W.A.S.P. Drummer Tony Richards on Getting Fired in 1984, Blackie Lawless, "Crimson Idol' - Interview
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- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2024
- This excerpt was taken from the full in bloom interview w/
drummer Tony Richards.
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED AUDIO CLIP
Tony talks about being fired from W.A.S.P., trying to work with Blackie Lawless during 'The Crimson Idol'
sessions, & more.
More Info @ fullinbloom.com
Song by FOOL OF FATE 
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I met blackie in new orleans back in 2005 in front of the house of blues here i am a 27 year old kid....and i got to speak with him for a min and told him i drove from alabama to see him and that i was a huge fan and that inside the electric circus is my favorite album..he was nice enough to give a his time and shook my hand and gave me a hug and i am thankful and ill remember that forever.
Awesome ! What part of Alabama ?
Electric Circus is my favorite too! Killer album! I'm glad you got to meet him!
That first album is easily the best and the drumming is a big reason why.
You need to listen to some more recent albums. The drumming is so much better. Try Dying for the World or Unholy Terror.
The first album is the best and the drumming is great but there is great drumming on crimson idol.
Agreed.
There might be better overall on every album,but no one outside hardcore WASP fans talk about it.
Tony was the best drummer they ever had.
Nothing is better than KFD
@@davidames1746 you mean kfc.
That first album was by far their best. Never the same again after that line up ended.
Agree!
Yall are crazy
Lost Band.
Blackie wrote all of W.A.S.P.'s songs from day one.
So sad. I feel bad for him. I've no doubt that Blackie is greedy but I think his substance abuse was more serious than he is letting on. Hope he is doing well now.
How does this channel not have a million subscribers? These interviews are amazing!
Much appreciated. Thank you, Todd.
This is an awesome channel
@@anthonypeters44 Thanks for listening, Anthony.
Great channel. And I’m a subscriber.
Agree..
As I get older,wiser, and more intelligent,the more I am starting to like Blackie Lawless less,and less,and less,and less. Don't get me wrong,I still love and listen to W.A.S.P. from the 1980's through the mid 2000's,however I have lost total respect for Blackie Lawless and believe he his a very lonely man who is a totally narcissistic person who is very delusional. Great interview with Tony Richards.
I hear ya on Blackie, but that doesn't mean Tony didn't fuck up and just didn't see it too. If you've never been in a band with a fuck up who blames everything on everyone else it might be hard to relate to there possibly being more than one "bad guy" in a story like this.
As I'm getting older I actually start to see how smart Black has been the last 30 odd years. His career moves have been nothing but brilliant compared to the majority of bands from back when they started out.
@@StONed-mb1iv He was young and bored.People do strange stuff and those women participated in that stupidity too.People also grow and wisen up and become better....sometimes.
@@dirface He didn't sell his soul or self destruct.
Sounds to me like Blackie made the right decision. Tony Richards was a serious problem waiting to happen, and it happened. Can't blame Blackie for protecting his own interests and his band
As a teenager in the 80's I remember being extremely disappointed of seeing W.A.S.P. kicking Tony Richards the same way I couldn't believe that Iron Maiden was getting rid of Clive Burr... to me the drumming on the debut of W.A.S.P. and the "The Number Of The Beast" albums are nothing but AMAZING!!!
Clive Burr had a medical condition and basically had to retire. He couldn't continue drumming to the extent that Maiden would've needed him to. He's talked about it in interviews that he's done.
@@samuelgirard1407 Clive Burr got a medical condition (and he died out of that) nearly 20 years after he was dismissed from Iron Maiden... He was given the boot from Maiden because he was a heavy party dude, that's what it was told at the time and during the last years previous to Clive's disease he several times declared that he wasn't partying more than the rest of the band, so I guess we'll never know the real truth of it :/
@@franciscomartingutierrez951 Well years later we have other accounts from Bruce's book and others around at the time that he was forced out the band because he stopped getting on with Steve Harris. They came up with the whole drugs and alcohol thing after but they all did some of that on tour really, apparently Steve and Clive had a falling out on tour cumulating in a show where Clive purposely slowed down his playing to wind Steve up. During the tour Clive's dad died so he went home to sort out the funeral and they played a couple of dates with Nicko behind a mask which was really a bit of a stitch up as it acted as an audition for his replacement who Steve and Rod preferred.
