W.A.S.P. Mainman Addresses Reports That He Is 'Unapproachable'

On Track Magazine recently conducted an interview with W.A.S.P. mainman Blackie Lawless. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

On Track Magazine: In regard to your latest CD, the two-part concept album "The Neon God", from everything that I read and heard, this was a huge undertaking for you and believed by many to be your "magnum opus." Where do you go, musically, after creating such an epic masterpiece as that?

Blackie: "Couldn't tell ya. The only thing I know right now is the general feeling of the band is that we're probably gonna go back to where the band started at the beginning. We're going to go into rehearsals and really, really lay the songs out and go in and record it quickly; six weeks. Because we want to go back to an old-style way of doing it, because after what we did…. We've toured this thing for a year and a half, we've recorded for two years; we spent a long time doin' this. And when you do something that intensively — that big of an idea — it really, no matter how good it may turn out, it'll wear on you. And I think we’re looking for a simpler form of trying to make recordings. So I would say that is most definitely where everybody's head is right now because, number one, the thought of even trying to compete with that right now is not appealing."

On Track Magazine: I've read reports that state that you're not exactly a people person and fans feel you're somewhat hard to approach. I know, personally, I managed to meet you once backstage outside of your dressing room — I think I caught you off guard — during the 'Metal God' shoot at the L.A. Sports Arena a couple years ago. And I have to be honest, you were a little intimidating as you appeared to be nine feet tall in your boots (laughter) but you were nice enough to take a picture with me and I really appreciate that. But what's your response to fans feeling like they can't approach you; sometimes they'll compare you to other artists and say, "Yeah this guy will stand out there for hours and sign autographs but Blackie never makes an appearance."

Blackie: "Well, y'know, I look at it like this: number one, people are people whether it's me or whoever it is, you catch 'em at the right moment and sometimes you'll get a favorable response and sometimes you won't. It's just like anybody else; we are subject to the daily pressures like anybody else. Now that being said, at the same time somebody talks about standing out in front of the restaurant after hours, I would like to see somebody go out and do what we do, night after night, it's like runnin' a basketball game and the physical energy that it takes to put on one of our shows and to sing the way that I do is tremendous; it's everything I have. And for me giving the fans what they came to see is more important than those two or three people that may not get everything they want from any given situation after a show. And I'm not being [unintelligible] with you. It's like somebody will come up with a grocery bag full of stuff that they want signed, I wouldn’t have the courage to do that. I've only asked for a couple autographs in my life and that was stuff that was very, very important to me, but I wouldn't have the courage to ask somebody to stand there and sign for thirty minutes, but now that's just my opinion."

Read the entire interview at OnTrackMagazine.com.