Drummer Mikkey Dee spoke with Rock Overdose about Motörhead, the loss of Lemmy Kilmister and much more. Read an excerpt below:

Rock Overdose: After Lemmy's tragic loss what was the reaction from the rock community ?

Mikkey Dee: “Although Lemmy’s health was an issue the past few years, many people believed that he would live forever – the world was shocked. The respect and the love from the international music community has been amazing. He was honoured in so many ways and he deserved every single tribute.”

Rock Overdose: What is your opinion about Lemmy's loss?

Mikkey Dee: “Everyone that ever knew him was heartbroken and saddened – he was a very special person.”

Rock Overdose: I had the pleasure to meet Motörhead in 1988 at President hotel in Athens, Greece. I met all the members of the band, and especially Lemmy himself. We stayed all night long drinking beers and smoking cigarettes at the hotel's roof garden. I remember that Lemmy was such a 'real' person with good sense of humor. So simple man. What's your opinion about him?

Mikkey Dee: “Lemmy enjoyed the simple things in life – yet, one can find a lot of information about him in the lyrics he wrote, he was an honest, loyal man.”

Rock Overdose: Motörhead was forced to cancel a number of concerts last year. Will you manage to hit the road under the label of Motörhead sometime or has this 'chapter' been closed forever?

Mikkey Dee: “Motörhead was touring up to the end – this chapter is over. Motörhead as the band does not exist anymore.”

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Forty years since the release of the Jailbreak album, and 30 years since Phil Lynott’s passing, Thin Lizzy have announced their first 2016 / 2017 anniversary shows, which will feature Mikkey Dee behind the drum kit.

Thin Lizzy is one of rock music’s most recognizable names. The fiery Dublin band exploded onto the scene with a fresh sound, look and attitude. Lead by the incomparable Phil Lynott, the band reached many peaks and influenced generations of musicians with classic tracks such as “Jailbreak”, “The Boys Are Back In Town”, “Still In Love With You”, “Cold Sweat”, “Emerald” and “Don’t Believe A Word” between 1969 and 1983.

2016 is a year that includes a couple of important anniversaries in the history of Thin Lizzy. On March 26th, 1976, Thin Lizzy released the iconic Jailbreak album to the world, featuring such classic rock staples as “The Boys Are Back In Town” and the title track, “Jailbreak”, and it become one of the most important albums of that era. Now we are 40 years on since the release of that milestone and it is time to celebrate it.

2016 also see’s 30 years since Phil Lynott passed away (January 4th, 1986) and the world lost a rock legend. But his legacy lives on and celebrating that legacy is what is in store. In the summer of 2016 going into 2017, Thin Lizzy will stage a handful of special shows to commemorate these important milestones.

The Thin Lizzy lineup is vocalist Ricky Warwick, guitarists Scott Gorham and Damon Johnson, Darren Wharton on keyboards, and Mikkey Dee on drums.

Scott Gorham: “With Black Star Riders taking some time off the road to work on their third album, I thought it would be really cool to do some Thin Lizzy shows as it’s an anniversary year, to have some fun and to re-live the good old days. We will only do half a dozen or so dates to keep them special. For personal reasons Brian Downey won’t be with us but we have the incredible Mikkey Dee on the drum stool, which we are all very excited about. We will announce who is on bass shortly.”

Mikkey Dee: “It’s an honor to be asked to play with Thin Lizzy on these dates, being a life long fan I am so happy and excited to playing with the band on these shows. It’s going to be great!”

The first announced shows are:

July
23 - Ashford Kent, UK - Ramblin’ Man Fair

January
19-23, 2017 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - Rock Legends Cruise V

Thin Lizzy lineup:

Scott Gorham – Guitar
Damon Johnson – Guitar
Ricky Warwick – Lead Vocals / Guitar
Darren Wharton - Keyboards
Mikkey Dee – Drums