Steve also tried to kick Bruce out the band after arguments with Bruce on tour, they nearly got into a fist fight while filming for the Number of the Beast video and Steve demanded he be fired. Rod smoothed that one over because he knew they needed Bruce and which way the wind was blowing on their rise as a more commercial metal band.
If you want to get fucked up and still "think" managing to get to the studio/gig earns you a gold star is ridiculous. This dude had a chance and he blew it. Absolutely tragic hearing this dude tell his "side" of the story. Loved that first record and Tony killed it. Tony is a pissed off dude for good reason. Love these curtain pulls. Thanks !
The fact that he's done nothing shows you they made the right decision in firing him. Seems like he was out of control for years.
Blackie set him up to fail imo, forcing him to play the kit as is. He's a lefty!!! Unreal.
@@davidperez5089 Blackie is not going to fly him out there and not let the guy move a few drums and cymbals around. Here's what happened. The drum kit was fine. The drummer was not fine. The drummer blamed the drum kit and Blackie for his own shortcomings.
@@Explorer766 who knows...
Tony Richards is an amazing drummer/musician.
he's definitely the best drummer they ever had. he's the reason they sound the way they do! awsum frigging drumming!
Have you heard of Stet Howland and Frankie Banali? They were legendary drummers. Tony had drug problems. That is why he had to go.
I saw wasp in 04 Stet Howland was the drummer he was a beast
Frankie Banali is definitely better
no the frummer on KFD is the best drummer
The drumming on WASP (1984) is epic. Agree that both Howland and Banali are/were great drummers. But the debut album will forever stand out as their best album. Hands down!
The interviews from 'full in bloom' are the BEST you will hear! He always speaks to the right people & the interviews really color in the picture. Relevant points of view from people that nobody thinks to talk to. FANTASTIC!!!
Wasp really had something special going, firing tony was madness, hes a fantastic drummer, beat the shit out of them, first album by far my favourite, it was down hill after that, tony if you read this, wish things could have been different, feel we really missed out without you
Heroin Addiction
@@johnconnell4503 cant recall how many members lawless got rid of, surely they couldn't all be heroine addicts, randy piper leaving was another nail in the coffin, and lawless didn't do the band any favours by switching to rhythm guitar, they had it all in the first album, and within a year, that spark was gone, could have been massive, imho
Chris Holmes said 1st record was a group record...after the success he said the 2nd record and on was the Blackie show. Why 1st album had member's on it and after that it was just Blackie.
I love the 1984 lineup of WASP. The best. Steve Riley as replacement of Tony Richards was a JOKE.
He was an addict, no way was he going to be a benefit to the band.
I was 14 when I bought that first album in 84. Got the LIVE VHS too. Was super bummed when I found out Tony was gone
Wow, what a really raw deal. Dude sounds on the level. He's a great slamming visual player, saw them at the Troubadour in the early days. A few years back I'd hang out with Chris Holmes and go to The Bucket in Eagle Rock, CA. Talk guitar, have a Juio burger and some beers, and hear some of the horror stories about Blackie. These interviews really reinforce everything Chris said. Hopefully Tony's life is going in a more healthy, positive and fulfilling direction, and I sure hope he's still playing them drums!
When I was a kid I had the Wasp album and saw how the drummer wasn't the guy in the magazine's, because that guy was Steve Riley. Then when this WWF wrestler called the Ultimate Warrior came on TV I thought he was the first Wasp drummer because they looked alike to me at 14 years old
U right!!!!
His pose on the album was like a picture of the Warrior!
That first W.A.S.P. album was special. They had solid moments and songs after but never reached the original band's greatness again.
Great interview! The audio quality is solid considering the format and time and the transcription is excellent. Thanks for all your work.
Great to read your comment. Thank you so much.
