hotpoint factory while also playing guitar for local bands, such as The Sundowners, and spending time at a horse riding school. At the age of 17, he met a holidaying girl named Cathy and he followed her to Stockport, Cheshire, where she had his son, Sean. Sean was put up for adoption, which was his personal choice.

Recording and performing career

1960-1970: Early years

In Stockport, he joined local bands The Rainmakers then The Motown Sect, who enjoyed playing for three years playing northern clubs. Wanting to progress further, in 1965 he joined The Rockin' Vickers who signed a deal with CBS and released three singles and toured Europe, reportedly being the first British band to visit Yugoslavia. With the band living in a Manchester flat, he had a relationship with a girl named Tracy who bore him a son, Paul, although it would not be until the boy was 6 that Lemmy had any involvement with the child.

1971-1975: Hawkwind

:See also In 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, but quickly developed a distinctive style that was strongly shaped by his early experience as a rhythm guitarist, often using double stops and chords rather than the single note lines preferred by most bassists. His bass work was a fundamental part of the Hawkwind sound during his tenure, perhaps best documented on Space Ritual. He also provided lead vocals on a number of songs, including the band's biggest UK chart single, "Silver Machine", which reached No.3 in 1972.

1975-present: Motörhead

In 1975 Lemmy was fired from Hawkwind after he was arrested at Canadian customs on drug possession charges; he spent five days in jail. Lemmy was released without charge as the Canadian police arrested him for possession of cocaine and after testing the evidence it turned out to be speed. So according to current Canadian law, he couldn't be charged for anything and was released with no charge or conviction.

He went on to form a new band called "Bastard" with guitarist Larry Wallis (former member of the Pink Fairies, Steve Took's Shagrat and UFO) and drummer Lucas Fox. Lemmy's connection with Took (formerly of T. Rex) was not limited to Wallis, as they were personal friends and Took was the stepfather to Lemmy's son, Paul. When his manager informed him that a band by the name of "Bastard" would never get a slot on "Top of the Pops", Lemmy changed the band's name to "Motörhead" – the title of the last song Lemmy wrote for Hawkwind.

Soon after, both Wallis and Fox were replaced with guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke and drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, and with this line-up the band began to achieve success. The band's sound appealed to both Lemmy's original fans and, eventually, to fans of the punk rock scene. In fact, he asserts that he generally feels more kinship with punks than with heavy metal; he even played with The Damned for a handful of gigs when they had no regular bassist and Lemmy's guttural vocals were unique in the world of rock at that time, as they would not be copied until the rise in popularity in punk. The band's success peaked between 1980 and 1981 with a number of UK chart hits, including the classic single "Ace of Spades", which is still a crowd favourite today and the #1 live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith. Motörhead have since gone on to become one of the most influential bands in the heavy metal music genre, and although Lemmy is the only constant member, are still performing and releasing records to this day. Despite Motörhead's many member changes over their 35-year history, the current lineup of Lemmy, Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee has remained constant since 1995.

Lemmy has also worked with a number of other musicians over his career, and occasionally guests with Hawkwind. He wrote the song "R.A.M.O.N.E.S" for the Ramones, which he still plays in his live sets as a tribute to the band. He was brought in as a songwriter for Ozzy Osbourne's 1991 No More Tears album, providing lyrics for the tracks "Hellraiser", (which Motörhead would later record themselves and release a single), "Desire", "I Don't Want to Change the World", and the single "Mama I'm Coming Home". Lemmy has noted in several magazine and television interviews that he made more money from the royalties of that one song than he had in his entire time with Motörhead. After being diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes in 2000, which led to a brief hospitalisation, Lemmy again appeared with Motörhead at WrestleMania 17. Lemmy published his autobiography, White Line Fever in November 2002. In 2005, Motörhead won their first Grammy in the Best Metal Performance category with their cover of Metallica's "Whiplash". He currently lives in a two room apartment in Los Angeles, two blocks away from his favourite hangout the Rainbow Bar and Grill.

An officially licensed Lemmy figurine has been produced. Available as a "regular" or "special" edition, Lemmy recalls:

I had to stand on this platform while the camera went around and did the hologram thing and then they made the model, only smaller. They said it's an action figure, and I said, 'So, you're gonna put a dick on it?' They said, 'No.' I said, 'Well, then it's not going to get much action then, is it?' A bad name for it, right?

