Stoke on Trent-born rock legend Lemmy will have his very own statue unveiled in his home town of Burslem in May as the council believes it could help boost tourism in Stoke on Trent.
Whilst I think this will certainly appeal to a worldwide audience it’ll be interesting to see how many people travel to come and see it and if it will indeed boost tourism as the council claims as there isn’t too much else going on in Burslem worth visiting unless you’re a Port Vale fan.
This bronze sculpture of the Motörhead frontman will be located in the Mother Town’s Market Place and will contain a portion of Lemmy’s ashes within the plinth of the statue itself.
Planning permission for the statue was granted last year and is being funded by Singerman Entertainment, Motörhead’s Los Angeles-based management company.
The statue, by renowned Staffordshire artist Andy Edwards, is set to be unveiled on May 8th.
Lemmy’s real name was Ian Fraser Kilmister, he was born in Burslem, Stoke on Trent in 1945 and later lived in Newcastle-Under-Lyme and Madeley.
In 1971 he joined a band called Hawkwind as their bassist and formed Motörhead four years later. Lemmy died in 2015.
Speaking to Stoke on Trent Live Andy Edwards said:
This new statue of Lem is special, not just because I share the same birthplace as him or because of how much he means to me, but because it’s so important to have a permanent international landmark celebrating him where he was born.
Lemmy gave me joy, confidence in myself, and energy, and he’s also an avatar of the original spirit and power of rock and roll.
I really hope it will become a meeting place for people from all over the world to take the journey to.
