It’s safe to say that sculptor Andy Edwards is already a UK national treasure. Having crafted the world-famous Beatles statue in Liverpool, placed the Bee Gees on the Douglas Isle of Man seafront and immortalised footballing legends Brian Clough and Peter Taylor outside Derby County FC, among many others, it’s safe to say he’s top of the UK list for lifelike, giant-sized fan-pleasing bronzes.
And with Edwards a confirmed Motorhead fan AND Stoke-on-Trent resident, when it came to potentially recreating Lemmy Kilmister the dearly departed former bassist and lead vocalist of pile-driving UK metallers Motorhead, there was only one man to call.
"Lemmy was a personal hero to me," Edwards told the BBC. Having seen the band play live at Hanley's Victoria Hall in 1979 he soon locked horns with the band’s album of the moment Overkill and it’s Lemmy’s appearance on that back cover that has proven to be Edwards inspiration for his next creation.
“This new statue of Lem is special, not just because I share the same birthplace as him or because of how much he personally means to me, but because it's so important to have a permanent international landmark celebrating him where he was born," Edwards explained.
"Motorhead are the hardest, loudest band in the world – why wouldn't you make those your heroes? We're from Stoke-on-Trent and Lemmy's one of us."
Overkill?
Following discussions with Motorhead's management who confirmed that it would cover the costs, Edwards crafted Kilmister in a familiar action pose, performing live, rocked back on his heels while brandishing his Rickerbacker bass with head flung back and eye’s barely open as he delivers his legendary vocals into a Shure SM58 placed – as was the great man’s want – far too high to be in any way practical.
But by god, it looks good.
"The reason for making this statue is to give other people that pleasure that I've had in thinking back, those memories at Victoria Hall, Bingley Hall and Vale Park," Edwards said.
Thus, as a fan, Edwards has ensured that everything is perfect, from Lemmy's Rickenbacker 4001 guitar, which he saw Kilmister playing at Vale Park, to the Wrangler jeans he’s wearing.
"You've got to care about it, it's got to come from the heart," he explained. "I put those details in because if you don't, people sense there's something not quite right and they don't hang around as long. You want people to hang about because you want people to go back in time and get their imaginations going."
Despite initial police objections and the statue attracting “good-natured but potentially incident generating attention” prompting a request that the plinth be increased from 2.5m to 3m and the proposed material for the plinth being changed from polished black granite to sandstone, to match the nearby Queens Theatre and the former town hall, the project has now gained planning permission.
A Stoke-on-Trent Council spokesperson told the BBC: “Stoke-on-Trent has produced many famous faces over the years and what better way to honor one of our own than by installing a statue in the town where they were born – and in our centenary year as well. We are looking forward to welcoming visitors from all over the world for the unveiling.”
Pledge Your Allegiance
The only obstacle now is the small matter of paying for it and, we’re pleased to say that the fund is already off to a flying start following proposals and Edwards early designs and maquettes showing how the statue may appear.
Currently the fund stands at £11,466 at the time of writing, on its way to a £50,000 goal and – it’s to be hoped – on schedule and in good time for a proposed 8 May unveiling later this year, a day that would have been Kilmister’s birthday.
In order to help make the project a reality you can contribute to the statue’s Go Fund Me here.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