Lemmy appeared as an unlockable character in the game . He also stars as a character in Brütal Legend named Kill Master, whom he voices.

In October 2009 it was announced that he had been involved in recording a cover of "Stand by Me" featuring Lemmy on Vocals and Bass, Dave Lombardo of Slayer on Drums and produced by DJ and Producer, Baron. The song was made for legendary Pro Skateboarder Geoff Rowley.

Lemmy appeared on the song "Doctor Alibi" from Slash's self-titled solo album.

Singing style

Lemmy is noted to have an extremely distinctive, gruff voice, which fits the band's aggressive sound. Lemmy is capable of expressing a degree of traditionally "melodic" singing, where he sings with a "rasp" in his voice. However he has to date rarely shown a "clean" vocal performance except on early Hawkwind songs such as "Silver Machine", "Lost Johnny" and on Motörhead's "I Don't Believe a Word" where he sings in a conventional manner for long passages. On the "Metallica Tribute" album on iTunes he sang more melodically, since the gruff and blunt approach has become something of a trade-mark for himself and Motörhead.

His voice type is akin to 'Baritone', though because of his style being more expressive than technically driven, it is hard to classify him with any particular voice type.

Film and television

Cameo appearances

Lemmy has made a number of appearances in film and television, including the 1990 science fiction film Hardware and the 1987 comedy Eat the Rich, for which Motörhead also recorded the soundtracks. In the 1980s Motörhead were the musical guests on the cult British TV show "The Young Ones", episode entitled "Bambi". In the 1994 comedy Airheads (in which he is credited as "Lemmy von Motörhead"), one scene involving Brendan Fraser, Adam Sandler, and Steve Buscemi, has Brendan Fraser's character, "Chazz" Chester Darvey talking to an undercover cop who is pretending to be a record executive—Chazz asks him, "Who'd win in a wrestling match, Lemmy or God?", the cop replies, "Lemmy", to which Rex, played by Steve Buscemi, imitates a game show buzzer and the cop quickly changes his answer to "... God!". Rex replies saying, "Wrong, dickhead, trick question. Lemmy is God". Lemmy appears in the film and shouts out (truthfully) that he edited his school newspaper as other people in the crowd admit geeky pastimes in their youth. Lemmy has also appeared in several movies from Troma Entertainment, including the narrator in 1996's Tromeo and Juliet and as himself in both Terror Firmer and .

Having a predilection for self-deprecating parody, he once appeared in an advertisement for Kit Kat chocolate bars, miming a piece of chamber music on the violin, in an upper-class tea-room, and he also appeared in an ad for Walkers where he gets his crisps stolen. He also appeared on an intro scene on The Drew Carey Show in which Motörhead play outside Carey's home, startling him awake. Lemmy is one of the few musicians to have been mentioned on Beavis and Butt-Head without being made fun of. Upon seeing Lemmy making a cameo appearance in the Ramones' "Substitute" video, Butthead exclaims, "He's Lemmy. He can walk into any damn video he wants!" and Beavis adds that Lemmy "rules," the highest compliment that the two are known to pay to an artist. Lemmy made an appearance in the music videos for the 1986 Boys Don't Cry song "I Wanna Be A Cowboy" and the 1998 Rap song "Freak of the Week" by adult film star Ron Jeremy.

Motörhead performed the entrance theme song "The Game" for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)'s Triple H (who at one point wore his mustache and sideburns like Lemmy as a tribute), as well as "Line in the Sand" for Triple H's now defunct wrestling stable, Evolution. In 2006, they once again provided theme music for WWE as they recorded the song "King of Kings" for Triple H on the Wreckless Intent CD. He also provided his voice for the video game Brütal Legend, voicing the Kill Master, a character designed and based on his likeness.

Lemmy also appears in the new Airbourne music video for "Runnin' Wild". He plays a trucker driving wildly while the police chase him down a highway.

Lemmy recently has appeared on Down and Dirty with Jim Norton as the series deejay, and also created the theme music.

Lemmy also appears briefly, but with some confiding words, in the Penelope Spheeris film "The Decline of the Western Civilization, Part II".