@@fullinbloom ...I like the cassette sound, takes me back to those exciting & sometimes dingy sounding cassette days when i hear it. I still play my old cassettes I had in the 1980s sometimes, especially the old mix tapes I made, still like the songs (Dokken, Scorpions - Uli/Matthias, Vinnie Vincent Invasion etc) . I reckon it's the emotion/nostalgia you remember on the particular recording format that matters.
Great interview
Thanks for listening.
Yeah that was a great interview very interesting thanks
Thank you for sharing this, sir!
Amazing interview, thanks for this gem!
Tony Richards: "I was high every night and they fired me for no reason."
Right!?
@Samí Warrior It's different when the band is essentially you "Blackie" and you've had previous issues with band members who cannot control their vices. Chris (in his own words) was not drunk or high when they went out on stage. Tony was, most often.
@Samí Warrior nah, the truth is, nobody really gives a fuck what you think. Tony was still fired from WASP. Still couldn't control his vices. And NO,, he wasn't that good of a drummer or he would have kept playing even if playing by himself in a room of his house. A musician who is passionate about their craft doesn't stop just like that. Peter Criss didn't stop playing when he was kicked out of KISS. Riley was a far better drummer. That Double-bass you hear occasionally on the Self Titled Album, that's not Tony and the songs sounded a little different when he played live. So it's likely that some songs were recorded with a different drummer, probably one of the many session musicians available in L.A.
As Royalties are concerned, your image doesn't earn royalties unless you've trademarked your image. If you didn't write lyrics or create a specific sound, you don't get Royalties over the music. Drunkenly saying "hey, let's write a song about having to go to school, hahaha!" is not songwriting. None of that makes Tony a bad person. He's got a great heart. That's why Blackie reached out to him again for Crimson Idol. But there are many thinks Tony could have done, LIKE PRACTICE BEFORE HE GOT TO THE STUDIO. Rent his own drumkit before and after. Blackie gave him a chance to earn some money as a session musician and be on the last WASP album under the CAPITOL label. Tony did NOTHING that makes sense to even the casual musician. I play bass and a handful of other instruments. If Blackie calls Me up and says he wants Me to play guitar or piano on a song on the next album, guess what I am going to do! I am going to rehearse on guitar and piano. Even to some of the recent albums to get a feel for what the songwriting had been trending. But for Tony, "The Torture Never Stops".
@@m.vondrake5534 I agree with most of what you wrote but that Tony wasn't that good of a drummer... there aren't that many live footage (almost none) of him playing but by listening to his recording and also watching the clips you can see that the guy was a great drummer, it only takes to see him how he sits and moves, I'm not saying he's Neil Peart but he was a highly talented drummer but with a non so good ethic for work, or at least that's what we've said from the W.A.S.P. camp since decades now :)
@@franciscomartingutierrez951 I had seen them live a handful of times. There's semi-live footage of Tony Richards playing with WASP in the movie "Dungeon Master" but the soundtrack has double-bass so it's obviously overdubbed with a different drummer, as is some of the Self Titled album. My point in saying he "wasn't that good of a drummer" was he wasn't dedicated to his craft of drumming, otherwise he wouldn't have stopped playing. I know plenty of musicians, like myself, who continue to practice and rehearse in between projects. And there are Plenty of musicians that are addicts that never chose to stop playing.
And you don't get better by not playing.
Do you think Steve Riley or Frankie Banali (rip) would stop playing long enough to Not be able to record one song for Blackie when asked? Frankie was gigging just weeks before he passed. Tony quit days after he was fired. He didn't stop doing dope tho. So where was his passion? Drums or Dope? Blackie knew what that answer was. Everyone else in the band and management knew what that answer was. That's why he was fired. Blackie has said in interviews that he doesn't mind if people have vices but he doesn't like when people cannot control those vices. Tony says he speaks the truth but it cannot be the real truth unless he comes to grips about why he was fired.
