ONLY ONE PER COFFIN: EX MOTÖRHEAD Guitarist WÜRZEL Reportedly Dies At 61

BLABBERMOUTH.NET reports that former MOTORHEAD guitarist WURZEL (Michael "Würzel" Burston)has passed away at 61.
FROM BLABBERMOUTH.NET and TIM BUTCHER bass tech for MOTORHEAD:
According to a posting on the Facebook page of Tim Butcher, longtime bass tech for MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, former MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Michael "Würzel" Burston died earlier today (Saturday, July 9). No official statement has been made, but it is believed that Burston died of ventricular fibrillation, caused by cardiomyopathy, better known as heart disease. He was 61 years old.

Before joining MOTÖRHEAD in 1984, Burston had been a corporal in the Army, serving in Germany and Ireland with the 1st Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment, and had played in the bands BASTARD and WARFARE. Joining another relatively unknown guitarist, Phil Campbell, they played together at a MOTÖRHEAD audition, and both were taken on.

Burston acquired the nickname Würzel while in the Army, being compared to the character Worzel Gummidge due to his scarecrow-style hair and bumpkin-like manner. Lemmy reportedly demanded that Würzel add an umlaut to the "U" in his name, for "heavy metal effect."

Würzel can be heard on the following MOTÖRHEAD albums:

* No Remorse (1984)
* Orgasmatron (1986)
* Rock 'n' Roll (1987)
* Nö Sleep at All (1988)
* The Birthday Party (1990)
* 1916 (1991)
* March ör Die (1992)
* Bastards (1993)
* Sacrifice (1995)

Würzel left MOTÖRHEAD in 1995.
FROM THE UK GUARDIAN:
Few fans of the English heavy metal band Motörhead would recognise the name Michael Burston, but if presented with his stage name, Würzel, the majority would respond with unequivocal enthusiasm. The guitarist, who has died aged 61 after suffering from heart disease, came closer than any of the group's many members to being the face of the band, with the exception of Motörhead's founder, Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister. Much of Burston's enduring popularity came from his unaffected good nature, his reluctance to avoid playing the role of the rock star and his expert musicianship.

Fans also identified with Burston because of the unlikely manner of his emergence into the public eye. Before joining the band, he worked as a builder and played rock guitar at small club and pub gigs. Although he had developed a dexterous, blues-indebted style that impressed local audiences, his childhood dream of stardom was fading rapidly. "I knew deep down that the only thing I would really be happy doing was playing rock'n'roll," he recalled, "but I did think, 'I'm 30 years old – am I going to do anything? How am I going to carry on playing these pubs forever?'"

Burston read, in an interview with Lemmy, that the guitarist Brian Robertson had recently left Motörhead. As he remembered, "I wrote [Lemmy] a letter and sent a tape, and he phoned me up for an audition. He also said, 'We'll probably end up with an unknown guitarist', and there was no one in the country who was more unknown than I was."

Born in Cheltenham, Burston served in the army as a corporal before playing in a series of unsuccessful local rock bands. He earned the nickname "Wurzel" as a soldier because of his West Country background and dishevelled appearance, which led his fellow recruits to compare him with the TV character Worzel Gummidge. When Burston joined Motörhead in 1984, Lemmy – who described him as "nearly a basket case" in his 2002 autobiography – encouraged him to add an umlaut, in line with the spelling of the band's name. Würzel became the madcap court jester and counterfoil to Lemmy's sterner image.One of his first performances with the band was in an episode of the cult comedy The Young Ones, in which Motörhead performed their signature tune, Ace of Spades.


Würzel onstage in 2008. He continued to make guest appearances with Motörhead years after leaving the band. Photograph: Neil Lupin/Redferns
For the next decade, the British rock press regularly reported on Burston's antics, including a memorable encounter with the Rolling Stones at the 100 Club in London. "It was downstairs in the basement," remembered Lemmy. "Würzel ran down there, all excited, and, just as he comes to the bottom, [Stones bassist] Bill Wyman comes along, and he hits him full-on and lands him flat on his back ... Great start to the evening, you know? 'Hello, Bill, I've always been a fan of yours. Oh sorry, have I knocked you out?'"

Despite his comic image, Burston was a serious musician whose composing and performing skills benefited Motörhead greatly. He played on nine studio and live albums between 1984 and his departure in 1995, with the interplay of his guitar and that of his fellow six-stringer Phil Campbell lending the music great versatility and power. Motörhead's lineup, never a particularly stable entity, changed frequently during Burston's time in the band. He finally left after a series of confrontations with Lemmy about publicity and income.

After leaving Motörhead, Burston performed as a guest on releases by metal bands such as Warhead, and on the 2001 album Artful Splodger by the punk group Splodgenessabounds. He had accumulated a loyal fanbase during his time in Motörhead and many expected him to commence a solo career, but apart from a 1998 album of ambient music, Chill Out Or Die, this failed to materialise.

His friendship with Lemmy remained strong, despite their earlier troubles, and he was often invited to perform guest spots at Motörhead's shows, including the Guilfest event in 2009. In recent years, Burston had formed a new band, Leader of Down, but none of their music has been released.

He is survived by his partner, Jem.

• Würzel (Michael Burston), guitar player, born 23 October 1949; died 9 July 2011
FROM SWEDISH NEWSPAPER EXPRESSEN VIA BLABBERMOUTH.NET:
MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee spoke to the Swedish newspaper Expressen about the passing of his former bandmate, guitarist Michael "Würzel" Burston.

Although no official statement has been made, but it is believed that Burston died of ventricular fibrillation, caused by cardiomyopathy, better known as heart disease. He was 61 years old.

According to Dee, MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister learned of Würzel's passing on Saturday (July 9) through the band's attorney. "I called our tour manager, who was very surprised. After that, it was confirmed by several sources," Mikkey said.

The drummer had fond memories of his former bandmate. "He was wonderful," Mikkey said of Würzel. "He wrote lots of fucking great MOTÖRHEAD riffs. I remember missing that when he was not in the band anymore. I missed the simple, classic MOTÖRHEAD riffs. We never wrote those after that. They ended with him."

After Würzel quit MOTÖRHEAD in 1995, his former bandmates kept in touch with the musician whom Mikkey described as a "family member" and "more rock and roll than all of us put together."

"He was wonderful, he was really funny," Mikkey said. "There was a lot of rock and roll in the old man."

Whenever MOTÖRHEAD would tour England, Würzel would come up on stage and play a song with them. On Sunday, MOTÖRHEAD was scheduled to perform at the U.K. edition of the Sonisphere festival just outside London. "I thought I would see him tomorrow," Mikkey said on Saturday. "He usually gets up on stage and does a song with us, but I guess he will not be showing up this time."
Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l- R.I.P. Michael "Würzel" Burston