W.A.S.P. is a band that needs no introduction. If you're not familiar with who they are and what they're all about, well, you've been living under a rock for the past ten years and you might as well go crawl back under it because I'm not about to give you an explanation. You should already know who they are. For those of you who worship at the altar of W.A.S.P., you should know that, with the past few albums, W.A.S.P. has been letting the creative juices flow and, even after all these years, they're still moving forward and, from the moment you start to listen to their latest slab of metal, "Dying For The World," you'll quickly realize that the band has made one of the most explosive albums of their career.

Paul: I'd like to start off with a non-musical question which kinda goes back to some of the things we talked about since our last conversation. Have you seen the movie "Ali" and, if you did, what did you think?

Blackie: Yeah, I saw it. The story still hasn't been told yet.

Paul: Had to ask about that since I know you're a collector and you have those boots of his.

Blackie: Yeah. I got something else since we last talked. I got the robe that he wore when he fought Leon Spinks for the second time.

Paul: That's cool. Now, the last time we talked was right before "Unholy Terror" was released, I guess I should pick up from there and ask you if that album accomplished everything you wanted it to accomplish or, looking back on that album, what are your thoughts on it now?

Blackie: The only thing I know is...having some time to get away from it...I listened to it about three months ago and I thought it was really good. There's certain songs on there that I thought are certainly as good as anything we've ever done. "Hate To Love Me," it kills me. I have to be able to get away from a record for awhile to understand if it's any good or not. There are moments on there, "Charisma" and stuff like that, it's just really, really good. Now, you asked me did it do what I expected it to do. I never know what to answer with that because you can't judge what goes on in the world by what you do. The only thing I can control is the quality of the records that I make. Other than that, I can't really...it's not up to me to determine what other people are gonna think or if they're gonna like it or not. Those are things, in all honesty, I don't worry about because it's a waste of mental energy.

Paul: I'd like to ask you about your DVD, "The Sting," which I reviewed in the May/June edition of BallBusterHardMusic.com, What are your thoughts on that release?

Blackie: I've never seen it. I had nothing to do with it.

Paul: Okay, well, I'd like to ask you about the audience at that show. >From what I saw, they didn't seem to be really into it. Could that have been the way it was recorded or, better yet, what do you remember, as far as audience reaction, from that show?

Blackie: The audience was outstanding. You can't judge what an audiences reaction is by things like that because it's really not set up for that. But, that audience was absolutely amazing. They turned three times as many people away from that show than people who actually got into it. It was a real event. To go back to your initial inquiry, I don't know anything about it. I've never seen it, I'm not associated with that company anymore and I have no desire to see it. Let that answer your question, you just read between the lines.

Paul: Now, your new album, when I finally got the chance to hear it, I was totally blown away and I'm not saying that just because I'm a fan. It's a real exceptional album. In one of the reviews I wrote, I made the comment that you make some of the best music when you're pissed off and you're obviously, even in the liner notes, you're obviously pissed off. So, what was your frame of mind going into this release?

Blackie: Well, you know, after having been to New York in October...you leave there and a couple of weeks go by and the inital shock wears off and the anger starts to set it. But, more important than that, you have to ask yourself, "What does this all mean? Where are we going, where's the world headed?" So, I really wrote most of the record based on what I thought was gonna come in the future, which is basically a war with the Middle East. I mean, it's gonna happen. This is not gonna go away. You're dealing with a culture that's six, seven, eight centuries behind us and anything Western they view as evil. These bastards, they ain't leaving man. I figured the best defense is a good offense. I said that in the liner notes. We're gonna give them something to go to war with.

Paul: Going on that comment, I read that, the reason you made that comment was because of all the letters you got from soldiers who were blasting your tunes as they were, I guess, going in to kill people. What was your initial reaction when you started reading those letters because, let's face it, a lot of musicians get those, "Oh, I love your music, nobody understands me, but you do, I hear it in your lyrics" letters. But here, you're getting military people writing to you.

Blackie: It's an interesting reaction to say the least. Any time you can do something to help your own cause, I'm all for it. Obviously, I had a pretty strong reaction to write a record like this with that single intent in mind. That gives you a pretty good idea of what I'm thinking.