I was a big fan of W.A.S.P. when the first album came out & didn't understand & thought it was a big mistake when Tony got fired so thanks for the interview. I did see them in 86 with the new drummer but part of me was still pissed that it wasn't the complete original band then when Blackie decided he wanted to play guitar & got rid of Randy I never listened to them again. Kinda Makes sense Blackie playing guitar cause mostly he was interested in dancing around like a fool & not playing & when your the only bass player you tend to miss something when the bass stops playing so he can skip around.
"...when Blackie decided he wanted to play guitar & got rid of Randy I never listened to them again"
Yep...that was the final nail in the coffin for me as well.
Yep same here. I thought that original band was dangerous or lunatics or something LOL. When they got rid of Tony I was so disappointed and it just wasn't the same. After the first I jumped off. When Tony was gone and then Randy I knew it was a joke
@@foamrob6577
Circus was it for me, I had to stretch a little even with Last Command , but Circus ...Done.
The first album has the best drum "sounds" on any album EVER. In my opinion, if wasp wasn't going to sound like that then pishhhhhhhh!
@@mysteriesoftherealm Totally agree. I did a few listens to Command but....nope.
@@foamrob6577
It doesn't really sound good from an engineering perspective.
Of course that is only an opinion.
Kiss Dynasty, sounds better from 79, ha ha aha aha
Rock in peace Frankie Banali
This is such an important interview to rock history. Seems like a straight forward guy that is willing to own his part but also call out the BS. So glad you posted this full in bloom!
Outstanding interview
Thanks for posting this ,I was fortunate enough to see them live whe Tony was still in the band. Me and my friends even got into a snowball fight with Chris Holmes😆 a great show
great interview, wish there was more .
Great interview. Thanks for the upload I always wondered what happened with Tony after the first album.
Wow! Great an interview
Thanks for sharing. He was a kickass drummer and I always wondered what happened to him . Cheers 👍🏻
Very candid and honest interview. Nice work.
Man, I love this channel. So much great stuff. Keep it up!!
Glad you dig it. Thanks for listening, Jacob.
That debut album is the best.
That album still surprises me on how raw, melodic and ground breaking their style was at the time.
One of my Top Ten all time…
If blackie is guilty of anything its playing on their weaknesses. These guys(tony and chris) are at fault for being fucked up on vices and not seeing a bigger picture. This is a business and blackie knew that. Morally not saying what blackie did was right, but You Blew your ride being a reckless junkie. You are responsible for you and what goes on around you at all times. Its nobodys responsibility to babysit you
👍🤘🤘
Fact- I hung out with Tony in Long Beach Calif, where he lived downtown after being fired from W.A.S.P. - he was living with his girlfriend Trixie- they were both strung out, and she was hooking on the street for thier dope. Tony was a cool guy, had lot's of stories- but too strung out to have friends let alone play his drums at this time. 1986 was the year.
All the hate on Blackie is not deserved. Try dealing with smack addicts. You saw it.
This is a great interview!! I was shocked when Tony was let go after the first record because of how incredible his drum work was on there. It's great to hear his side of it. I just listened to the producer of the record talk about some of the issues that led to him getting fired. So there's two sides to every story. That first album will always be one of my favorites. It's absolutely the definition of lightening in a bottle.
Tony is a badass! thanks for the interview.
Why? Because he drank away his job and marraige? Give me a break.
@@shaynewest8757
Hate to say it ...Sounds about right.
And the winner for the best RUclips rock heavy metal music interview channel full in Bloom 🥇
Great to hear you speak Tony. Bought the album in January 85. I had just left home. Only WASP record as far as I am concerned. Thanks for your incredible work. Hope you and your's are well.
Never have I ever heard a good word about Blackie Lawless. Tony was their best drummer as in feel. Like Adler in GnR.
I had never seen a W.A.S.P. show from the early days until recently. Man you were great live Tony and a great vocalist as well. I was very impressed with the band's performance and thought that the horror was done in an entertaining fashion. That W.A.S.P. album rocks and your drumming is an integral part of that!
Great interview.
Thank you for listening.
Really cool interview...music biz is TOUGH. Lots of ups and downs. Legendary band.
Great interview. I always wondered what happened to him. Awesome drummer.
