MIKKEY DEE Talks Career, MOTÖRHEAD Reissues: ‘These Are to Prolong LEMMY & The Motörhead Legend’ @SonicPerspectives

Uploaded March 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

MOTÖRHEAD, the iconic Godfathers of heavy metal, recently unleashed their newest release, entitled "Bad Magic: Seriously Bad Magic", which is the ultimate reissue of the band's swansong album "Bad Magic."

At the time of its release back in 2015, "Bad Magic" arrived as a massive kick in the teeth for anyone who believed MOTÖRHEAD were going to amble along into a peaceful little pasture containing fluffy little lambs, folk music and perhaps the odd medieval lute here and there. Big-rig head crushers such as "Thunder & Lightning" and "Teach Them How To Bleed" brought such people to their knees begging for forgiveness, as the album unfurled into their toughest, leanest, meanest and most uncompromising album in aeons. Much of this came down to long-time producer Cameron Webb getting the band to record live at NRG North Hollywood, Maple Studios and Grandmaster in California together for the first time in the Kilmister/Campbell/Dee era, and from the crackling punk energy of "Electricity" to Brian May of QUEEN's scintillating guest-appearance on "The Devil", a vast wealth of aggression, attitude, and excellent songwriting was cultivated in that furious working environment.

Phil Campbell didn't just record possibly his finest guitars, he threw down most certainly his best solos for decades, while Mikkey Dee's drumming found new tribal resonance with the MOTÖRHEAD sound he had helped nurture. There was also one of Lemmy's rawest lyrical life reflections on "Till The End", and a cover of THE ROLLING STONES' "Sympathy For The Devil" which made the song feel like one of their own. One of the hidden gold-dust additions to "Bad Magic: Seriously Bad Magic" is MOTÖRHEAD's famous, and internationally acclaimed, version of David Bowie's classic "Heroes". Originally slated for inclusion on the last release only to be withdrawn at the last minute, it was a cover version which Lemmy had a great affection for, and as such its inclusion here is both fitting and just.

Sonic Perspectives flagship interviewer Rodrigo Altaf sat down with MOTÖRHEAD longtime drummer Mikkey Dee to discuss the ins and outs of this release, while at the same time reflect about his long career in metal, and even his appearances in one-time records.

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