Paul: Maybe you might see this differently, but, to me, when I listen to this release, it seems like every song is a statement in itself and they seem directed at certain subjects. Did you write that album with that in mind or did it all come from your New York visit?

Blackie: "Hallowed Ground" came from me being in New York. But, all the rest of them, really, probably half the record deals with the future and the rest of them deal with individual incidents that have happened in the past. It's a combination of focusing passion, I think.

Paul: "Hallowed Ground" is a cool song and it was the first one written for the album. Why did you include two versions of that song on this release...the regular one and the acoustic version.

Blackie: Well, first of all, I liked both of them. They're really apples and oranges. I couldn't decide which one to actually use because they're both equally strong. But, at the end of the day, I decided to use both of them. The first one is the regular version with the band. But, I learned when I was doing "The Crimson Idol" that, when you want people to focus on what you're saying...take the band away. When you take the band away, it makes people focus on the lyrics, they hear the words, they hear the emotion in the voice and when you're competing with a nine gazillion watt band, a lot of that stuff gets lost in the translation.

Paul: I probably already know your answer to this, but, a lot of the songs on this album are your reaction to September 11th. Now, did you worry about people misunderstanding your words because, you have to admit, W.A.S.P. is one of the most misunderstood bands on the planet.

Blackie: But, only to the people who don't listen to it. So, what's there to worry about. I'm not out to do anything, really, other than preach to the converted. What good is it gonna do me...well, if someone comes up to me and says, "Hey, you're saying the wrong thing here," my reaction is gonna be, "get your head out of your ass."

Paul: As soon as I read the press release, I thought, okay, the people who don't like W.A.S.P. are gonna have a field day with this.

Blackie: Who cares? Are you worried about this because I'm not.

Paul: Nah, like I said, I understand W.A.S.P. and since I've talked to you before, I kind of feel like I know what you're thinking. Although I don't think I'll ever truly figure you out.

Blackie: Welcome to the club. I'm not worried about those folks. I could not be more sincere when I say that I could not care less.

Paul: It's obvious that you're pissed off. But, I also feel that, on the other hand, this is a very personal album for you.

Blackie: When you say pissed off, you have to understand where that passion is being directed. As far as I'm concerned, the majority of this record deals with things that have not yet happened. So, it's, where are you gonna focus that energy? I'm not trying to sit here trying to play Nostradamus for you and I'm not saying I have a crystal ball. What I'm trying to tell people is to get your head out of the sand, open your eyes, think. I mean, thinking is such a rare commodity because there's very little of it in the world. Think about what you're seeing, look at it, and, if we do that, maybe we can change things, maybe we can make it a little better. That's really what the bulk of this record is all about. So, when you ask me, are you saying that I'm pissed off...well, probably no more than anyone else.

Paul: How about "Trail Of Tears," can you tell me a little about that song?

Blackie: That's something that happened about 120 years ago when the U.S. forced the Cherokee nation to walk from the Carolinas to Oklahoma. There were several thousand people and only a few hundred survived. It was really the U.S. government's attempt at genocide on a whole race of people. It was something that I felt very strongly about and I wanted something that sounded very authentic and very tribal. That's me playing drums on that and that's the first time I ever played drums on a W.A.S.P. track before but, I wanted that authenticity to it. I don't think it sounds like anything we've ever done before.

Paul: You seem to be doing a lot of that lately, giving people stuff they don't expect to hear from W.A.S.P. and, I don't want this to come out soundling like an insult, but, do you feel that's because you're getting older...not to imply that you're old.

Blackie: No, no, no. I'm just trying to keep pushing the envelope, that's all I'm trying to do. That's the artist in me coming out. You're trying to do things and say things and get people to listen to it and, again, as the show tries to provoke thought, that's what I try to do with records. I'm just trying to get folks to think.

Paul: Let's talk about members...first of all, why did Chris Holms leave the band this time and how did Darrell Roberts come into the picture?

Blackie: He's just getting heavier into the blues and that's what he wanted to do. I think he's following his heart. It was a friendly parting of ways. I mean, you can't really tell somebody not to do something if that's what they wanna do? When we knew Chris wasn't gonna do the tour, we started looking and Mike Duda knew Darrell and he said we should give him a shot and he did the whole tour with us.

