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UNAUTHORZIED '80S WITH DAVID S. GRANT PRESENTS: W.A.S.P. 
In 1982, when Blackie Lawless put together his band W.A.S.P. (original members: Blackie Lawless, Rik Fox, Randy Piper, and Tony Richards) there was an immediate buzz and it had nothing to do with the music, but rather what did the band name/acronym W.A.S.P. represent? From 'We Are Sexual Perverts' to 'We Are Satan's People', only the 'We Are' was agreed upon. It was also agreed that Lawless was clearly a marketing genius. To this day it is unclear what the acronym stands for (during different periods the band has commented on what it may mean, but changed their story often), or if it was even suppose to be an acronym. Also, the forming of the band wasn't long after Twisted Sister's song "S.M.F." from their Stay Hungry album was released, leading to healthy debates over best heavy metal acronym; essentially, the glam acronym version of Miller Lite's Less Filling - Tastes Great argument.
The band recorded their first song titled "Animal (F**ck Like a Beast)" which would later be the first song on their self-titled album W.A.S.P. This track would be pulled from the distribution so stores in the U.S. would carry it. It was clear from the start that this band would create and live a unique identity. If fellow Sunset Strip bands like Ratt was going to be about sex and hookers, and Motley Crue was going to be about drugs and strippers, well, then W.A.S.P. decided early on they were going to be about raping hookers and strippers who are on drugs. The groupies for the band had more of an edge then say Ratt; more perverse, more male, this would be the group that later welcomed Guns N' Roses and Skid Row, and shunned Poison and White Lion. 
In addition to groupies and cutters their music also got the attention of the Washington D.C. based Parents Music Research Center (P.M.R.C.). A group of up-tight suits led by Tipper Gore declaring war on sex, violence, and vulgar musical lyrics; the basis for their argument was The Filthy Fifteen, a list of songs demonstrating their mission. In their eyes, this list (and not Tipper Gore's pant suits) was destroying society. W.A.S.P.'s "Animal" was on the list with fellow heavy metal acts Motley Crue and Twisted Sister as well as pop stars Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, and Sheena Easton. Sheena Easton was on the list for a song named "Sugar Walls", which I'm guessing pissed off Lawless because he didn't come up with this song title first.
Due to the 'list', the band received death and bomb threats from followers of the P.M.R.C. Blackie Lawless were even shot at twice, that is one more time than Ronald Reagan. Burning question: Were the death threats cut out and pasted letters from a magazine? If so, did they use asterisks when referencing the song "Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)" or did they just say "Animal"? Looking back many forget that W.A.S.P. was a part of the The Filthy Fifteen despite having the most offensive song title; instead, most remember a very curly, blown out blond Dee Snider from Twisted Sister addressing Capitol Hill. W.A.S.P. was part of it, they were part of The Filthy Fifteen, and at the time pretty proud of this. Eventually the sessions led to warnings on the albums which for a teenage boy are the equivalent of getting a free joint wrapped inside their music.
The original line-up of W.A.S.P. didn't last too long. Bass player Rik Fox was let go and replaced by Don Costa who was then replaced by Blackie on bass. Lawless, a big believer of if you want things done right you have to do it yourself. Rumor has it Blackie dreamed of a one person metal band, but this never materialized. With Lawless on bass, guitarist Chris Holmes joined the band. In 1984 the band signed with Capital records and released their self titled debut album, W.A.S.P. Given that "Animal" was not included in the U.S. distribution the band relied on the one-two punch of songs "I Wanna Be Somebody" and "L.O.V.E. Machine". This worked out quite well. "I Wanna Be Somebody" showcased the band's in-your-face approach coupled with a catchy hook that just made you want to bang your head. The video starts off with Blackie Lawless making the slice your throat gesture. That along with the fist pumping let you know this wasn't your average fluffy glam band. 
"L.O.V.E. Machine" put Lawless' gravel voice to the front along with another hook that would stick with the listener for days. In the video a girl comes home from a date with a guy that looks a little bit like a Cobra Kai from The Karate Kid movie, but with glasses. She falls asleep and then it gets strange. My interpretation is that angel nurses descend into her dream and place her in a tube of water that just happens to be on a stage where W.A.S.P. is playing. Coincidence? Anyway, it gets stranger when the nurses turn into angel strippers, but don't teach the girl, instead leaving her in the water. Clearly HDTV wasn't a thought because the close-ups in this video are REALLY close.