Lemmy also took part in a comedy skit titled "The Easy Guitar Book Sketch" with comedian Rowland Rivron and fellow British musicians Mark Knopfler, David Gilmour, Mark King from Level 42, and Gary Moore.

In late 2010 Lemmy and Motorhead appeared in a commercial for Kronenbourg beer in which he played harmonica and sang along to a slower version of Ace of Spades.

Lemmy film

The rockumentary film Lemmy was directed and produced by Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski. It consists of a combination of 16 mm film and HD video footage, produced over three years. It features interviews with friends, peers, and admirers such as Dave Grohl, Slash, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Peter Hook of Joy Division/New Order, Dee Snider, Mick Jones of The Clash, Jim Heath of Reverend Horton Heat, Slim Jim Phantom of The Stray Cats, Mike Inez, pro skateboarder Geoff Rowley, pro wrestler Triple H, C.C. Deville of Poison, Fast Eddie Clarke, Johnny Knoxville, Jarvis Cocker, Marky Ramone, former Hawkwind bandmates Dave Brock and Stacia, and Steve Vai.

Image and celebrity status

Dave Grohl, on his Probot website, summarises musicians he worked with. For Lemmy's entry he wrote:

We recorded his track in Los Angeles in maybe two takes about a year and a half ago. Until then I'd never met what I'd call a real rock 'n' roll hero before. Fuck Elvis and Keith Richards, Lemmy's the king of rock 'n' roll - he told me he never considered Motörhead a metal band, he was quite adamant. Lemmy's a living, breathing, drinking and snorting fucking legend. No one else comes close.

'Sex Legend'

In a Channel 4 documentary called "Motörhead: Live Fast, Die Old", broadcast on 22 August 2005, it was claimed that Lemmy had "bedded" in excess of 2,000 women. Maxim magazine has Lemmy at number 8 on its top ten "Living Sex Legends" list, as they claim that he has slept with around 1,200 women. In the documentary he explained that while in school he noticed a pupil who had brought a guitar to school and had been "surrounded by chicks". His mother had a guitar, which he then took to school, even though he could not play, and was himself surrounded by girls: "In those days just having a guitar was enough... that was it".

Lemmy is one of the characters in the book Sex Tips from Rock Stars by Paul Miles.

Drugs and alcohol

Lemmy is well known for his lifelong large intake of alcohol. In the documentary "Live Fast Die Old", it was revealed that he still drinks a bottle of Jack Daniels a day and has done since he was 30 years old.

During Lemmy's time with Hawkwind, he developed an appetite for amphetamine and LSD and was to become renowned for his use of amphetamine. Before joining Hawkwind, he recalled Dik Mik, a former Hawkwind sound technician, visiting his squat in the middle of the night and taking speed with him. They became interested in how long "you could make the human body jump about without stopping", which they did for a few months, until Mik ran out of money and wanted to return to Hawkwind, taking Lemmy with him.

Collector

Lemmy collects Nazi memorabilia, and has an Iron Cross encrusted on his bass, which has led to accusations of Nazi sympathies. He has stated that he collects this memorabilia for aesthetic values only, and considers himself an anarchist or libertarian, and that he is "anti-communism, fascism, any extreme," saying that "government causes more problems than it solves". According to Keith Emerson's autobiography, two of Lemmy's Hitlerjugend knives were given to Emerson by Lemmy during his time as a roadie for The Nice. Emerson used these knives many times as keyholders when playing the Hammond Organ during concerts with The Nice and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, often before destroying them.

Equipment

Lemmy positions his microphone in an uncommonly high position, angled so that he appears to be looking up at the sky rather than at the audience. He said that it was for "personal comfort, that's all. It's also one way of avoiding seeing the audience. In the days when we only had ten people and a dog, it was a way of avoiding seeing that we only had ten people and a dog". This microphone position was later copied by Napalm Death guitarist and vocalist Mitch Harris.

He has used Rickenbacker 4001 and 4003 bass guitars almost exclusively since his Hawkwind days, although some of these instruments were modified with the installation of Gibson Thunderbird pickups in the neck position. Rickenbacker produced a 60-bass run of Lemmy Kilmister signature basses, the 4004LK, which is fitted with three pickups, gold hardware, and elaborate wood carving in the shape of oak leaves. Lemmy currently uses a customised 4004.

