W.A.S.P.

Rip It Up, Issue 101, 1 December 1985, Page 5

W.A.S.P.

Bryan Staff

There is a curious American expression used to collectivise their majority group. And it is WASP White Anglo Saxon Protestant. It means that you're aren't black, a Yugoslav, or even a Catholic. Which in the context of a heavy metal band who look like Kiss gone bizarre must cause everyone who thought they were safe in their values to run for a shotgun.

Shock rock is no stranger to heavy metal. Even without trying

the medium has become such an anachronism that all but the youngest and newest consciously parody themselves. Musical quality is generally subservient to painful volume and spectacular pyrotechnics which in turn equate to excitement. What I'm saying is once you've heard the basic three chord thrash, you need something to make each band different.

Okay enter WASP. Street gang credibility: all over six feet tall, all wearing 12" circular saw blades welded to bizarre codpieces. Are these guys for real? If you’re 13 they are if you're 30 they’re hilarious. It is no surprise to find that these guys have just done a tour as support for Kiss. Maybe you saw the video released in New Zealand for their single ‘Blind In Texas’. Remember the ZZ Top put-on? Right, that’s who we're talking about. There’s a great story of how they thought they would help the Red Cross. The band announced that anyone who gave blood at the huge caravans outside the auditorium could come into the show for free. And the Red Cross thought that was great, and everything was hunky dory until the part in the act where bass player Blackie Lawless simulates, uh, eating this live animal, spitting blood capsules and the works. As he said: "The Red Cross

got very hypocritical all of a sudden they didn't want any of the blood they had collected. They are more image conscious than concerned with saving lives. They wondered what kinda blood they woulda got from the kids well heck, it can’ta been any worse than what they were siphoning offa the winos down on skid row!”

Wasp describe their acts as “electric vaudeville." It's almost surrealistic, as in did he or didn't he ... was that really... and that's what makes it work. As Blackie says: "How can a grown man walk around with a 12" saw blade strapped between his legs and take that seriously?”