W.A.S.P.
Thirty Years Of Thunder

31.05.2014

You may not have noticed it, but W.A.S.P. have been around for more than 30 years. The band has gone through everything: success and disappointment, interesting concepts, acts of shock, public disgust and roaring crowds of fans. Other people might have become fed up with fame and outrage a long time ago. But Blackie Lawless, W.A.S.P. singer and mainman since day one, is still full of ideas and ambitions. Of course, today he’s no longer that guy with a chainsaw codpiece that used to strike horror into the hearts of American housewives, but he’s still capable of coming up with exciting shows and bring joy to his fans. The band’s 30th anniversary tour will finally reach Russia soon, and before arriving at our shores Blackie gave me a brief phone call to describe the mindset which he and his band have at the start of yet another decade of their career.

Last year you wrote a story of your band titled “Thirty Years of Thunder” for your website. Did you find this job fascinating? Does writing about your own past help to understand it better?

Well… Are you asking if I find it fascinating to write about myself? Not at all. It’s a lot of work. (laughs) Each one of the chapters took about eight hours to write. That’s a lot of work… I did it as a gift for the fans, for their years of support. And for myself… I already know all those stories. Writing for myself isn’t rewarding.

But that’s a great chance to revalue some aspects of your past, isn’t it? Some say it helps to see things more clearly…

Sometimes it does. But in this particular case I don’t think it did. I’ve had a lot of time to think it through for myself. I understand what you mean and sometimes that is the case, but not really in this one.

It seems like your career has always been very demanding. What helps you to keep going and stay interested in what you’re doing?

Well, I think it’s the same for anybody – it doesn’t matter what they’re doing in their life… You have to be motivated. You have to believe in what you’re doing. You have to be passionate. You need a reason to get up in the morning, you know. You need something that moves you and motivates you. Honestly I don’t really think what I do is being much different than everybody else. Go on with your passion about what you do.

What is the thing you’re really proud of about your career?

(A lengthy pause)

Hello, are you there?

Yeah-yeah-yeah, I’m just thinking… Well, you know, that’s interesting. My first thought is to say that I’ve done 2000 interviews in my life and I don’t think I’ve ever had anybody asking that question. Well… I don’t know because it’s such an accumulation of a lot of things, to try to stay at any one thing would be really-really difficult. A career is like anyone’s life, you know. It’s an accumulation of a lot of small events. It’s a day-by-day process. I don’t know if I can turn around and look behind and say, “Oh yeah, that stands out more than any of the others”. It can be the same if you ask, “What’s your favorite record?” To me it’s just one body of work. It’s like if you ask someone who’s written a book, “What’s your favorite chapter?”

If you compare yourself as you are now to the person you were in the beginning of your journey, what are the greatest differences and what hasn’t changed at all?

Well, the biggest difference would be my faith. And in that sense the difference between who I am now and who I was is beyond recognizable.  And what wouldn’t I change… Oh wow. Looking back I think I wouldn’t wanna change anything. I mean I didn’t dislike myself then. It’s just the difference is that I was living for myself and now I’m living to try to help other people. And I think that’s the biggest difference.

You’re coming to Russia quite soon and you’re going to spend quite a lot of time here. Will your Russian concerts be different from the anniversary shows you had in other countries before?

No, it’s gonna be basically the same show. We felt that because our fans in Russia hadn’t seen it, it would be probably the right thing to do to let them see it. This whole thing is taking about two years to do, because I broke my leg last year and we lost most of last year. So to finish this up we’re doing that year behind right now. It will be basically the same show.

Does your Russian audience seem special to you in any ways?

I remember the first time we played in Moscow I was really impressed with the journalists. When we went back to the hotel, there were several of them who went back to the hotel with us and we all talked till like 5 o’clock in the morning. And they told us stories… Because at the time they started listening to rock music the Wall was still up, and they told us stories about how they would gather together in one person’s house in the basement and secretly listen to these records. And these stories, they impressed us greatly. We had heard about this kind of things but it’s not until you sit and you talk to the people face to face, when you hear these stories and you understand the level of dedication and the passion that they have. To me that was very impressive.

Do you think your Russian fans are still that passionate?

You’d be better off asking them instead of me. (laughs) I would say I hope so.

You’re going to play in several cities of Russia. Are there any places you’re looking forward to visiting?

Oh yes, there’s a couple of places we haven’t been to before. As a matter of fact there was gonna to be more, but with the problem with Ukraine, a few of the shows were lost. But there still are a couple of cities we haven’t been to before. But it’s difficult to see anything because there’s a lot of traveling. People don’t realize how much time it takes. They think if you get to travel to some place in the world you get to see a lot of it. Sometimes you do, but most of the time you don’t because to do a 2-hour show you spend 22 hours getting from one point to the other. There’s an expression, “We don’t get paid for playing, we get paid for travel”. That’s truly what it is.

And what are the things that you enjoy the most about touring?

(A lengthy pause again) I think it’s the satisfaction of putting a plan together and watching it unfold. And that starts even in the beginning when you’re planning something. And to put a production together, that’s really satisfying. To be able to do that and then watch it work.

Your last album was released in 2009 and I think your fans are waiting for a new one. Are you planning a new release?

Well, we’re working very-very hard. Hopefully, the next record is gonna be finished next Friday. We’ve been working 3 years on it and we’re working very hard to try and finish it on Friday because we’re planning to release it in September.

Can you reveal anything about it?

No. (laughs) Sorry.

I knew that!

You know better the answer to that question! (laughs)

But it was worth trying. Okay, is it getting easier or harder to compose songs as you’re becoming more experienced?

It’s definitely harder. The things that you will accept are not the same. The things you did 20 years ago, you won’t do now. The filter that they go through is much stronger than it was when you were 20 years old.

So do you think that the best songs are still to come? Can they probably be found on the new record?

I don’t know because… When a band is making a record they often say, “It’s the best record we’ve ever made”. But they don’t know. It takes about a year after you finished you record to look at it objectively. So to make that prediction I really… I can’t say that.

You’re the only original member and the mastermind of your band, so do feel like W.A.S.P. is really about you? Or do you still feel like it takes many people to keep it going?

That’s the entire team. The bass player has been there for 18 years, the guitar player played with us during “The Crimson Idol” tour 22 years ago, the drummer has been there for 9 year. This is a complete team effort. I cannot do this on myself.

But do most of the ideas come from you?

Well, if you saw the production meeting we were having last night, you would understand. It’s an illusion! People think this is the Blackie Lawless show but it’s not. It is truly a group effort. And I’m glad to say that because it’s the most comfortable environment I have ever been.

In the end of “Thirty Years of Thunder” you write that only God knows what happens to you in the future. But still, are there any things that you want to happen?

(Another extended pause) I think my focus is not on me anymore, it’s on other people. And I would like to have enough time to be more or to do more to help other people.

W.A.S.P. on the Internet: http://www.waspnation.com

Special thanks to Alexei Kuzovlev (The Motley Concerts) for arranging this interview

Ksenia Artamonova
May 16, 2014
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