He uses hot-rodded Marshall JMP Superbass II amplifiers from the late 1960s/early 1970s. Each amp, with a nominal output of 100 watts, is used with a 4x12 speaker cab and a custom-made 4x15 cab. He uses two such stacks, one on each side of the drum riser. For many years the amps were nicknamed "No Remorse", "Killer" (left side amp) or "Murder One" (right side amp) with appropriate nameplates. "No Remorse" was subsequently replaced by a new amp nicknamed "Marsha" when, as Kilmister said in an October 2004 interview, it "blew up". "Killer" and "Murder One" were believed to have been destroyed in Argentina when all the other equipment was stolen but this was later proven to be untrue. In 2006 Marshall designed new, prototype versions of "Murder One" which were then put into production, whilst the original amplifier was retired. A limited number of these bass heads have been released by Marshall in 2008 as the "1992LEM", a signature series copy of Lemmy's 1992 100 Watt Super Bass Head, "Murder One".

The phrase "everything louder than everyone else" sums up Lemmy's sonic approach, as he plays at the loudest possible levels. He uses the bridge pickup exclusively (giving his bass sound more definition) and turns all the tone and volume knobs on the bass up full. On the amplifiers, he turns off the bass and treble and he turns the midrange up all the way, with the volume and presence up to the "3:00" position. The result is a biting, mid-range, almost guitar-like tone which is somewhat distorted but not "fuzzed out" or "blurry", a formula well-suited to his use of open-string drones and power chords. Lemmy uses no effects pedals: the distortion is produced naturally by the amplifiers, as they are set at such a high volume. In the 1990s after a Motörhead show at Hultsfred, Sweden a radio reporter asked Lemmy "If you were to play here again in ten years, how do you think you would sound?" Lemmy replied "Same, but louder..."

Lemmy has occasionally played electric or acoustic guitar, notably on the acoustic song "I Ain't No Nice Guy" from Motörhead's March Ör Die album, the title track on 1996's Overnight Sensation, "Limb from Limb" on Overkill (on which he plays the second lead break), "Boogeyman" on Rock 'n' Roll, and a mouth harp on "Whorehouse Blues" from the Inferno album. On "Lost Johnny" by Hawkwind he sings, plays bass, lead, and rhythm guitars.

In September 1996, his Rickenbacker bass was featured in the Bang Your Head exhibition at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

Discography

:For releases with Motörhead see the Motörhead discography

;As a member of The Rockin' Vickers

1965 – "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" / "Stella" (7" single)

1965 – "It's Alright" / "Stay By Me" (7" single)

1966 – "Dandy" / "I Don't Need Your Kind" (7" single)

2000 – The Complete: It's Alright (compilation)

;As a member of Sam Gopal

1969 – Escalator

1969 – "Horse" / "Back Door Man" (7" single)

;As a member of Hawkwind

1972 – "Silver Machine" / "Seven by Seven" (7" single)

1972 – Glastonbury Fayre – contains "Silver Machine" and "Welcome to the Future"

1972 – Greasy Truckers Party – contains "Born to Go" and "Master of the Universe"

1972 – Doremi Fasol Latido

1973 – "Lord of Light" / "Born to Go" (7" single)

1973 – "Urban Guerrilla" / "Brainbox Pollution" (7" single)

1973 – Space Ritual

1974 – Hall of the Mountain Grill

1974 – "Psychedelic Warlords" / "It's So Easy" (7" single)

1975 – "Kings of Speed" / "Motorhead" (7" single)

1975 – Warrior on the Edge of Time

1983 – The Weird Tapes (live and out-takes, 1967–1982)

1984 – The Earth Ritual Preview EP

1985 – Bring Me the Head of Yuri Gagarin (live 1973)

1985 – Space Ritual#Volume 2 (live 1972)

1986 – Hawkwind Anthology (live and out-takes, 1967–1982)

1991 – BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert (live 1972)

1992 – The Friday Rock Show Sessions (live 1986)

1997 – The 1999 Party (live 1974)

;As a member of Robert Calvert's band

1974 – "Ejection" / "Catch a Falling Starfighter" (7" single)

1974 – Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters

1980 – "Lord of the Hornets" / "The Greenfly and the Rose" (7" single)

;Side projects and career spanning

1990 – Lemmy & The Upsetters – Blue Suede Shoes

2000 – Lemmy, Slim Jim & Danny B (aka The Head Cat) – Lemmy, Slim Jim & Danny B

2006 – The Head Cat – Fool's Paradise

2006 – The Head Cat – Rockin' the Cat Club: Live from the Sunset Strip

2006 – Lemmy – Damage Case (Compilation)

2007 – Keli Raven & Lemmy Kilmister "Bad Boyz 4 Life" (single).

