W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless has praised Donald Trump in the course of the band’s live performance in New York Metropolis, saying the U.S. president-elect “has stood up for this nation” even after being the goal of two assassination makes an attempt.
Previous to launching into the closing tune, “Blind In Texas”, of W.A.S.P.‘s November 16 present at Hammerstein Ballroom At Manhattan Middle, the 68-year-old Lawless, whose actual title is Steven Duren, addressed the group, saying (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “We’ll do one thing a bit of totally different tonight. We’re within the applicable metropolis to do that. You already know, it was Shakespeare that mentioned, ‘Some are born to greatness. Some have greatness thrust upon them.’ It was the Greek historian Herodotus who mentioned that in the case of tragedy and issues like that, that we don’t rule circumstances, circumstances rule us.”
Reflecting on his expertise with the PMRC (Dad and mom’ Music Useful resource Middle) greater than three and a half a long time in the past, Lawless continued: “Now once I was a bit of child, rising up throughout the bay over right here in Staten Island, I by no means, I by no means ever imagined that my time would come the place I might be thrust right into a scenario the place I had no management over. Now, it will likely be 40 years subsequent yr, there was a scenario that occurred, and it was referred to as the PMRC. And there have been hearings, there have been hearings carried out in Washington, D.C. And two days later, Frank Zappa and myself stood on a stage simply across the nook right here and we talked in regards to the evils that might come about them. As a result of censorship is an unsightly, ugly factor. And it ain’t simply in music. It occurs in all types of life.
“Now, down the road right here in decrease Manhattan, there is a chapel down there. It is referred to as the St. Paul’s Chapel. We now realize it because the chapel from September 11. However earlier than that, when George Washington was elected the primary president of america, after he was sworn within the federal constructing, he walked into that road and he walked all the way down to that chapel and he consecrated america of America to God Almighty proper there on that spot.
“The very first modification of our structure ensures freedom of speech,” Blackie added. “Our founding fathers had been genius sufficient to know that in case you can management speech, you may management thought. And these males knew this. These had been nice males. Quick ahead a pair hundred years, 250 nearly, now we’ve a scenario within the final six, eight years, we discover censorship once more rearing its ugly, ugly head. Now, this time it is on the Web, and it is affecting each single one in all us.”
Referencing the truth that Trump was making his return to Madison Sq. Backyard on Saturday evening, visiting the New York Metropolis landmark enviornment for an Final Combating Championship occasion, Blackie mentioned: “Tonight, you might not be conscious, however proper subsequent door to us over right here within the Backyard, there’s a man who has undergone try after try, assassinations on his life, and this man has stood up for this nation. He is proper subsequent door proper now on the Backyard.
“Now, I received two issues that I am obsessed with probably the most. Certainly one of them is that freedom of speech,” he added. “And the opposite one is about being a patriot. As a result of I am right here to inform you, I do not care in case you’re Republican, Democrat, Impartial, it’s essential be a patriot of this nation. I’m keen to die for this nation. I consider in it that a lot. And that man subsequent door, he believes in it too.
“I solely received yet another factor to say earlier than we go. ‘Trigger I am blind in Texas.”
Throughout W.A.S.P.‘s efficiency of “Blind In Texas” finally evening’s live performance, a photograph of Trump was displayed on the display behind the band and “Trump 2024″ indicators had been proven on both facet of the stage. The Trump picture confirmed president-elect surrounded by Secret Service brokers, together with his fist within the air and blood streaking down his cheek, taken moments after Trump was struck within the ear by a would-be murderer’s bullet final July.
Again within the mid-’80s, the PMRC printed a listing referred to as “The Filthy Fifteen” which consisted of the highest fifteen songs they wished banned on account of objectionable lyrics suggesting violence, intercourse, medication, alcohol or the occult. They petitioned for lyrics to be printed on the album jackets and nobody was secure — heavy metallic acts had been proper there alongside the pop stars. AC/DC, Madonna, MÖTLEY CRÜE, JUDAS PRIEST, Prince, W.A.S.P., MERCYFUL FATE, Vainness, DEF LEPPARD, Cyndi Lauper and TWISTED SISTER all made “The Filthy Fifteen” listing. In November 1985, the RIAA (Recording Trade Affiliation Of America) agreed to place “Parental Advisory: Express Lyrics” labels on chosen releases at their very own discretion.
Lawless beforehand mentioned the significance of free speech in an October 2023 interview with “Metalshop”. Talking about how he was affected by his expertise with the PMRC, he mentioned: “We had been too younger to actually perceive what it was all about, however they rapidly put us within the eye of the hurricane, after which every kind of dangerous issues began taking place — demise threats and getting shot at and all of that. We grew to become educated very, in a short time.
