Former W.A.S.P. Guitarist: 'BLACKIE LAWLESS Is A Liar'

Former W.A.S.P. and current ANIMAL guitarist Chris Holmes has slammed former bandmate/W.A.S.P. mainman Blackie Lawless, calling him a "liar" who "bullshits people" into thinking W.A.S.P. is a band "when it's just him."

In an interview posted at www.metal-exiles.com, Holmes talks about his original departure from the group, his decision to return to the band, and the circumstances that led to the formation of his new band ANIMAL (also featuring original W.A.S.P. guitarist Randy Piper).

The following are some of the highlights of the interview:

On decision to leave the band after the release of "The Headless Children":

"Somebody got into the money making part of the band and I found out that I was lied to by Blackie Lawless on some transactions and I questioned him about it and he said I was full of shit and what I found out was true, so I fuckin' left. I don't like liars. Why should I work with any?"

On how he ended up returning to the band:

"In 1995, I was living at my brother in laws Dude Ranch, in Cody, Wyoming right out of Yellowstone. Blackie didn't even have enough balls to call me, he had a roadie that I went to high school with call me. The roadie asked me if I wanted to talk to Blackie, and I thought for a minute that enough water had gone under the bridge, so I talked to him. He asked me if I wanted to play again, and I told him that was last thing I thought of, so I told him to give me two weeks to call him back, and I thought about it, and I wanted to travel to Europe one more time so I decided that I would play again."

On how much input he had on "Unholy Terror":

"None. I never got paid for 'Helldorado'. That's why I never toured with the band anymore. I didn't play on the album at all. He put my fucking name on it so everyone would think we were one big happy family. At that point the band was THE BLACKIE LAWLESS BAND and that's it. He bullshits people having them think it's a band when its just him. Who in the fuck is going buy THE BLACKIE LAWLESS BAND?

On his decision to leave the band again:

"[Blackie] still owed me money for the 'Helldorado'. I don't like cutting someone down or insulting someone unless they are there to defend themselves. I hating calling someone an asshole unless it's face-to-face."

On whether W.A.S.P. was a partnership or Blackie's band:

"Blackie led everyone to believe it was a partnership, but in the end results, everybody can see what it is. Who was on the front of every album? That should tell you."

Read the whole interview here.