W.A.S.P.

W.A.S.P.
 
 
W.A.S.P.  is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 by Blackie Lawless, who is the only remaining original member of the band.  They emerged from the same Los Angeles scene that spawned Van Halen, Mötley Crüe, Dokken, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Guns N' Roses, Great White, L.A. Guns and others.  W.A.S.P. gained notoriety for their shock rock themed image, lyrics and live performances.  They have sold over 12 million copies of their albums.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 

Another former RunawayLita Ford became prominent in heavy metal in the 1980's; her manager was Sharon Osbourne.  Ford had a hit single with "Kiss Me Deadly"; she and Ozzy Osbourne (Sharon's husband) recorded one of the great heavy metal duets in 1988, "Close My Eyes Forever" (included on her third album Lita).  Lita Ford married Chris Holmes of the controversial heavy metal band W.A.S.P.  

 

(November 2013)

 

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The infamous Filthy Fifteen, along with the reasons for their inclusion on the list, follow. Not only is Prince listed first on the list, he was also the songwriter for #2, Sugar Walls; and Vanity, at #4, is a one-time Prince protegé. 
1. Prince Darling Nikki (sex, masturbation) 
2. Sheena Easton – “Sugar Walls” (sex) 
3. Judas Priest – “Eat Me Alive” (sex) 
4. Vanity – “Strap on Robbie Baby” (sex) 
5. Mötley Crüe – “Bastard” (violence) 
6. AC/DC – “Let Me Put My Love Into You” (sex) 
7. Twisted Sister – "We're Not Gonna Take It"  (violence) 
8. Madonna – “Dress You Up” (sex) 
9. W.A.S.P. – “Animal (F--k Like A Beast)” (sex)
10. Def Leppard – “High 'n Dry” (drug and alcohol use) 
11. Mercyful Fate – “Into the Coven” (occult) 
12. Black Sabbath – “Trashed” (drug and alcohol use) 
13. Mary Jane Girls – “In My House” (sex) 
14. Venom – “Possessed” (occult) 
15. Cyndi Lauper She Bop  (sex, masturbation)
 
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Just one song on the Filthy Fifteen list, Animal (F--k Like A Beast) has a vulgar title, and W.A.S.P. had already made the decision to leave the controversial song off their debut album, W.A.S.P. The copy of the song that I have is on a 12-inch single; the cover features a circular saw blade emerging from a codpiece – the image is more cartoonish than offensive to me at least.
 
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Rolling Stone’s article provides reflections from some of the rock artists involved in the PMRC controversy. Blackie Lawless, frontman for W.A.S.P., is also a born-again Christian today; but he isn’t letting these people off the hook: "At the time, to have a female senator hold up a picture of my crotch in front of the Congress of the United States made me ask myself, 'Are you kidding me? I'm just some kid in a rock & roll band. Do these guys have nothing better to do with our tax money?' But now being a born-again Christian, I've not played that song ['Animal (F--k Like A Beast)'] for almost 10 years. Knowing what we know now, the PMRC should have stood for 'Politicians Masked as Reelection Campaigns'. It was Al Gore's 'Joe McCarthy moment'.”
 
(June 2016)
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Since I am down to a quarterly schedule rather than a monthly schedule, my annual list is a lot shorter, so I will try listing all of the people that I have discussed in some depth rather than just the Under Appreciated Rock Band and the Story of the Month. They are all punk rock bands of one kind or another this year (2015-2016), and the most recent post includes my overview of the early rap/hip hop scene that an old friend, George Konstantinow challenged me to write – probably so long ago that he might have forgotten.
 
 
(Year 7 Review)
Last edited: March 22, 2021