Obit of the Day: Würzel
Michael Burston played guitar in pubs around England for years. He never got a break. Until he made his own.
He had read that Motörhead, an English metal band (“We play rock ‘n’ roll.”), had lost their second guitarist. So he wrote a letter to the band’s lead vocalist, Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister. Lemmy wrote back, gave him a try out and Burston joined the group. He would stay with them for 11 years (1984-1995).
He had picked up the nickname Wurzel because the members of his unit thought he looked like Worzel Gummidge, a scarecrow who was popular on British television. When Burston joined Motörhead, they suggested he add an umlaut like the band. So Würzel had arrived.
After leaving Motörhead, Würzel made special appearances in other metal bands but never came into his own. He had formed a band “in recent years,” Land of Down, but they never relased any music.
He was 61.
(“Ace of Spades,” from the album of the same name is probably Motörhead’s best-known song. If you’re a wrestling fan it might be “The Game” used by “Triple H” as entrance music. Mr. H is a big fan.)
(Source: Guardian)