These interviews are awesome
Love this interview !! It's good to finally know why Tony departed.
Interesting. Thank you
Love you man your honesty is so awesome
Great hearing from Tony,would love to hear more,what's stopping Tony,Chris and Randy giving it a go?
Love me some full in bloom interviews always good stuff always entertaining always full in bloom
Always grateful. Thank you, my friend.
@@fullinbloom You need to post a PayPal account email address so people can start sending you some money to your PayPal account for all the work you do I’d be happy to donate some money to your channel
@@fullinbloom Donate the channels that I feel are ahead of their time and doing stuff that nobody else is ever done before and nobody has really done before producers have been interviewed and magazines and this and that once in a while you’re doing something that nobody else is doing and I think it’s fantastic
@@fullinbloom This popped up on my feed, surprised since I left music many years ago. Funny is that my high school band played "Be Somebody" at our talent show in 1985. I have many WASP and Chris Holmes stories(girl friend was there in Austin with them when Blind in Texas was inspired, played Chris's guitar past my knees...) I always wondered what became of Tony so this was a great chapter of the never ending story we call Rock. Thanks for bringing it to light.
@@ModernMountainLiving Music to my ears. It sounds like you need to do an interview. I'd love to hear about your WASP stories. I interviewed Jason years ago, but it was a print interview. I have thought about getting some Dangerous Toys stories on the podcast several times. If you are up for it, you can contact me via the website, fullinbloom.com, or let me know how to reach you.
Incredible interview. For 40 years I always wondered why Tony left the band. Now I know. And so does the rest of the world.
Wow cool! By far my fav drummer.
"I have a couple of t-shirts and some buttons" man this is sad
tbh even though he keeps saying he doesn't care he's obviously bitter and he says himself he was OTT with drugs and crazy behaviour. You really shouldn't be too surprised to be fired from your job if you're like that. He needs to just accept it and own it and get over it.
They shouldn't have even asked him to play that track on Crimson Idol though
Blackie Lawless does sound like a ruthless egotistical/narcissist character from everything I've heard.
Especially from Chris Holmes interviews
Similar situation, really unfortunate. Music business can really get strange at times. Good times,bad times. You always get great information out of the artists. Tony was great on the album.
Man, how disappointing. LSD. So many of my heroes let me down. Great interview though! Thank you for sharing it with the transcription and everything. I understood it all perfectly and I even have some hearing issues. I hope young musicians are paying attention to all of this. And a lot of it is just how people with money take advantage of poor people. You hear him say it. And he was definitely a part of what made that early version of WASP great. Definitely. I can still hear those drums in my head right now when I think about it.
just listened to an interview with the album producer and he tells a different story about what happened in the studio.
Interesting...He's honest but self destructive unfortunately.From a business perspective W.A.S.P is Blackie's baby and I'm sorry but these musicians did get paid along with the prestige of working in one of the best bands in Rock.Not a bad deal. Perhaps they should have gotten legal counsel before signing? I watch these interviews because of course I'm curious about the ins and outs of the crazy business but what I find is they blame others for not rising up and taking personal responsibility.Blackie is not weak he is strong and I do not think he is greedy either but protective.We all make mistakes in the course of our lives but you can't blame and talk bad about others because you burned your own bridges and were given chance after chance. It's entitlement.Love these interviews nonetheless and wish Tony well.
Nice to get some female perspective on here. Thank you for your well-thought-out comment, Colleen.
@@fullinbloom Thank you full in bloom.I appreciate that!
They rocked.
Excellent.
An honest interview. The Biz is cruel..
Despite all the bs drama surrounding WASP, they ultimately made amazing music together and really that's all that matters in the end
What a Drummer like no other !
Great to find this, had been wondering what happened to him, I once met Chris's manager and got the low down on what the hell had happened, I was a very big fan of wasp but really struggle to listen to them now, when I do I just get a real bad taste in my mouth,
NEVER SH*T ON YOUR FRIENDS 🤘💀🤘
first two wasp records were good, with the first being twice as good as the second. For me wasp died when Blackie put down the bass and picked up the guitar and the Johnny rod dude showed up. That was it.