;Band collaborations

1979 – The Damned – "I Just Can't Be Happy Today" / "Ballroom Blitz" (with Lemmy on bass) / "Turkey Song" (7" single) – available as bonus track on the reissued Machine Gun Etiquette album

1980 – The Young & Moody Band – "Don't Do That" (7" & 12" single)

1981 – Headgirl (Motörhead & Girlschool) – St. Valentine's Day Massacre EP

1982 – Lemmy & Wendy O. Williams – Stand by Your Man EP

;Charity collaborations

1984 – Hear'n'Aid –

1985 - The Crowd - You'll Never Walk Alone (Bradford City F.C. Fire Disaster)

;Guest appearances

1988 – Albert Järvinen Band – Countdown

1989 – Nina Hagen – Nina Hagen - guests on "Where's the Party"

1992 – Bootsauce – Bull – guests on "Hold Tight"

1994 – Fast Eddie Clarke – It Ain't Over Till It's Over – guests on "Laugh at the Devil".

1994 – Shonen Knife – Rock Animals – guests on "Tomato Head" single remix (Track 3 – "Lemmy In There Mix") – not the album track

1996 – Skew Siskin – Electric Chair Music

1996 – Ugly Kid Joe – Motel California

1996 – Myth Dreams of World – Stories of the Greek & Roman Gods & Goddesses

1996 – Skew Siskin – Voices from the War

1997 – The Ramones – We're Outta Here! – guests on "R.A.M.O.N.E.S."

1999 – Jetboy – Lost & Found

1999 – Skew Siskin – What the Hell

1999 – A.N.I.M.A.L. – Usa Toda Tu Fuerza – guests on a version of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell"

2000 – Doro – Calling the Wild

2000 – Swing Cats – A Special Tribute to Elvis – guests on "Good Rockin' Tonight", "Trying to Get to You" and "Stuck On You"

2001 – The Pirates – Rock Bottom

2001 – Hair of the Dog – Ignite – guests on "Law"

2002 – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Mike Batt and guests – Philharmania – guests on "Eve of Destruction"

2003 – Ace Sounds – Still Hungry

2003 – Skew Siskin – Album of the Year

2004 – Probot – Probot – guests on "Shake Your Blood"

2005 – Throw Rag – 13 Ft. and Rising – guests on "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down"

2006 – Doro – 20 Years - A Warrior Soul – guests on "Love Me Forver" & "All We Are"

2007 – The Warriors – Genuine Sense of Outrage – guests on "Price of Punishment"

2007 – Keli Raven single "Bad Boyz 4 Life" (co-writer & guest vocalist)

2008 – Airbourne – Guest actor on Airbourne's "Runnin' Wild" Music Video

2008 – We Wish You a Metal Christmas – Run Run Rudolph

2008 – Legacy – Girlschool album – Don't Talk to Me vocals, bass, triangle and lyrics.

2009 – Queen V – Death or Glory – guests on "Wasted"

2009 – Brütal Legend (video game) – The Kill Master (voice)

2010 - Slash - Slash - "Doctor Alibi" (vocals and bass)

;Appearances on film soundtracks, tribute, wrestling and various artists albums

1990 – Hardware: Original Soundtrack – contains "A Piece of Pipe" by Kaduta Massi with Lemmy

1990 – The Last Temptation of Elvis: Blue Suede Shoes – contains "Blue Suede Shoes" by Lemmy & The Upsetters

1994 – Airheads: Cameo on film and performing "Born to Raise Hell" on the soundtrack

1997 – – performs on "Tie Your Mother Down"

1998 – – performs on "It's a Long Way to the Top"

1998 – – contains a cover of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" by Lemmy and Zebrahead

2000 – Bat Head Soup – Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne – performs on "Desire"

2001 – Frezno Smooth: Original Soundtrack – contains a version of Twisted Sister's "Hardcore" by Lemmy

2001 – – performs on "Nothing Else Matters"

2002 – Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three – performs on "Thirsty & Miserable"

2002 – Metal Brigade – performs on "Good Rockin' Tonight" by Lemmy and Johnny Ramone

2005 – Numbers from the Beast: An All Star Salute to Iron Maiden – performs on "The Trooper"

2005 – Metal: A Headbangers Journey

2006 – Flying High Again: The World's Greatest Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne – Performs "Desire" with Richie Kotzen

2006 – Cover Me in '80s Metal (Fantastic Price Records) – Metal artists covering the hits of others. Performs AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top".

