The Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde recently appeared on an episode on WTF with Marc Maron Podcast and discussed the first time she moved to London from Ohio and whether she was a fan of Hawkwind when Lemmy was a member. Chrissie mentioned the first band she saw live when she arrived in London:
“Well, it was a little before the time I arrived. There was Hawkwind, The Pink Fairies and those bands. The first band I saw when I got to London was Kilburn and the High Roads at the 100 Club and that then became, well, that was Ian Drury’s band.”
Chrissie then delved into the pre-Pretenders era, Lemmy’s advice to her, and his response to her melancholy:
“He told me to look out. I went over and I was talking to him and he said to keep my eye open for a guy that he thought could be a drummer for me. And I was kind of feeling sorry for myself because nothing was happening, I’ve been trying to get a band together for a long time. And he said ‘Well no one said it was going to be easy!’ and I was really shocked. I thought he was going to be a little more sympatica.”
When Marc Maron asked Hynde if Lemmy was looking out for her like a big brother, she simply said:
“Uh, he wanted to f*ck me, you know. This isn’t a kiss and tell.”
She further explained how Lemmy recommended Gus Wild to her, and how she came across Gus:
“I went over and I said ‘Look, man. Nothing’s happening.’ And he said ‘Well, check this guy out named Gas.’ Then I saw this guy in the street one Saturday. Gas Wild, his name was. So, I saw the guy Lemmy described on the street and I opened the window and I said ‘Is your name Gas?’ He went ‘Yeah.’ I said ‘You want to get in a band?’ He went ‘Yeah but I don’t have any drums.’ I said ‘I’ll sort that out.’”
Although Gus’ time with Chrissie was brief, it ignited something that would later become The Pretenders. In a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, Chrissie talked about how Lemmy provided this opportunity and praised his authenticity:
“Lemmy never changed. He was kind of like the quintessential example of everything to me that epitomizes the rock experience. The way he thought, the way he looked, the way he dressed in cowboy boots, the way he was always in front of, you know, ‘the fruit machine’ or ‘the one-armed bandit,’ as we call it, the way he always had goofy-looking chicks standing next to him. That was Lemmy, right up to the final day. Without Lemmy, I wouldn’t have the Pretenders.”
You can check the whole interview below.
