I've met a bunch of rock stars over the years, but only a handful of legends. Lemmy Kilmister was one of them.  In June of 2000, I had the pleasure of introducing Motorhead before their concert at the Colorado Springs Music Hall in Colorado Springs. It's a moment that I will never forget.

Before I took the stage, the tour manager explicitly warned me that, under no circumstances, was I allowed to speak into or even approach Lemmy's microphone. Fearful that he and a crew of surly English roadies will pummel me to a bloody pulp, I reluctantly complied with the tour manager's request.

Instead, I walked right past Lemmy's iconic microphone stand and made the typical, corny, radio DJ introduction into Phil Campbell's mic, stage right. Luckily for the audience, it was barely audible.

As I walked off stage, there was Lemmy, looking like every bit of the bad ass rock icon I had imagined. He was a truly larger than life character. As Lemmy came up the ramp, I jokingly bowed to him. Lemmy was not amused.

As our paths crossed on the narrow ramp leading to and from the stage, Lemmy paused, looked straight at me and said, "f#$% off, kid". Coming from anybody else, I would have probably taken offense to such a comment, but being cursed at by Lemmy was an honor. Years later, I still fondly recall the time when Lemmy told me to "f#$% off".

My longtime friend and former co-worker John Kraljevich, who wisely went by the on-air moniker of "Herb" during his brief but glorious radio career, was also in attendance that night. Today, he summed up Lemmy's legend better than I ever could.

"On June 10, 2000, I was honored to occupy the same room as Lemmy Kilmister for a brief period of time. He was imposing and impressive, living up to the image of a rock god even as dozens of others I'd met before had revealed themselves as mere men. It's unlikely anyone currently performing will ever be chiseled in marble in the eyes of rock fans the way he was. Asking Lemmy to rest in peace, somehow, seems incongruous, but may he rest well and continue to live on in memory."

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