While it has been known for years that Motörhead's inimitable front-man Lemmy Kilmister has an extensive collection of Nazi paraphernalia, the 63-year-old (though ageless in our eyes) rocker is just now feeling the heat for his hobby.
After appearing in a promotional photo wearing a Nazi cap for the "Wacken Rocks Seaside" gig on July 5 in Aurich, Germany, Lemmy is now under criminal investigation, reports Blabbermouth.net. Apparently his collection falls under "anti-constitutional propaganda," which is illegal under article 86 of the German Penal Code. In addition, Article 86a prohibits all "anti-constitutional" symbols, including all Nazi insignia, flags, slogans and salutes.
In an interview with New York Waste, Lemmy defended himself, saying:
I don't only collect Nazi stuff, I collect objects from all the 'axis countries.' Also from countries who aren't even mentioned anymore as former part of the axis. Like Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Hungary. OK, in the end, they all said, 'We're no Nazis' when they saw that the Germans were losing it. But five years before that, they went, 'Yeah!'
...I'll tell you something about history. From the beginning of time, the bad guys always had the best uniforms. Napoleon, the Confederates, the Nazis. They all had killer uniforms. I mean, the SS uniform is fucking brilliant! They were the rock stars of that time. What you're gonna do? They just look good. Don't tell me, I'm a Nazi 'cause I have uniforms. In 1967 I had my first black girlfriend and a lot of more ever since then. I just don't understand racism, I never thought it was an option.
Motörhead are set to release their 20th studio album, titled Motörizer, on August 26.
After appearing in a promotional photo wearing a Nazi cap for the "Wacken Rocks Seaside" gig on July 5 in Aurich, Germany, Lemmy is now under criminal investigation, reports Blabbermouth.net. Apparently his collection falls under "anti-constitutional propaganda," which is illegal under article 86 of the German Penal Code. In addition, Article 86a prohibits all "anti-constitutional" symbols, including all Nazi insignia, flags, slogans and salutes.
In an interview with New York Waste, Lemmy defended himself, saying:
I don't only collect Nazi stuff, I collect objects from all the 'axis countries.' Also from countries who aren't even mentioned anymore as former part of the axis. Like Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Hungary. OK, in the end, they all said, 'We're no Nazis' when they saw that the Germans were losing it. But five years before that, they went, 'Yeah!'
...I'll tell you something about history. From the beginning of time, the bad guys always had the best uniforms. Napoleon, the Confederates, the Nazis. They all had killer uniforms. I mean, the SS uniform is fucking brilliant! They were the rock stars of that time. What you're gonna do? They just look good. Don't tell me, I'm a Nazi 'cause I have uniforms. In 1967 I had my first black girlfriend and a lot of more ever since then. I just don't understand racism, I never thought it was an option.
Motörhead are set to release their 20th studio album, titled Motörizer, on August 26.