The hard-livin' Englishman everyone calls Lemmy, whose real name is Ian Kilmister, sits at the edge of the bed in his Las Vegas hotel room pouring a bit of Coke into a tall glass of Jack Daniels. After last night's concert, Motörhead's frontman, who's almost as legendary for his after-hour escapades as for his on stage activities, stayed out until after dawn. Today there was no show, so he was able to crash until 6 p.m. Now it's almost time to go out again. But first, he's got an interview -- just one of two he'll allow per day when he has a new album coming out. In this case, Kilmister is plugging the band's 20th record Motörizer -- kind of.

While most artists talk at length about how their new record differs from their past offerings, what was going on in their lives when it was created, and what the songs are about, Kilmister finds such subjects boring. "We did Motörizer the same way we always do albums," he says in a Liverpool accent as heavy as shepherd's pie. "We just write the songs and when we like 'em we recorded 'em. Then we do some more."

Kilmister doesn't really care for promotion. He'd much rather talk about drugs, strip clubs, and politics. He knows his albums are consistently good, and that enough of his fans will continue to buy them (even in an era of illegal downloading) to sustain his livelihood. And he's aware that even if record sales wane, Motörhead's shows will continue to draw large enough audiences to keep him on the road – and that's all the incentive he needs to keep at it for another 20 records.

"People ask me if I've ever been tempted to settle down, but I'm just a road rat," Kilmister says, then clears his throat. "I like being on the move, and no relationship survives that. But I've had a great time out of rock n' roll, so I've got no regrets."

The metal icon with the handlebar moustache and sizeable growths on his left cheek clears his throat again, which does nothing to ease his raspy voice, and downs half of his drink with one gulp. Then he adjusts his black cowboy hat and awaits the next question. As long as he's got a drink in hand and at least hope of getting laid later, Kilmister can put up with about 30 minutes of interrogation, and he responds to each query with a twist of wit and a steely stare.

Since he began playing music with the Rocking Vicars in the late '60s, Kilmister has been the very definition of excess and indulgence, enjoying the type of live-fast-die-hard existence few have survived. Lemmy's musical history is almost as colorful as his extracurricular exploits. Since the late '60s, he has played in the British rock band the Rocking Vicars, worked as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix, and been a member of galactic rockers Hawkwind. But his greatest achievements, by far, came with Motörhead, who debuted in 1977 with their self-titled disc, which combined the bluesy swing of '60s garage rock with the speed and rumble of early punk. Motörhead drafted their blueprint over their next three classic albums -- Bomber (1979), Overkill (1979) and especially Ace of Spades (1980) – and while the band's lineup has shifted several times over the years, the core sound has remained constant and its influence has been inestimable. When you hear Kilmister's rumbling double-time bass, Mikkey Dee's galloping double-bass beats, and Phil Campbell's bluesy bends and swift, swaggering riffs, there's no question who's blaring in your ears – especially when Lemmy starts to growl.

A couple weeks before Kilmister rolls onto the set of L.A. Ink to have three old tattoos -- the ace of spades (left forearm), a Capricorn sign (left shoulder) and an Indian shield (right forearm) -- touched up by ink vixen Kat Von D, the only remaining original member of Motörhead talked about his tattoos, Motörizer, politics, strippers, porn stars, ghosts, UFOs, Nazi war memorabilia, speed, acid, and other things that keep his world rocking.

Inked: When did you get your first tattoo?

Kilmister: In 1973 when I was in Hawkwind. We were in Dayton, Ohio on a Sunday and the tattoo shop was the only place open. We were totally fuckin' bored so we all went down there and got a derisive hippie tattoo. Mine was a marijuana leaf, which I've since had covered up because it looked like a pizza with wings.

What did you cover it with?

I got an Indian shield, but the fuckin' ink came through it a couple years after. Green came through back. I couldn't believe it.

What's your favorite tattoo?

The Ace of Spades one, but you can't read that anymore. It says "Born to Lose, Live to Win" around it, but the words have bled into each other. That was done in 1979 in Holland.

Have you kept getting inked through years?

I've just got three. The other one I did in LA in '91 and it's a Capricorn.

You've probably seen some wild Motörhead tattoos over the years.

No shit, man. A friend of ours in Germany has his entire back covered with the logo and he's got us tattooed on the sides of his head and chest. He's got our faces on the calves of his legs.

It must be strange to see your face tattooed on someone.

If it's a good picture I don't mind, but if I look like a pig with a goiter then it's not so good. I've seen both.

What's the biggest tattoo disaster you've seen?

A friend of ours was getting "Born to Lose" tattooed on her arm, and the guy was about to spell it with two "o"s – "Born to Loose," you know? I saved her just in time.

The Motörhead logo is almost as cool as the band itself.

Yeah, it's helped us to stay alive all this time. People buy the shirts and they've never heard the albums. We used to make more from merchandizing than from the albums by a long shot.

You recently put out your 20th album, Motörizer. A lot of bands don't make it to album three let alone 20. How have you lasted so long?

We haven't given up. Other people give up too easy. Not going away does ensure you stay there.

Where would you put Motörizer in your career arc?

Fuck, man, I don't know. It's our 20th album. But it's a good album because, I mean, you wouldn't hear it if it wasn't. The only thing that matters is that we like it because we aren't doing them for you, we're doing them for us.

Motörizer has some fairly political lyrics.

Yeah, one  of 'em's about Iraq, "When the Eagle Screams." I wrote that because I know the history of war. I've studied it and this is a prime example of money sending boys to their deaths. The interest's winning over the logic. Everybody knew there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq because we sold them everything they had. I'll tell you a funny story. You know when the British invaded Iraq with you guys? We didn't have any desert uniforms. We only had the green and the khaki because we sold all the desert uniforms to Iraq three years before. Isn't that great? I just hate all politicians. They're all bastards.

Your signature song is "Ace of Spades." Are you a big gambler?

No, not really, I just like to play. Like it says in the song, "The pleasure is to play, makes no difference what you say."

Do you often win?

No gambler ever wins, not in the long run. The most I've lost at any one time is three grand. I won nine grand on one pull of a lever seven years ago at the Venetian in Vegas. I put two grand back and took seven grand home. That's very good for me.

You often go to strip clubs. Are you a fan of the lapdance?

Sure. It's a tease, but you can sometimes talk them into it, you know? And you can only talk them into it if you have a lapdance. You can't convince them to go home with you from the bar.

Ever hook up with a porn star?

Five of them over the years, actually.

Anyone we'd recognize?

I don't kiss and tell.