Thin Lizzy’s Brian Robertson recently opened up about his time with Motörhead and the circumstances that led to his departure from the legendary band. He shared his account in an interview with Louder Sound.
Robertson revealed the troubling situation that unfolded during what would be his final tour with the band. He described a scheme involving fake illness and insurance fraud.
“Things weren’t going well. During that last European tour, we weren’t selling tickets. So they came up with this idea: that somebody had to get ill, so we could pull the tour and get the insurance. I was the one picked,” Robertson said.
The guitarist went on to detail how the plan was executed and its aftermath.
“So I stayed up for two nights with the road crew in my room. They got this doctor – who the promoter had in his pocket – to come in and sign a certificate for the insurance company,” he continued. “I was obviously f*cked up at that point. We came back to London, and [Lemmy and Philthy] came down and said, ‘We should part company’. I was totally okay with it, because I was looking out for other things. We never really fell out.”
Robertson’s revelations provide new insight into a turbulent period that marked the end of an unlikely musical partnership between the Thin Lizzy guitarist and Motörhead’s chaotic world.
Louder Sound reported that Robertson joined Motörhead in spring 1982 mid-American tour, replacing ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke after flying over and learning their songs en route. Remarkably, he only knew “Ace of Spades” beforehand. This made his integration into the band even more challenging.
His 18-month stint with the band produced the 1983 album Another Perfect Day. Lemmy later called it “the lowest point in our career.” The album marked a significant departure from Motörhead’s typical sound. It incorporated Robertson’s more melodic guitar style that didn’t quite mesh with the band’s established identity.
Robertson himself acknowledged the cultural clash between his previous experience and Motörhead’s approach to music-making. Louder Sound noted that he contrasted Motörhead’s chaos with Thin Lizzy, saying, “They didn’t like rehearsing, didn’t like soundcheck, didn’t like being in the studio much… Motorhead was non-stop.”
The guitarist’s brief but eventful tenure with Motörhead represents one of the more unusual chapters in both his career and the band’s history. Despite the circumstances of his departure and the insurance fraud scheme he described, Robertson maintained that he and the band members “never really fell out.” This suggests that the split was more about incompatible working styles than personal animosity.
