W.A.S.P.

W.A.S.P. - Metal Legends

9/11/2018

Welcome To The Electric Circus

The real W.A.S.P fans know the music is the most important thing, but throughout W.A.S.P's career there is no denying that the stage show plays an important part too! Blackie once said:
"I was always bored to death by bands that got onstage in T-Shirts and jeans, and stood in one place all night. Hell, the people could have more fun by staying home and playing the albums in the comfort of their living rooms.
I'd rather be dead than stand onstage like that. All I can say is that you think you've seen some wild things already, just give us time, you won't believe your eyes"
This quote was said around 'The Last Command' era, and how right he was, especially when you look at the Kill Fuck Die tour.

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W.A.S.P. is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 by Blackie Lawless, who is the last remaining original member of the band. They emerged from the early 1980s Los Angeles heavy metal scene.
W.A.S.P. Tags
Heavy metal, Glam metal, Shock rock

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The band's popularity peaked that decade, yet they continue to record and tour, making them one of the most enduring of the West Coast heavy metal bands. W.A.S.P. gained notoriety for their shock rock-themed image, lyrics and live performances. They have sold over 12 million copies of their albums.

The Original W.A.S.P. Lineup to Current Lineup

Vocals

Blackie Lawless

lead vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums, keyboards (1982–present)

Guitar

Randy Piper

guitar
(1982–1986)

Bass

Rik Fox

bass
(1982)

Drums

Tony Richards

drums
(1982–1984)

Past Official Members

Violin

Mark Josephson

violin
(1993)

Chris Holmes

guitar
(1983–1990, 1996–2001)

Don Costa

Bass
(1982)

Steve Riley

drums
(1984–1987)

Guest Musicians

Valentina – vocals on Unholy Terror
Roy Z – additional lead guitar on Unholy Terror
Jeremy Spencer - drums (2005)
Mark Zavon – guitar (2006)
Philip Wolfe – keyboards
Nate "Diggs" Jones - Scatman (1986)
Ken Hensley – keyboards on The Headless Children (1989)
Chad Nelson - drums (1987)
Glen Soderling - drums (1987)
Kelly Martella - drums (1988–1989)
Patrick Johansson – live drums (2006, 2015)

Darrell Roberts

guitar
(2002–2005)

Johnny Rod

bass
(1986–1989, 1992–1993)

Frankie Banali

drums, percussion
(1989–1990, 1992, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2017)

Randy Black

drums
(2015–2017)

Bob Kulick

lead guitar
(1991–1995)
(live performer and guest on The Crimson Idol and Still Not Black Enough)

Mike Dupke

drums
(2006–2015)

Stet Howland

drums
(1991–2005)

Current Members

Blackie Lawless

lead vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums, keyboards (1982–present)

Doug Blair

lead guitar, backing vocals
(1992, 2001, 2006–present)

Mike Duda

bass, backing vocals
(1995–present)

Aquiles Priester

drums
(2017–present)

W.A.S.P. Member Timeline

W.A.S.P. Discography

W.A.S.P. 1984

The Last Command 1985

Inside The Electric Circus 1986

The Headless Children 1989

The Crimson Idol 1992

Still Not Black Enough 1996

Kill.Fuck.Die 1997

Helldorado 1999

Unholy Terror 2001

Dying For The World 2002

The Neon God Disc 1 2004

The Neon God Disc 2 2004

Dominator 2007

Babylon 2009

Golgotha 2015

Reidolized (The Soundtrack To The Crimson Idol) 2018

The Reidolized Box Set

Napalm Records proudly presents "RE-IDOLIZED (The Soundtrack to the Crimson Idol)", the 25th anniversary of the iconic hit album plus the original "The Crimson Idol" movie on DVD and Blu-ray! For the first time EVER as originally intended – film and soundtrack united - released as one product!
Get Your Copy Here!

The Story Of Blackie
The real story of W.A.S.P. could only be told by one man, Blackie Lawless The Lawless One!
Check out the story of Blackie right here!

The enigmatic Blackie Lawless has been the one constant staple in W.A.S.P. from the beginning, now the only remaining original member he continues to carry the torch. Formed in 1982 W.A.S.P. paved their way with their notorious live shows, battled the PMRC and produced an overwhelming amount of media but the core of the band, the music, is what has carried them through the decades to become the Legends of todays metal scene.

About Blackie
Blackie Lawless born Steven Edward Duren; September 4, 1956 is of Blackfoot Native American ancestry. His mother was part French and part Indian. Duren was raised in Staten Island, New York City, where he hung out with Ace Frehley of Kiss. He had a fundamentalist Baptist upbringing, but has also claimed that he was "very active" in church as a youth but in his late teens strayed from the church and became interested in the occut. He credits his older brother with introducing him to the guitar. At the age of thirteen, Lawless got into a fight and was stabbed and as a s a disciplinary measure he was sent to military school at age fourteen. He was expelled after eighteen months of a two-year sentence for assaulting a sergeant major.

He began his career in music playing with bands such as Black Rabbit and Orfax Rainbow. In 1975, after Johnny Thunders left glam rock band New York Dolls in the middle of a tour of Florida, the band started auditioning for guitarists. Lawless was hired but only stayed for the remainder of the tour. After the tour, he went to California with bassist Arthur Kane and helped found Killer Kane. At that time, Lawless' stage name was "Blackie Goozeman" as stated on the back of Killer Kane's only EP. About a year later Kane returned to New York City but Lawless decided to stay in West Los Angeles. In 1976, he formed Sister, which also featured future W.A.S.P. guitarist Randy Piper. Lawless' stage antics at the time included lighting his boots on fire (a gimmick he later gave to Nikki Sixx) and eating live worms. Around 1978, a new lineup was assembled which included Sixx as bassist and Lizzie Grey on guitar. Later, Chris Holmes joined.

Lawless later formed a band called Circus Circus in 1979, with Piper again appearing in the lineup. In 1981, following Circus Circus' failure, Lawless joined Lizzie Grey and Nikki Sixx's band London, with whom he played a few gigs and recorded two songs as demos, though by this time Sixx had already departed to form Mötley Crüe. In 1982 Lawless switched to bass guitar and along with Randy Piper formed W.A.S.P. The lineup was soon completed with Chris Holmes on lead guitar and Tony Richards on drums.
We all know how the rest of the story plays out over the next 30 years (and still running wild) with Blackie's
legendary music, shows and worldwide domination of metal!