pooldude
Older than Dirt
W.A.S.P. Official Website
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 (1995)
Kill **** Die (1997)
Helldorado (1999)
Unholy Terror (2001)
Dying for the World (2002)
The Neon God: Part 1 – The Rise (2004)
The Neon God: Part 2 – The Demise (2004)
Dominator (2007)
Babylon (2009)
Current Members
Blackie Lawless
Doug Blair
Mike Duda
Mike Dupke
Any of you Head-Bangers out there ever wonder about WASP, & how they came to be the Champs of '80s LA Metal Shock Rock?
I knew Blackie since 1976, during the Sister era.
One of my oldest friends was Blackie’s newest drummer, Jimmy “Image” Moore” from Ocean Beach San Diego. Jimmy had been the drummer for the very popular early ‘70s San Diego band called DC Blues, who were the local version of Santana, with a very strong Latin percussion section & dual lead guitars.
DC Blues was a huge draw, along with Glory, which featured Jerry Rainey, later of the Beat Farmers. My bands WizzBang, Catseye & early Whitehorse all played the same circuit. Along with Madame Beast, who went on to tour with KISS, we were all the biggest draws in the San Diego scene, back in the early '70s.
A couple of the guys in DC Blues (including Jimmy) got caught up in a drug bust, & went on extended vacation, around ’73. Meanwhile, Whitehorse gradually gravitated towards LA, & Jimmy got in Sister shortly after moving to LA when he got out of the Calaboose in late ’75.
By summer ’76, Jimmy & Blackie lived in a little run down cottage on the corner of Gower & Selma, between Sunset & Hollywood Blvd. They had knocked out interior walls between the living room, kitchen & dining room to create a larger rehearsal space, leaving just 2 little cramped bedrooms, & they practiced @ horrendously loud volume levels for such a small cubicle.
Whitehorse’s “Wilton Mansion” was just a couple miles south in the Wilshire District:
...& I used to go over to the Sister house to visit with Jimmy in the afternoons, for a friendly “smoke”…prior to leaving for gigs.
Even back then, Blackie was very seriously involved with Satanic imagery, & “vibing” anyone who stepped into his sanctuary. He had Satanic literature & books all over the house, & would practically put himself into a spell just to practice in their living room. He went thru a whole routine with a big knife in front of me, one time during an hour rehearsal, as I watched.
I asked Jimmy if this Satan stuff was serious, & Jimmy kinda rolled his eyes & said good naturedly “I’m just in it for the chicks”…but there was a lot more to it, for Blackie. Jimmy used to tell me that Blackie was friends with KISS, from his days in Long Island, & that he idolized them…& that ‘70s Playmate Sable Starr used to be hanging out @ that dumpy little shack, & I’d sometimes catch a glimpse of her darting naked back into Blackie’s room, before rehearsals.
Of course, Whitehorse was gigging back then 5-6 nites a week in the outlying suburban clubs, to pay the bills. Jimmy worked @ some telephone sales job, & then some leather store…
...but the story, back then, was that one of the ways that Blackie earned his money was “trolling” @ nite on the side streets of Selma Ave, dressed in cut-off jean hot-pants & black fishnet stockings & stiletto knee boots & full make-up.
I can’t tell you how Blackie “consummated the deal”…but I did see him heading out into the nite many times in his full regalia. He was definitely a very strange, & intimidating character…well over 6’6” in his full get-up…& he was a good looking dude, but down-rite scarey looking, with all the makeup.
With that big knife he used to carry, one wouldn’t want to meet up with him in the alleys behind Hollywood Blvd in the middle of the night…& that is where Blackie hung out.
A later business partner (in another music store) of mine, Randy Schatz, also from NY, was the 1st Sister guitarist. He got replaced by Randy Piper, around ‘77.
When Sister used to play the Starwood in the late '70s, Blackie’s big gross-out schtick was that he actually ate Live Worms, on stage, to prove how Demonic he was. And that is no joke.
Sister never panned out, & by 1980 Blackie changed the name to Circus Circus, with my friend Jimmy still on drums. They wore the same outfits, & played many of the same songs…it was essentially the same group, with the same type of sound (Blackie Music!), but with a different name.
By ’82, Blackie had formed WASP. My band Assassin was on the same bill @ several of those very 1st gigs @ the Troubadour, which I have spoken about on other posts.
Blackie also bought & sold gear out of the Recycler, much like I did, especially after Whitehorse broke up, & I starting working in various Hollywood music stores.
In fact, I was so good @ it that by '81 I ended up owning a couple of locations in Hollywood, where I bought & sold gear for many years.
I had an LAPD 2nd Hand Dealer / Pawn Brokers License (even as I continued to try to make it with my various bands), & was required to take down the Drivers License of anyone who sold me used gear. Arthur Kane was yet another guy who unloaded most of his remaining bass gear to me @ my Hwd & Vine location in ’84.
One time around ‘82 Blackie came into my shop @ my earlier location on Selma & Wilcox, across the street from the Hollywood Post office, to unload some gear, & I had to insist he produce his Drivers License, even tho we knew each other for many years, so I could file the legal papers.
Blackie very reluctantly produced his license to me, which was when I learned his real full name & age. I don’t remember the exact month…but Blackie was born in ’48, (not ’56 like all his Bios claim) & is about a year older than me…which means he’s now approaching 58 years old.
Another interesting fact is that Blackie's uncle was Ryne Duren, the NY Yankee relief pitcher from the Mickey Mantle days, who was famous for wearing coke bottle glasses & having a devastatingly wild fast ball.
Stephen Duren was very uptight, back then, that anybody would find out, & know the real age, & name, of the famous Hollywood Demon…Blackie Lawless.