2006 - Butchering The Beatles - Performs "Back in the USSR".

2009 - Flip Skateboards Presents Extremely Sorry - Performs "Stand By Me" with Baron and Dave Lombardo.

2010 - Danko Jones - Full of regret - Stars in the music video along with Elijah Wood and Selma Blair

Videography

Video tape/laser disc

1982 Live In Toronto – Castle Hendering

1984 Another Perfect Day EP

1985 Birthday Party

1986 Deaf Not Blind

1988 EP

1988

1990 Hardware (Lemmy was cast as a water taxi driver; and plays a recording of "Ace of Spades" for his passengers).

1991 Everything Louder than Everyone Else

1994 John Wayne Bobbitt Uncut

DVD

1987 Eat the Rich

1997 Tromeo and Juliet – cast as Narrator, Troma pictures

2001 25 & Alive Boneshaker

2001 WrestleMania X-Seven – Performing Triple-H's entrance theme "The Game" live

2001 -as a Tromaville citizen

2002 Motörhead EP

2002 The Best of Motörhead

2003 The Special Edition EP

2004 Everything Louder than Everything Else

2005 Stage Fright (Motörhead DVD) (also HD-DVD 2007)

2005

2005 WrestleMania 21 Performing "The Game"

2005 ''

2006 The Head Cat Live: Rockin' the Cat Club

2006 Foo Fighters: Hyde Park

References

Further reading

1981 Motörhead – Author: Alan Burridge, published by Babylon Books, ISBN 0-86001-935-7

1994 The Illustrated Collector's Guide To Motörhead – Authors: Alan Burridge and Mick Stevenson, published by Collector's Guide Publishing, ISBN 0-9695736-2-6

2002 White Line Fever – Authors: Lemmy and Janiss Garza, published by Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0-684-85868-1

2002 Lemmy: In His Own Words – Author: Harry Shaw, published by Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-9109-X

2002 Motorheadbangers Diary Of The Fans Volume 1 – Author: Alan Burridge, published by e-booksonline(uk)ltd, ISBN 1-903949-14-9

External links

Motörhead official website

Lemmy: The Movie Official website

Interview with Lemmy Kilmister in REVOLUTIONART Magazine 22

The Rockin' Vickers

Myspace profile for Lemmy's new band The Head Cat

Lemmy interview with BIZARRE magazine

Gallery of Lemmy with Motorhead

Lemmy Interview in SPIN

Lemmy Interview on the Jekyll and Hyde Show, 106FM Jerusalem

Category:1945 births Category:Living people Category:1960s singers Category:1970s singers Category:1980s singers Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:English anarchists Category:English expatriates in the United States Category:English rock singers Category:English heavy metal singers Category:English rock bass guitarists Category:English heavy metal bass guitarists Category:English male singers Category:English singer-songwriters Category:English-language singers Category:Hawkwind members Category:Motörhead members Category:People from Burslem Category:People from Stoke-on-Trent Category:Alumni of Staffordshire University Category:Anarchist musicians

Name	Craig Kilborn
Birth date	August 24, 1962
Birth place	Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Medium	Television
Nationality	American
Genre	Comedy

Craig Kilborn (born August 24, 1962) is an American actor and talk show host. He was the original host of The Daily Show, a former anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter, and Tom Snyder's successor on CBS' The Late Late Show. On June 28, 2010, he launched The Kilborn File after a six-year absence from television. The Kilborn File aired on some Fox stations.

