Look no farther for evidence that the nineties were stranger than you imagined. This clip of Motorhead’s Lemmy being featured on The Girlie Show in 1997 is about as bizarre as it sounds.
The Girlie Program, which aired on Channel 4 at 11 p.m. on Fridays, was a late-night talk show that urged its hosts and guests to be as provocative as necessary. The program was marketed as being more hazardous and gritty than any other talk show on British television, and in many respects, it was.
Lemmy sits down with host Sara Cox, one of The Girlie Show’s four female hosts, to discuss his “murky” history. The two quickly start debating the benefits and drawbacks of foreplay. The Girlie Show’s trademark flirtatious dialogue is what established it what it was.
The televised manifestation of the ladette phenomenon featured women acting out the same behaviors that first-wave feminists had earlier criticized in males. It was promoted as an example of girl power in motion, which is possibly why The Spice Girls were the first guests on the program.
In addition to the hosts Sara Cox, Sarah Cawood, Rachel Williams, and Clare Gorham, the “Naked Apes” were a group of young men from Sunderland who performed on the show. They were recorded every week engaging in sufficiently lame behavior, such as passing out on the Amsterdam ferry, pursuing people in homosexual clubs, and attending races while disguised as canines. Jimmy Nail and Naomi Campbell were both winners of the weekly “Wanker Of The Week” segment on The Girlie Show.
Throughout the conversation, Lemmy appears uneasy, apparently perplexed by the entire situation. Because The Girlie Show became infamous for pulling practical tricks on audience members, it’s probable that none of the ladies that join Lemmy on the sofa are familiar with the artist.
He appears to know them, though, suggesting that his humiliation at being forced to share a couch with 3 of his ex-girlfriends is quite true. In either case, the entire interview is odd to watch.
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