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 (1995)
Kill **** Die (1997)
Helldorado (1999)
Unholy Terror (2001)
Dying for the World (2002)
The Neon God: Part 1 – The Rise (2004)
The Neon God: Part 2 – The Demise (2004)
Dominator (2007)
Babylon (2009)
Current Members
Blackie Lawless
Doug Blair
Mike Duda
Mike Dupke
Any of you Head-Bangers out there ever wonder about WASP, & how they came to be the Champs of '80s LA Metal Shock Rock?
I knew Blackie since 1976, during the Sister era.
One of my oldest friends was Blackie’s newest drummer, Jimmy “Image” Moore” from Ocean Beach San Diego. Jimmy had been the drummer for the very popular early ‘70s San Diego band called DC Blues, who were the local version of Santana, with a very strong Latin percussion section & dual lead guitars.
DC Blues was a huge draw, along with Glory, which featured Jerry Rainey, later of the Beat Farmers. My bands WizzBang, Catseye & early Whitehorse all played the same circuit. Along with Madame Beast, who went on to tour with KISS, we were all the biggest draws in the San Diego scene, back in the early '70s.
A couple of the guys in DC Blues (including Jimmy) got caught up in a drug bust, & went on extended vacation, around ’73. Meanwhile, Whitehorse gradually gravitated towards LA, & Jimmy got in Sister shortly after moving to LA when he got out of the Calaboose in late ’75.
By summer ’76, Jimmy & Blackie lived in a little run down cottage on the corner of Gower & Selma, between Sunset & Hollywood Blvd. They had knocked out interior walls between the living room, kitchen & dining room to create a larger rehearsal space, leaving just 2 little cramped bedrooms, & they practiced @ horrendously loud volume levels for such a small cubicle.
Whitehorse’s “Wilton Mansion” was just a couple miles south in the Wilshire District:
...& I used to go over to the Sister house to visit with Jimmy in the afternoons, for a friendly “smoke”…prior to leaving for gigs.
Even back then, Blackie was very seriously involved with Satanic imagery, & “vibing” anyone who stepped into his sanctuary. He had Satanic literature & books all over the house, & would practically put himself into a spell just to practice in their living room. He went thru a whole routine with a big knife in front of me, one time during an hour rehearsal, as I watched.
I asked Jimmy if this Satan stuff was serious, & Jimmy kinda rolled his eyes & said good naturedly “I’m just in it for the chicks”…but there was a lot more to it, for Blackie. Jimmy used to tell me that Blackie was friends with KISS, from his days in Long Island, & that he idolized them…& that ‘70s Playmate Sable Starr used to be hanging out @ that dumpy little shack, & I’d sometimes catch a glimpse of her darting naked back into Blackie’s room, before rehearsals.
Of course, Whitehorse was gigging back then 5-6 nites a week in the outlying suburban clubs, to pay the bills. Jimmy worked @ some telephone sales job, & then some leather store…
...but the story, back then, was that one of the ways that Blackie earned his money was “trolling” @ nite on the side streets of Selma Ave, dressed in cut-off jean hot-pants & black fishnet stockings & stiletto knee boots & full make-up.
I can’t tell you how Blackie “consummated the deal”…but I did see him heading out into the nite many times in his full regalia. He was definitely a very strange, & intimidating character…well over 6’6” in his full get-up…& he was a good looking dude, but down-rite scarey looking, with all the makeup.
With that big knife he used to carry, one wouldn’t want to meet up with him in the alleys behind Hollywood Blvd in the middle of the night…& that is where Blackie hung out.
A later business partner (in another music store) of mine, Randy Schatz, also from NY, was the 1st Sister guitarist. He got replaced by Randy Piper, around ‘77.
When Sister used to play the Starwood in the late '70s, Blackie’s big gross-out schtick was that he actually ate Live Worms, on stage, to prove how Demonic he was. And that is no joke.
Sister never panned out, & by 1980 Blackie changed the name to Circus Circus, with my friend Jimmy still on drums. They wore the same outfits, & played many of the same songs…it was essentially the same group, with the same type of sound (Blackie Music!), but with a different name.
By ’82, Blackie had formed WASP. My band Assassin was on the same bill @ several of those very 1st gigs @ the Troubadour, which I have spoken about on other posts.
Blackie also bought & sold gear out of the Recycler, much like I did, especially after Whitehorse broke up, & I starting working in various Hollywood music stores.
In fact, I was so good @ it that by '81 I ended up owning a couple of locations in Hollywood, where I bought & sold gear for many years.
I had an LAPD 2nd Hand Dealer / Pawn Brokers License (even as I continued to try to make it with my various bands), & was required to take down the Drivers License of anyone who sold me used gear. Arthur Kane was yet another guy who unloaded most of his remaining bass gear to me @ my Hwd & Vine location in ’84.
One time around ‘82 Blackie came into my shop @ my earlier location on Selma & Wilcox, across the street from the Hollywood Post office, to unload some gear, & I had to insist he produce his Drivers License, even tho we knew each other for many years, so I could file the legal papers.
Blackie very reluctantly produced his license to me, which was when I learned his real full name & age. I don’t remember the exact month…but Blackie was born in ’48, (not ’56 like all his Bios claim) & is about a year older than me…which means he’s now approaching 58 years old.
Another interesting fact is that Blackie's uncle was Ryne Duren, the NY Yankee relief pitcher from the Mickey Mantle days, who was famous for wearing coke bottle glasses & having a devastatingly wild fast ball.
Stephen Duren was very uptight, back then, that anybody would find out, & know the real age, & name, of the famous Hollywood Demon…Blackie Lawless.
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