Early life

Kilborn, the son of Shirley, a school teacher, and Hiram Kilborn, an insurance executive, was born in Kansas City, but from the age 4, was raised in Hastings, Minnesota. From early on Kilborn was taller than his peers and early on it made him a consistent standout from elementary playgrounds through his prep years in Hastings. In the 9th grade Kilborn caught the eye of a man that coached an All-Star team from Minneapolis called the Northside Magicians. Kilborn accepted an invitation to join the team in national tournaments. Kilborn, again stood out because of his talent and being the only white player on the team. He starred in basketball at Hastings High School, earning three letters, All-Conference and All-State honors. His talent attracted the attention of NCAA Division I scouts and Kilborn accepted a scholarship to Montana State University.

Career

Kilborn began his television career as the sports anchor for Monterey County's Fox affiliate KCBA in Monterey, California. Kilborn lived in nearby Carmel-by-the-Sea. Prior to KCBA, Kilborn was the CBA Savannah Spirits's play-by-play radio announcer in 1986 and 1987. At that time, he was chronically broke, according to coach Charley Rosen.

SportsCenter

After several small jobs, Kilborn became an ESPN SportsCenter anchor from 1993 to 1996. Kilborn was primarily the anchor of the late broadcast of SportsCenter which he coined "The Feel Good Edition". He made a return appearance to SportsCenter on August 8, 2004 when he co-hosted SportsCenter with Dan Patrick during ESPN's 25th Anniversary Celebration. The character of Casey McCall on ABC's Sports Night was said to be modeled on Kilborn's SportsCenter career.

The Daily Show

In 1996, Kilborn became host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central. During his three-year tenure The Daily Show was named "Best Late Night Comedy" by TV Guide. Kilborn was also nominated for a Cable Ace Award for "Outstanding Host." Popular features Kilborn created at The Daily Show include: "5 Questions," "Moment For Us," and "Dance, Dance, Dance."

In a 1997 interview with Esquire, Kilborn made jokes regarding Daily Show head writer Lizz Winstead, saying, "To be honest, Lizz does find me very attractive. If I wanted her to blow me, she would." Kilborn apologized publicly and pointed out that the remarks were "said in jest," but he was suspended for a week.

In 1998, CBS and David Letterman's production company Worldwide Pants selected Kilborn to replace Tom Snyder as host of The Late, Late Show to run after Late Show with David Letterman. His final Daily Show episode aired on December 17, 1998. On January 11, 1999 Jon Stewart replaced Kilborn as host of The Daily Show.

The Late Late Show

Kilborn hosted The Late Late Show for five years, changing the format to appeal to a younger audience. On the show, he popularized segments such as Yambo and 5 Questions. He also narrated his own introduction and would come out to the song Play That Funky Music at the beginning of his show. In August 2004, he elected not to extend his contract, referring to it as "early retirement." Kilborn's last episode of The Late Late Show aired on August 27, 2004. Scottish comedian Craig Ferguson took over the show on January 3, 2005.

On a June 2010 interview, promoting his new show The Kilborn File, Kilborn stated that he left late night television due to him thinking that the late night timeslot was "crowded" and that he wanted to be part of "the first comedy show at dinner time".

The Kilborn File

Craig Kilborn returned to television on June 28, 2010 after six years off the air, when his new half-hour show The Kilborn File debuted on select Fox stations. The show aired for a six-week test run on a 7:00pm timeslot in most markets. Christine Lakin was his sidekick. The show brought back many of the hallmark segments from his time on The Daily Show and The Late Late Show, such as "5 Questions" and "Yambo" (renaming the Yambo segment to "Kilbo" and later to "Kilbyashi"). It is currently unknown whether Fox will pick up the show for a full season.

"The Kilborn File"'s previous website thekilbornfile.com now redirects to MyNetworkTV's website.

Broadcast career highlights

1986–1988: Play-by-play commentator for the Savannah Spirits of the Continental Basketball Association

1990–1993: Sports Director at KCBA television in the Salinas/Monterey/Santa Cruz market of California

1993–1996: Anchor of SportsCenter

1996–1998: Host of The Daily Show

1999–2004: Host of The Late Late Show

2010: Host of The Kilborn File

References

External links

Craig Kilborn at NNDB

Category:1962 births Category:American basketball players Category:American television talk show hosts Category:Basketball players from Missouri Category:Living people Category:Montana State Bobcats men's basketball players Category:Montana State University alumni Category:People from Hastings, Minnesota Category:People from the Kansas City metropolitan area