Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

...as a German member of the forum I can confirm Steve Wood. Although I cannot and will not judge whether Lemmy is a Nazi or not, for me it is for sure that he is not too bright. Ric Co. for marketing purpose (to attract the vanity of some players and collecters) just made use of his headbangers image. Sadly because the 4001/4003 is a much more sensitive instrument than to be used only on the E-string with a washer as a pick.

Well, because the Forum would be against it doesn't necessarily make it bad. Any mods tend to make the general population here freak out.

I avidly watch the History Channel with documentaries on WWI and II and have also TiVo'd various Hitler biography programs (mental illness, addiction, young years, etc.). That does not make me a Nazi....it means that I am interested in history that changed the world. (BTW...I also TiVo Lincoln, Kennedy, Churchill, Washington, Roosevelt, Jefferson, Franklin, etc.) I have items from the US, Japan and Germany from the wars for my war room collection. Does this make me affiliated with any unsavory organization? I certainly hope not and if anyone thinks it does, oh well. Being in touch with the past (good and bad) is a great for insight into the future.

The LK issue was brought up around the time I announced the arrival of mine. It always reminded me of a Koo-Koo (sp?) clock. Some people can be offended by anything (and it is their right to be offended) but just because someone sees or assumes a connection does not necessarily make it reality.

In lyrics or in print I have never heard any reference by Lemmy that leads me to believe he is some sort of Nazi. Maybe I missed something but I've been a fan for years and I can't believe I wouldn't have noticed. As far as what he collects that is a different matter and to label him as pro-Nazi since he collects knives or artifacts is, I believe, unfair.

As I said, if someone is offended it is their right to be and I'm not trying to convince anyone of "my side"....I'm just offering my perspective.

It depends... today's the Victory Day in Russia, so... (albeit i must admit, our history is not "free of Nazism" - sad but true...) But i'm a bit surprised by the word "punk" in this context... that must be the other meaning of this word, but still...

"I avidly watch the History Channel with documentaries on WWI and II and have also TiVo'd various Hitler biography programs (mental illness, addiction, young years, etc.). That does not make me a Nazi....it means that I am interested in history that changed the world."

Agreed. I think we may be watching the same documentaries. It was a fascinating period. No, that does not make you or me a Nazi. Neither is collecting Nazi memorabilia. On the other hand, excuse me for doubting Mr Kilmister, but I don't think he collects Hitlerjugend knives for research purposes. I think he just likes them.

"Being in touch with the past (good and bad) is a great for insight into the future."

Again, I agree, and again, somehow Lemmy doesn't fit in the picture. Using this kind of symbolism for your band's logo isn't going to give you any insight into the future or better understanding of the past.

"In lyrics or in print I have never heard any reference by Lemmy that leads me to believe he is some sort of Nazi."

Good for him. It would really **** me off if he did that.

"As far as what he collects that is a different matter and to label him as pro-Nazi since he collects knives or artifacts is, I believe, unfair."

In the same way that collecting child porn does not label a pesron a child molester. It is unfair, yes. And still, it says something about him. Remember when child porn was found in Pete Townshend's computer? He said it was for research purposes. Yeah right. At least he never had the sticker on his Ric That would really be in bad taste.

Here goes another thread off topic to the point of it being killed. To salvage it and keep it having anything to do with guitars, and segue using Lemmy, what would make RIC pick him as a signiture edition anyway. Maybe he's some big cult figure, but think of all the legitimate musicians that have used Rick basses over the years. We got a Squire and a McCartney, check, but Lemmy Kilminster and Glen Frey, was Frey even known as a bass player? The whole signiture thing gets retreaded every so often, and John Hall has stated that he's not as big fan of the concept due to music's broad appeal. Obviously Fender has Geddy locked up. It would have been appropriate for the R30 tour to break it out for a song or two, but it seems that for many reasons it ain't happening. Including guitars there have been quite a few different signitures editions over the years, but now there are just "period" vintage reissues as opposed to signitures. Fender seems to give a signiture addition to just about anyone.

A question about Lemmy for the ignorant. Does he even use a bass with the carving like the 4004LK? Every picture I've seen (wihich ain't many) he has the "Nazi" bass. What's with the cookoo clock carving?

Well, nothing I collect is for research purposes either. I collect some things because of a connection to a certain period of history that fascinates me. So I collect what I "like" as well.

I do agree that what you collect does offer some insight into who you are. It does not offer a complete picture though. If you saw just my German/Japanese items and saw only my Third Reich TiVo recordings I could look like a complete nut job......but in context with everything else it is a different picture (hopefully).

I tend to disagree on the Pete Townsend parallel reference slightly.....there is not much legitimate reason for a child porn collection unless you are a detective/prosecutor working on a case. Collecting Nazi memorabilia isn't as clear of a case of outright unsavory behavior.

Having a war eagle themed sticker is not offensive to me BUT I'm not offended by much so that isn't a good gauge. Questionable taste perhaps.....but I find the mole/wart thingy much more disturbing!

And how about these pearls of wisdom (from one of his interviews):

" - Where does that and the interest in Hitler come from?

LK: I got to give it to the man, one thing that he did have was unshakable f***ing faith. He killed himself rather than fall into the hands of the Russians, which was a pretty good option."

Or this little nugget:

"I say, it was sixty years ago so get f***ing over it."

Okay, so he's not a Nazi. He's just EXTREMELY stupid.

Wes.....the discussion is civil. Maybe it is off topic slightly but a pleasant sharing of ideas. Threads tend to get killed more due to personal attacks. If they got killed for strictly thread wandering most threads would get hacked to pieces.

I have seen him using the LK on at least three shows over a few tours and I have plenty of pics of him using it live. I'm not too sure what the exact reason for the carvings is.

Lemmy used the LK extensively for several tours (I saw it at least twice) and I have plenty of pics of him using it in concert.

koo-koo? Cookoo? It's all Cuckoo to me

Peter....that's the spelling I was looking for and it just evaded me. Thanks!

Ilan.....I'm not arguing that the above quotes look pretty bad BUT reading everything around the quotes takes the edge off a bit. He doesn't seem to express himself well but if you read the full interview around what you cut out it doesn't portray him as negative as just the above quotes do. Again, I'm not standing up for him. I have no vested interest but cutting out a sentence here and there without surrounding ideas is somewhat unfair.

Cuckoo...

You know, I never thought of comparing the carving om my LK to a cucko clock, but now that you mention it...

Jared: This bird rather looks like a bee-eater than a coocoo...? Nice off-topic thread!
Ilan: Good, not to stand alone with my opinion about LK, thanky!

Here's another "cuckoo"...

I heard a (real) Cuckoo here today!