One of the most iconic mascots in heavy metal is, without a doubt, Snaggletooth , from Motörhead . However, despite being very famous and loved by fans, where does he come from?
An article from Loudwire explains where the mascot came from, how it was created, and more. Check it out:
Who first drew Snaggletooth?
Visual artist Joe Petagno first drew Snaggletooth, creating an original character after learning what ideas bassist/vocalist Lemmy Kilmister had in mind.
What was the inspiration behind Snaggletooth?
After Motörhead's manager hired Pategno to design their logo, Kilmister told him how he envisioned the band and what their visual identity should be.
“I told him I wanted something between a rusty, decaying robot and a wandering knight in armor. And he came back with the face with the horns on the head, with the chains between them. It looked really soppy, you know. So I said, ‘Why don’t we put the horns in the mouth?’ And we never changed it, although he did a lot of good variations on it for different album covers,” Kilmister told Revolver in 2002.
In 2016, Petagno recalled his creation in an interview with Metal Hammer, explaining: “On my way home, I stopped at the library in Chelmsford. Following the suggestion of outlaw biker emblems, I was looking for skulls and bones when I inadvertently came across a book about animal skulls, then I realized: an animal skull would work better than a human skull.”
“When I got home and started drawing, I thought: why not invent a new skull, a hybrid? I started playing around with mixed and combined sketches of dog – lion, wolf and so on,” he continued. “In the end, I decided on a dog or wolf and gorilla skull and gave it enormous boar tusks. I hung a chain of horns from left to right below it and a small human skull to designate the size, adorned it with an iron cross as a sign of bravery and then finished it off with some thorns.”
When did Snaggletooth first appear?
Snaggletooth made its debut on the cover of Motörhead's self-titled 1977 album.
How many Motörhead album covers did Joe Petagno design?
Petagno designed a total of 13 album covers for Motörhead. Check out the list:
- Motorhead (1977)
- Overkill (1979)
- Bomber (1979)
- Another Perfect Day (1983)
- Orgasmatron (1986)
- Rock 'n' Roll (1987)
- Bastards (1993)
- Sacrifice (1995)
- Snake Bite Love (1998)
- We Are Motorhead (2000)
- Hammered (2002)
- Hell (2004)
- Kiss of Death (2006)