Paul: How about drummer Frankie Banali, who you've worked with before. Will he tour with you?

Blackie: We don't know, I haven't talked to him about it yet about it. I love working with him because he's the most creative drummer that I've ever worked with. In my opinion, he's the absolute best. As for Mike, he's been in the band for seven years now.

Paul: At this point in time, how would you describe W.A.S.P. as a band?

Blackie: I don't know if I'm qualified to do that to be honest with you. That's something that I think the individual listener would do better than me because I'm on the inside and I don't see it like the rest of the world sees it.

Paul: Tour plans?

Blackie: We're gonna go back out in September but, we're not gonna be out very long. I wanna go back into the studio...we were working on another record while we were working on "Dying For The World," which is a concept/opera kind of like "The Crimson Idol." We were working on that just as much as we were with "Dying For The World" and that's what I wanna go back and do because that's where my head is at right now, it's to finish that.

Paul: What about the cover art for "Dying For The World?" When I saw it, I thought to myself, "When did Blackie see "The Blair Witch Project?"

Blackie: It's designed to provoke thought. If you saw the original cover, it was a lot more striking. This was toned down a lot from what it originally was. There's not much difference in what you see, it's just that it was more graphic. As for "Blair Witch," that's interesting. I never even thought of that. If you keep looking at that picture long enough, you'll understand what it is, but, it has nothing to do with "Blair Witch." This is a very specific idea and if you look closely, you'll understand what it means.

Paul: Where do you think W.A.S.P. fits into the current music scene?

Blackie: Who cares if we do or we don't? Like I said before, the only thing that I can control in this world is the quality of the records that I make. We have a core audience out there and that's who I'm really talking to. If it doesn't hit number one, who cares? That's not important. Do you know what the original concept of "Dying For The World" was? What happens to people when they start living their lives for other people? That was the original thought behind the title. In other words, when you're so busy living your life for other people and you're not doing anything for yourself, you know, what's a man profit if he gains the world and loses his soul. That's what I'm talking about here. Obviously, something like September 11th comes along and it adds another factor into the equasion. But, that was the original thought and I'm not gonna get caught up in that stuff because it would drive you crazy. I'm not gonna judge my success or failure by what the world thinks about what I'm doing. If you do that, it's like trying to run a race where the guy next to you has one leg. You're gonna beat him, but, so what, what have you accomplished? You don't run to beat the guy next to you. You run for time and to be the best you can be and that's all you can do.

Paul: How was your time in the studio this time around?

Blackie: I like being in there because the creative process is...everyday, if you're coming up with something good, every day is like Christmas. You're discovering things. I guess it's up to the individual where their head is at a creative level. Where I'm at right now, when I got into doing this record, I was listening to The Beatles "Revolver" album a lot. The whole idea of combining the psycedelic elements of that with a heavy rock, which is what we've always done, I mean, the combination of the two just fired my imagination. It opened a door for me and took me into a place that I've never been. But, it's also where I'm going in the future. I've just begun to scratch the surface with this. The possibilities, I think, are unlimited. So, I'm just like a kid in a toy box, I'm just having fun. When people hear the next thing I'm gonna be doing, they'll be saying, hey, where are the acid starter kits that we should all be getting with this record because he's bringing the 60's back. Because of that combination, you're gonna hear some real wild stuff.

Paul: Wanna ask you about a quote you had made that I thought was really cool. You credit the late great Sam Kinison for your legendary song, "Animal (F**k Like A Beast)?"

Blackie: Yeah. He opened a show for us a long time ago and he was doing this routine about how he didn't want to go home and f**k his wife because she was a beast and I just put two and two together and that's where it came from.

Paul: You actually knew Sam, so, from your memories of him, how would you describe him as a person?

Blackie: An angry young man. He had a lot of pent up anger, but, most stand p comics do, that's what makes them funny. But, I think, Sam's whole attitude towards religion and what it had done to him had really made him a hostile guy. He made us laugh in the end. He was a groundbreaking comedian.

Paul: Last words ?

Blackie: I just want everybody to open their eyes to the reality that's going on around them and understand where we're probably gonna be going with all of this. Get ready...get your house in order because it's coming! http://www.waspnation.com

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