can't have it all

"You can't have everything, where would you put it?" So says Lemmy Kilmister. Only he says it quickly, all run together, in a deep gravelly voice, no punctuation in evidence. You can tell it's one of his pet expressions, sort of an inside joke with himself. Every time he says it in the documentary, it's as an offhand remark after he has answered some other question... but I could tell he was waiting for a reaction from the questioner, an acknowledgement of the line.
I used to trot a very similar line out myself, but haven't for years. Usually, it was in response to someone complaining about not having some superfluous material thing or impractical gadget. "You can't have it all," I would quip, "where would you put it?" An exasperated glare was generally the response I received. Come to think of it, I pretty much haven't said it for quite a few years, as I got a bit tired of the evil-eye.
Still, with Lemmy, you could tell he'd been shooting that line out for a long time and would continue to do so, whether anyone paid attention or not. And, with Lemmy, it was a bit odd to hear him say it after you had just seen his extensive collection of knives and his collection of figurines in his image and his collection of... Well, you get the picture. Definitely an inside joke for a man who has, for the majority of his 65 years, lived the dream life he had wanted as a young man.
Sure, he discovered many years ago that he was losing his quick touch on the strings of his beloved bass and found the cure to be amphetamines, a solution he does not recommend as he "has known too many who died from this lifestyle". In fact, Lemmy makes a point of saying he doesn't want to glorify his lifestyle of drinking hard liquor, generous use of speed, and near-constant cigarette smoking. How refreshing for a rocker to acknowledge that he has made wrong choices, even when he still chooses to continue in his admittedly bad habits. That reminded me of one of my brothers, who has lived on the fringe of "socially acceptable" for many years, but is, nonetheless, a good man. He hasn't made the choices most of us make, but that doesn't make him bad. If he was in the entertainment business, as Lemmy is, my brother would simply be regarded as "living the eccentric lifestyle".
Lemmy is shown to be a gruff man, almost ageless, in his trademark black hat and custom-made boots. He speaks his mind, using a range of words that make many outside the rock music business cringe. But his gruffness is on the surface, hiding the caring, careful heart beneath. When asked what is his most treasured possession in the room, Lemmy answers, without a moment's pause, "my son" - who happened to be sitting there on the couch. An amazing response to the interviewer, amazing also to the son, but certainly not amazing to the man himself. Lemmy spoke his heart. That also describes my brother: caring and giving to those he knows, not caring what strangers might think of his words or actions. That can, and has been, a roadblock in his career, as most work situations demand a set method of dealing with and responding to the actions of others. Strange how the world works, isn't it?