“I believe I used to be in Indiana — I believe it was Indianapolis — this woman got here in to interview me,” he continued. “And this was, like, ’87. And he or she had labored for the PMRC at one level. And he or she, right now I used to be speaking to her, was a journalist. And he or she goes, she introduced in a cassette tape and she or he goes, ‘I’ve received one thing I want you to listen to.’ And he or she performed this cassette tape for me. And on it had been Susan Baker [co-founder of the PMRC] and some of the others speaking about what their actual motivation was. And their motivation was to not get stickers on information. Their motivation was to get Al Gore a platform to then run for president of america. So that they had been attempting to create a political profile for him — as a result of what higher solution to get consideration, in case you’re a politician, a southern caricature, which is what he was, what higher solution to get consideration than to go after an consideration getter? I imply, that is McCarthyism [political repression and persecution] — you realize, it is no totally different. Richard Nixon did it. All these witch hunts that went on in D.C. for years. However they arrive to a era who’s not heard it. So this factor comes round as soon as each 15 years. The era hasn’t heard it. They have not heard the identical previous lies that come out of it. So it sounds fairly good to them as a result of it sounds honest and real.”
Lawless, who has repeatedly acknowledged in interviews that he has returned to the Christian religion and considers himself a born-again Christian, added: “Let me inform you one thing about free speech. I am half Jewish, I am half Native American Indian. You’ll be able to stand on a soapbox and you’ll speak about how fantastic Nazism is and the way you’d wish to kill all of the Indians on the market. I do not care. Properly, let me rephrase that. I do care, however I do not need to restrict your capacity to talk, as a result of if I do this, then we begin taking place a darkish highway since you begin taking part in umpire, after which who performs umpire tomorrow?
“This nation was constructed as a republic and a republic, opposite to what lots of people do not perceive, is just not a democracy. However what you must do to create a republic, you must have a specific amount of religion within the individuals. So, in different phrases, when you have a man that is spewing a bunch of hatred on a road nook or in a soapbox, you must think about your fellow Individuals that this man is a lunatic and the overwhelming majority of individuals are gonna discover him out and never observe him. However what occurs is while you begin limiting that speech, then, like I mentioned, you are taking away the flexibility of the individuals to resolve for themselves, primary, who’s loopy and who is not. However much more harmful than that, you begin appointing these umpires that inform you what you may and can’t say. And it is extraordinarily harmful. And you have heard it 1,000,000 occasions but it surely bears repeating, our system is just not arrange for standard speech. It is arrange for unpopular speech.”
Lawless additionally mentioned his expertise with the PMRC throughout a “VIP Expertise” question-and-answer session in November 2022 earlier than W.A.S.P.‘s live performance at The Paramount Theater in Huntington, New York. On the time, he mentioned: “It modified my life, if that is what you imply. It made me extra of a recluse. Yeah, a few thousand demise threats and bomb scares and getting shot at a few occasions often tends to change your outlook on life a bit of. But in addition, we had been uncovered to excessive fame very early, and fame is sort of like this — if this desk is a smorgasbord, it is like an evil genie stands down on the finish of the smorgasbord and [says], ‘You’ll be able to take something you need, however in case you take one factor, you are taking all of it. You do not get to select and select. So all the great things that you simply like within the smorgasbord, that is fantastic, however you have gotta take the dangerous stuff too.’ So it finally ends up being a life-altering expertise, one I do not assume you may ever actually return from — at the least I have never been in a position to.”
In a 2004 interview with the Las Vegas Mercury, Lawless spoke about having his music slammed by the PMRC, saying: “Because the story goes, [PMRC founding member] Tipper [Gore] was strolling down the corridor in her home and her 12-year-old son had [W.A.S.P.‘s] ‘Fuck Like A Beast’ taking part in on his stereo, and she or he misplaced her thoughts,” Lawless mentioned. “I do not know if that is true, however that is the story I have been advised.
“You wanna speak about sensationalism?” Blackie continued. “This was a corporation that was searching for a platform that might assist serve its personal political pursuits. They did not give a rattling about censorship. I’ve spent the higher a part of my profession attempting to get individuals to know that. This actually is just not what you assume it’s. They arrive to you just like the wolf in sheep’s clothes after which use you to create a frenzy — not not like what McCarthy did with the communists and Bob Dole did with rap. That is nothing new.
“You do not have to be Nostradamus to see what is going on on with younger individuals nowadays,” Lawless continued. “Dad and mom simply do not become involved with their children as a lot as they used to. Are you going to inform me that these dad and mom at Columbine did not know that something was occurring with their children? Hey, my mom knew what I used to be doing 24 hours a day, seven days per week. However dad and mom now, they do not need to take any duty for his or her youngsters. They carry one thing into this world, after which when one thing goes fallacious, they need to blame everyone else for it.”
It’s not clear what Lawless thinks about Trump‘s supposed dedication to free expression, seeing as Trump champions freedom of speech for himself and his allies whereas attacking it when it protects his critics and political opponents. Trump has repeatedly attacked particular person journalists and the press generally for unfavorable information protection. He referred to as journalists the “enemy of the individuals” and eliminated ones he didn’t like from press occasions and rallies.
