Why Mikkey Dee Hated His First Motorhead Show
Mikkey Dee recalled the “nerve-racking” experience of his first Motorhead show, which took place during a period in which the band didn’t rehearse.
The drummer first met bandleader Lemmy Kilmister as a member of King Diamond when the bands toured Europe together. Kilmister was impressed by Dee’s work, leading to the invitation to join Motorhead in 1991.
Asked if he was nervous before the first show, Dee told Noise 11: “ Yes, I was, because we didn't rehearse before the show – we did not rehearse. Lemmy said, 'If you play half as good as you did with King … .’” He noted that his new bandmates “just seemed to be sitting back on that comfortable couch and enjoying the ride somehow. ... I thought it was a terrible show myself. And they thought it sounded better. ‘It was the best show in 15 years,’ Lemmy said. And I go, ‘No, no, no!’”
He added that rehearsals soon became part of the Motorhead way of working. “It did sound a lot better after that particular tour,” he said. “We came to England, and we rehearsed for a couple of days, and we went from here to there just in two or three days. And then Lemmy got almost possessed by rehearsing, so that was great. But at that time, it was very nerve-racking.”
Dee had an additional challenge on his mind: being accepted as a replacement for original drummer Philthy "Animal" Taylor. “I had to earn the trust of the band and the fans … show them that I was the right guy and I was going to work very hard at this,” he said. “I was a very different drummer, and I would change the music and the approach. I was just in time for a change, I think, and I believe that we took Motorhead to another level in many ways, shapes and forms.”
You can watch the interview below.