I enjoyed this interview, even with the lower quality sound. I'm more into what these guys have to say. You do awesome interviews.
Thank you, Brian.
Lots of hate for Blackie. Hate to hear the man got fired from a legendary band but ultimately being in a band is no different then having a job. 90% of the time the only ones who make it for long are the ones who take it serious. Look at your jobs. How well does the guy who shows up hungover daily do at your work? How about the one who comes in late? Obviously Tony was making decisions that best suited him at the time so Blackie did the same. Knock Blackie all ya want but he went to LA to get famous. And he did that. Tony went to LA to get fucked up. And he did that too. Blackie wrote the materialz had the focus and made the right decisions to continue the business of WASP. We all like to imagine that being in a rock band is this care free endeavor of the three musketeers type friends but its not. Blackie didn't know Tony from anywhere. You start a band and you hire a guy and right as things are about too pop the drummer you met a year ago is acting like a fuckin maniac and its gonna cost you all your hard work. You keep him? Fuck no you don't or you're an idiot
I agree for the most part. On the other hand great band leaders know how to handle different personalities and use them for the common good. For example a guy like Blackie probably would´ve fired Keith Moon if he´d been in the leading role in The Who. Pete Townshend surely knows his own value too, but at the same time he always understood the importance of the band having four big personalities. Seems to me Blackie is ruling a little musical pond when he actually could´ve been part of a more longer term musical ocean.
@@carl-johanfougstedt199 thats possible sure. On the flip, maybe Keith Moon would be alive today if someone had intervened in his life and he could have realized his choices were ruining his life and he would be alive today. Maybe the real greed was Townshend who ignored the man's demons for the sake of making more money fearful that replacing Keith would cost them money. No doubt running a band or a company requires great management skills and while there are a few ex members if not all that say Blackie was controlling and in it for himself, there are many others who thought he was a great guy and a hard worker. See the other interview by FIB where he interviews the producer of Inside the Electric Circus. Guy speaks very highly of Blackie. There are moments when we have to fire people who then go on too greatness (Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Arthur Blank, etc.) And any interview of those people they all speak too how failure redefined them and created a greater persistence and drive. Others pick up the bottle or some other vice to cope with failure. Great ones persevere no matter what. As the saying goes, Know when to hold em and know when to fold em. Hiring great people is as important as firing bad people. I would say that possibly the way Blackie treated Chris, was not cool and underhanded. On the other hand I know Chris was a debilitating alcoholic and the scene in Decline of Western Civilization was a real blow to the band and cause for a lot if embarrassment for the band as the single most recognized moment in the film. The infamous Pool Interview. Chris would have 5 or 6 DWIs by the mid 90s. He would continue to use meth well into the most recent periods of his stay in the U.S. maybe moving to France he got clean idk. But I know for a fact he was using meth until that move. So is Blackie at fault? Or Chris? Or both? I love Chris. One if my guitar heroes. Love Blackie too for writing and composing some excellent material that impacted my life very positively.
Further point. If Blackie were as greedy and self centered as they say, I say, he hasn't written a book about any of it. He stays quiet about those members or there problems in the press and doesn't throw shit on those guys like they do him. Even out of spite he doesn't do it. He's actually been very cordial despite it. A book written by Blackie would sell really well and I'm sure he has lots of slag to throw. All things to consider. Hope you have a good year my friend and great pointA
@@Lordhumongus You really have many good points both here and in your comments above. I´ve reflected over all criticism against Blackie. Some say he´s greedy, some say he´s a control freak, some say he´s cold and distant, some say he´s egoisthic and some say he´s a fake. I obviously don´t know Blackie personally, but one thing is bothering me in many comments. It´s the same thing that you are referring to. Both Richards and Holmes have been boozing and using drugs and at least Holmes have been badmouthing Blackie already during his membership in W.A.S.P. Makes me wonder why Blackie is the bad guy, when he wants to keep the bandtrain on the right trail. You made also a brilliant point in lifting up that Blackie has kept his mouth shut about his former bandmembers. Blackie is a very smart and highly articulative person. He could sweet-talk his way out of all accusations and throw dirt on his former bandmembers if he wanted to, but he´s not done that. My guess is that Blackie can have good and friendly conversations with people who stand up to his intellectual standards. He´s not a small talk guy at all. We all have to remember that W.A.S.P started as a studio project and then when the music really seemed to work Blackie collected a band. Then he came up with all theatrical and shocking stage show elements to catch the attention of the audiences. It worked out well and the first record of W.A.S.P. was a huge success. My second guess is that Blackie felt in a few years trapped by the shocking elements and he wanted to be taken more seriously. I actually think he´s a very serious guy. I´m sure he has his flaws. It seems to be a fact that he was greedy and Richards got a very shitty deal, but nevertheless Blackie is in my opinion one of the best heavy metal/hard rock singers and he´s a great songwriter. Hope you have a good year too!