Their next album, The Last Command, featured their well known song "Blind In Texas". This was the first album with Steve Riley on drums, replacing Tony Richards. The accompanying video begins with a rattlesnake and then a scene in a saloon that may or may not be the same setting from Ratt's "Wanted Man". If it is the same one, the History channel should really do a documentary on this. After The Last Command tour, Randy Piper left the band, leaving an opening for King Kobra bassist Johnny Rod to join and push Lawless back to guitar. The new lineup should have brought on an album named Revolving Door, but instead brought Inside the Electric Circus, their third release in three years. After, Steve Riley left the band and W.A.S.P. released Live...In The Raw. As with many glam metal bands, W.A.S.P. concerts were an event. At some point in his life I believe Blackie Lawless was a big fan of watermelon smashing comedian Gallagher. How else do you explain the idea and obsession with throwing raw meat into the audience? If it wasn't clear up to this point, seeing W.A.S.P. live clarified that this was a band channeling more Alice Cooper than The Rolling Stones. I like to think the raw meat Lawless would throw into the audience was hijacked from a truck going to Sizzler or Ponderosa -- you know, the grade A $4.99 steaks, nothing but the best. As the band matured they would graduate from raw meat to simulating the rape of a nun. Using the word simulating essentially frees everyone up from being charged by officials and makes everything okay. You can simulate peeing on orphans, simulate a prison gang bang, and even simulate choking a girl scout. W.A.S.P. was a big fan of simulation. Their fifth album, The Headless Children, showed a more gentle side, the album even contained a power ballad named "Forever Free". Chris Holmes then married metal vixen Lita Ford and left the band. It is unclear whether the ballad led to Holmes falling in love and getting married, but it's safe to assume this was a factor. With Holmes departure, W.A.S.P. was officially broken up. During this time I picture Blackie depressed surrounded by pizza boxes and empty PBR cans with the lights out most of the day. 
Lawless would return with the W.A.S.P. album The Crimson Idol, a critical success, but confusing because Lawless used an alter ego name that sounded like a porn star (Jonathon Steele) and because this was essentially a solo project for Blackie under the name W.A.S.P. The video for "The Idol" shows a group of rockers with their guitars meditating and then smashing their guitars. Not exactly Zen-like, but then again, it's probably more beneficial than many fitness programs available today.
The sequel to this album was Still Not Black Enough, this time Lawless dropped the porn name, deciding to make his mother happy and just go with Blackie Lawless. Chris Holmes returned in 1996 and the band released K.F.D. (Kill Fuck Die), then Helldorado and then Unholy Terror before Holmes once again left the band. Inspired by 9/11, Dying For The World would be released by Lawless. It's safe to say that Dying For The World was Blackie's Lee Greenwood 'proud to be an American' moment. In 2004 they released The Neon God: The Rise and The Neon God: The Demise in two parts. In 2006 Mike Dupke replaced Larry Howe who replaced Stet Howland on drums. Then Darrell Roberts left, and was replaced by Mark Zavon, who was then replaced by Doug Blair. Since the last edition of musical chairs, the band has released albums titled Dominator and Babylon. Due to new found religious beliefs, Blackie Lawless no longer curses and censors songs like "Animal" and "Chainsaw Charlie". The last few tours have been littered with cancellations due to family illness and distribution issues. Last year Blackie cancelled a show in New York City because he felt the ticket prices were too high, so no one got to see the band. This didn't make sense then and still doesn't, so it's unclear where this band is headed. For other rock stars these types of excuses would look like drug or other addictive issues, but Lawless has never really been a 'room full of porn stars and a brief case of coke' type of guy, so we'll just have to wait and see what the future brings for W.A.S.P. W.A.S.P. created a sound that resonated with a very dedicated fan base that often alienated the softer glam bands in favor of Lawless and Co. When I think of this band today my mind goes back to the video for the song "The Real Me", an aggressive dark video that lyrically spews of rage and hate. Blackie Lawless is wearing his razor blade leather jacket, Ugg-like boots with feather-like strings attached. For a video that shows mostly fighting and images of despair, there is a treat about two minutes in when you see a gratuitous ass shot of a girl in a white dress. No reason whatsoever. To me, that is W.A.S.P. About the Author: David S. Grant is the author of several books including Rock Stars (Oak Tree Press), Corporate Porn (Silverthought Press), The Last Breakfast (Brown Paper Publishing), and Happy Hour (SynergEbooks). David lives and works in New York City. For more information go to www.rockstarbooks.net follow David on Twitter: @david_s_grant. |
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