Michael Richard Burston (23 October 1949 – 9 July 2011), commonly known by the stage name Würzel, was an English musician who played professionally for three decades. He played guitar in British rock band
Motörhead
Motörhead () were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1975 by bassist and lead vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. Kilmister was the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band a ...
from 1984 to 1995,
[Michael 'Würzel' Burston obituary , Music](_blank)
The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-07-23. playing on six studio albums and two live albums. Würzel died at the age of 61, following heart complications.
Biography
Before joining
Motörhead
Motörhead () were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1975 by bassist and lead vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. Kilmister was the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band a ...
in 1984, Würzel had been a
corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...
in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
, serving in Germany and Northern Ireland with the 1st Battalion of the
Gloucestershire Regiment, and had played in the bands Bastard and
Warfare
War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of State (polity), states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or betwe ...
. In the early 1980s, Würzel played in a
Cheltenham
Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...
-based band, originally named Made in England, then The Meek. He joined another relatively unknown guitarist,
Phil Campbell, at a Motörhead audition; both were hired. The new four-piece line-up made its debut recording a backing track for ''
The Young Ones'' on 14 February 1984. Würzel also played on the
Lemmy
Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy Kilmister or simply Lemmy, was a British musician. He was the founder, lead vocalist, bassist and primary songwriter of the metal band Motörhead, of which he ...
-produced album for Warfare entitled ''Metal Anarchy'' in 1985.
He acquired the nickname 'Würzel' whilst in the Army, being compared to the character
Worzel Gummidge
Worzel Gummidge is a scarecrow in British children's fiction, who originally appeared in a series of books by the English novelist Barbara Euphan Todd. owing to his
scarecrow-style hair and
bumpkin-like manner. Motörhead singer Lemmy encouraged Würzel to add an
umlaut to the 'U' in his nickname, for
heavy metal effect.
Würzel saw a number of changes to the band's line-up, each involving the drummer, until he left in 1995. Although he played on the album ''
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving.
Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...
'', Würzel left Motörhead before the tour. Instead of replacing him, the band reverted to a three-piece line-up. He later made a few guest appearances with them, at the 2008
Download Festival
Download Festival is a rock festival created by Andy Copping, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 2019); Flemington ...
and at the 2009
Guilfest, as well as a few other appearances on the band's 2008 UK tour.
Würzel recorded his first solo EP, ''Bess'', in 1987; it was not far removed from the Motörhead sound, but also allowed for slightly different ideas. The EP included the instrumental title track, two rock pieces, "Midnight in London" and "People Say I'm Crazy", and an instrumental
jazz rock
Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music Music genre, genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, a ...
-oriented track, "E.S.P.".
In 1998, inspired by
psychedelically-informed experiences in Belgium, Würzel recorded and released an ambient, improvised
avant-garde
In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
album entitled ''Chill Out or Die''.
Death
On 9 July 2011, Tim Butcher, longtime bass technician of Motörhead leader Lemmy, reported that Würzel had died. The cause of death was
ventricular fibrillation
Ventricular fibrillation (V-fib or VF) is an abnormal heart rhythm in which the Ventricle (heart), ventricles of the heart Fibrillation, quiver. It is due to disorganized electrical conduction system of the heart, electrical activity. Ventricula ...
triggered by
cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy is a group of primary diseases of the heart muscle. Early on there may be few or no symptoms. As the disease worsens, shortness of breath, feeling tired, and swelling of the legs may occur, due to the onset of heart failure. A ...
. Before he died, Würzel was working on new material with his new band, Leader of Down, who had previously announced the release of their debut single for early 2010. The following day, Lemmy dedicated Motörhead's performance at
Sonisphere Festival
The Sonisphere Festival was a touring rock music festival which took place across Europe between the months of June and August. The festival was owned by John Jackson and Kilimanjaro Live. It was jointly promoted by K2 and Kilimanjaro Live. It h ...
in Knebworth to his memory.
Discography
;With Motörhead
* ''
No Remorse'' (Compilation, 1984)
* ''
Orgasmatron'' (1986)
* ''
Rock 'n' Roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
'' (1987)
* ''
Nö Sleep at All'' (Live album, 1988)
* ''
The Birthday Party'' (Live album, 1990)
* ''
1916
Events
Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix.
January
* January 1 – The British Empire, British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that has been stored ...
'' (1991)
* ''
March ör Die
''March ör Die'' is the tenth studio album by British Rock music, rock band Motörhead, released in July 1992. It would be the band's second and final album with WTG Records. The album features guest appearances by Ozzy Osbourne, Guns N' Roses ...
'' (1992)
* ''
Bastards'' (1993)
* ''
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving.
Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...
'' (1995)
* ''
BBC Live & In-Session'' (Live album, 2005)
;Solo work
* ''Bess'' (1987)
* ''Chill Out or Die (The Ambient Album)'' (1998)
;Other work and guest appearances
*
Warfare
War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of State (polity), states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or betwe ...
– ''Metal Anarchy'' (1985)
* V.A. – "Where Would You Rather Be Tonight?" (1986) (All proceeds from this album went to Broadreach House, a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts and alcoholics)
*
Atomgods – ''WOW!'' (1988)
* Warhead – ''Warhead'' (1995)
* Disgust – ''A World of No Beauty'' (1996)
* WVKEAF – "Jump/Maximism" – (1997)
*
Splodgenessabounds – ''Artful Splodger'' (2001)
VHS and DVD appearances
* Motörhead – ''
The Birthday Party'' (1985)
* Motörhead – ''
1916 Live...Everything Louder than Everything Else'' (VHS & DVD 1991)
* Motörhead – ''Videobiography'' (2007) (Würzel is featured on Disc 2 of Motörhead Videobiography, in a 50-minute interview, his first since leaving the band; filmed in early 2007)
[''Motörhead Videobiography'' (Double DVD with 48-page book) Edgehill Publishing Ltd., June 2007 ]
*''Motorhead The Ultimate Review'' (Double DVD with different Würzel interview footage to the above on DVD 2), Anvil Media (ANV5096) – July 2013
References
External links
Obituary in ''The Independent''Motörhead official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Würzel
1949 births
2011 deaths
English heavy metal guitarists
English rock guitarists
Gloucestershire Regiment soldiers
Motörhead members
Music in Gloucestershire
Musicians from Cheltenham
Place of death missing
British slide guitarists
Alumni of Pershore College of Horticulture
Military personnel from Gloucestershire
20th-century British Army personnel
Deaths from cardiomyopathy