Sounds like bitter jealousy, it's a job if you cant commit go the fuck home
I'm really surprised that Tony didn't end up in another LA band after he was released from WASP.
Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Maybe Blackie was right.
Blackie still has a career, so business-wise, yes.
No body wanted him around he couldn't be trusted not to break shit.
who do you hang around that always breaks stuff ?
You'd want him gone too, cuz he was breaking the law and blackie wasn't playing that,
he wanted to play shows, makes perfect sense.
Nobody want's to hire a hard core Herion addict. In LA, your reputation preceeds you. Get real people. Tony could have seeked help and got his shit together, but he didn't do that. He was too in love with the drug. Thats the end of the story!! Sad, but factual!!
He did from 1987 to 1989 He played with Max Havoc after being with them briefly before in 1983 .
That’s totally fascinating interview and that is just unbelievable cool sad sad deal but fascinating interview
Always wondered? Loved his drumming. Inspired me as being a drummer.
It seems the first producer for the first album told the story.
He should know that Wasp was and is only that first album. Some decent single songs off of a few albums but nothing like that first album.
I always wondered what happened to him now I know and look at all the people that have gone thru 🐝
Steven Adler knows how he feels.
I read some of the comments, it's surprising that nobody mentions the name rod smallwood because here we have the same story with paul di anno. The issue with WASP members been "kicked out" and the harsh words for blackie seem exaggerated. Don't forget that all the songs of the first album were written by blackie. Piper left the band for reasons yet unknown and wasn't kicked out. Holmes made it all the way through the 80s and came back later also. Blackies fotos were the cover of two albums, which means he was the undisputed leader of the band
I didn't get my Gold Record either. I got a call from Columbia/CBS/Sony that the first Dangerous Toys record went Gold. I said "Cool, when do I get the Plaque?" They said "No, you will have to pay for one yourself since you aren't in the band anymore. It had such a bad taste I just said to heck with it, I don't want it. My thinking was that I generated over $6 million for that label and they show their appreciation like a slap in the face. I'm not sure why they even made the call. Guilt? I do get Royalties since I wrote the songs that got the record deal.
I have walked into businesses and strangers homes that have a Toys Gold Record on the wall that were not even around till ten years after. I think it's funny. Be Blessed
Wow. Sorry to hear this. You guys definitely kicked ass.
@@jb-yi4di Cool words Jeff, glad you like the music. You are one of the ones that make the world keep spinning.
Dangerous Toys were great! First time I heard you guys was on the Shocker Soundtrack. I then had to track down the first album; that wasn’t easy in Australia back then!
@@BrisbaneAOR Too Cool. The Shocker song was our song we closed most shows with called Dangerous Toys(I am the boy with the Dangerous Toy). Desmond Childs rewrote it for the Shocker Sound track. If you dig deep you can hear the original on a live album.
First Dangerous Toys album is great.
I loved WASP then and still do, definitely their first album was the best in my opinion. I saw WASP in the early 2000's in Columbia Mo. Blackie may be a control freak and you can tell by seeing him with that line up he would point at a guitar player for themto hits mark and they would, sounded exactly like the original record. Just wish they would come back to the states and play some shows.
I think he's supposed to early next year, for the WASP 40th anniversary.
Great look for the band too
Very good interview. It may not be pretty, but I really like to hear about how these bands operated back then. Once they got signed, and the money started coming in, people started to show their true colors.
Tony sounds like a real solid dude that had one hell of a life. I'd definitely like to have a beer with the guy.
L.O.V.E. Machine from WASP (1984) contains EPIC drumming. Whenever I hear that song I think of how awesome Tony Richards was on that album.
Haha. I enjoyed the introduction.
As far as I'm concerned, the sound quality in this interview is just fine. I had no problem understanding what was being said.
You did another interview with this gentleman, and he talked about how he got screwed out of a lot of money and royalties. The "Business Lawyers" & such, that are involved in the Music Industry, seem like some of the most corrupt bunch of parasites that I've ever heard of! They'd rip the shirt off a person's back, and sell it to somebody else, if it would make money for 'em! They're like a bunch of leeches'! Glad I don't have to deal with 'em!
I have been wondering about this for years !!!!!!!!!!! Lol...
The band was never the same without Richards.
The band wasn't the same without Randy Piper either.
@@corvettebmw no it wasn’t....when Randy Piper left,that was the end of WASP for me....
@@scottpeters4401 Thats what i meant, the band was not the same without Piper, i was done when he left as well.
Tony is the definitive drummer of WASP!!!
xoxo The Clarences
My favourite part of the album was the drumming.
I can’t believe Tony Richards came out alive I’m surprise he didn’t kill himself overdose or something back and I’m serious shit I can’t believe the guy made it out of that devastating nightmare alive I’m totally blown away he made it through that
Well whatever else may happened or what he did.
That 1st album from wasp is a kick ass album all the way through it..
To this day it stands out as one off the best rock albums of the 80s metal scene.
I'm just here to comment on the poor audio....JK JK JK. Great stuff, your channel is addictive.
Oh sh!t. Thanks, Joey. Proud to be part of your addiction.
Imagine blackie and Nikki when they were in the band together those 2 monumental egos in the same room
They actually were together in the late 70’s
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_(band)
What was the rumor that Blackie shot Tony in the leg or the foot or was it the other way around. I forget, but great interview.
Tony was amazing & still can be.
I'd see him play Wasp sings without Blackie. Maybe with Randy piper & Chris or all new guys.
Tony was the ultimate solid drummer!
Here I never knew WASP got a new drummer that early. When I got kicked out of a band it started with a band meeting too LOL
Fan since FLAB and that first WASP record was great. The rumor back then was Tony was a junkie and could not tour with the band so he had to go. Still should've got paid his royalties though .
Love this show. What is that theme music. I really like it and it’s an interesting choice of music considering it’s about hard rock and metal.
Thank you for your kind words, M.K. Firework! The theme is taken from a song called "The Parting" by FOOL OF FATE. Regarding the interesting choice, I've always had a hard time meeting expectations, or following rules.
Damn, people. Quit ragging on Riley. He's a good drummer. He isn't the issue here. BLACKIE is all about Blackie, and there isn't anything wrong with that, but he should have given Tony a chance to get control over the partying. As a drummer, Tony is one of my favorite drummers, but you can't blame Riley for being a ore ng business-minded when it comes to this.
Ric Browde, the first producer for the album, said he got fired because he was a full blown junkie shooting up and Blackie didn't want to take that on the road.
Not a coincidence not one person who left WASP ever did anything
Blackie is a real rock star
He proved that 35 yrs later
Agree 100 %
True words.
This could have been a good episode of 'Intervention.' Hopefully, he can get it together.
Tony was an amazing drummer, I hope he's doing OK now…
Too many people in and outside of WASP have all said what a jerk off Blackie was/is for it not to have a bit of truth to it. For a Rock star to be successful they have to have a HEALTHY ego, but it is too easy for some of them to go over the top with it, and become jerks. Don Dokken and Stephen Pearcy fit that mold and I think Blackie does too. Still love his vocals though, even after all these years. Can't take that away from him.