I met Chris and Randy at a club after their show in Vancouver. Chris sat at our table all night and was the nicest guy. At closing he invited us back to their suite to hang out. Blackie stopped us and told us to not bother, they had a gig the next day and needed their rest. We agreed and thought that was that. We told Chris we were going to pass and next thing I know he's arguing with Blackie and comes back over to us. He says fuck that guy, you guys are coming for a drink. Randy says I have a bottle of Russian vodka we can share so we joined them and had a great time. They were telling us about all of the crazy shit they got up to on tour. Chris mentioned that he bought his Mom a house in La Canada. He gave us his number and address and said if we're ever in Cali to look him up. It was a crazy night that started with my buddies buying me a ticket to WASP for my birthday and ended up being one of the coolest experiences Ive had seeing a band.
@@kawada1 Thanks dude! It was a trip to say the least. I hear about people paying stupid money for VIP Packages. Back in the day we had a favourite club we went to which happened to be a regular stop for bands hitting Vancouver. I met qite a few there. Iron Maiden, Twisted Sister, Nazareth and Exodus to name a few.
@@kawada1 Ha! Killer Dwarfs were playing at this club the night I met the guys from Nazareth. We got to know them a bit after seeing them play there a few times. It was after the show and we were upstairs having drinks with them when Dan McCafferty and Darrell Sweet walked in.
Ya, he had a real tribal sound that was awesome. Megadeth had a similar awesome drummer with similar problems if i remember right. I'm guessing left-handed. ??
A classic album, for sure 🤘🌟 WASP carved their own niche, and they didn't get enough credit. It was glammy, it was metal, it was KISS on metamphetamine, it was shock rock, it was everything at once.
I read an interview with Bob Kulick (RIP), producer and lead guitarist on Crimson Idol. He spoke about how CI was a good album but could have been a great album had ,’Blackie listened to ANYONE, besides himself.’ Cracked me up. Blackie was his own stage mom.
@tortimeese Blackie is still touring and will release a new album soon that will no doubt be a success. Where are all the guys that he held back? Blackie was the common denominator in W.A.S.P. 's success and he wasn't going to let anyone mess it up for him. He wrote 100% of the songs.
The explination below is spot on in - songwriters get convinced THEIR part of the music is the reason the bad is successfuf. That feeling slowly turns into "im the band" and every idea not presented by the band leader is shot down, even if its great @@TheMahonj
The thing that made me love WASP was Chris Holmes and Randy Piper. Especially Chris, I still remember the day when I first heard Harder Faster and was blown away by his guitar tone. Blackie is a talented dude and he had a great vision for his band but his biggest mistake was letting Chris and Randy go. Now, I don't care that much for modern WASP and Crimson Idol is an amazing album bla bla but WASP is not WASP to me without Chris and Randy, period. Dual wielding axe shredding animals! What KK and Tipton are to Judas Priest, Chris and Randy were to WASP. And Blackies behavior to his band mates and fans, the more I hear about those stories the more I dislike the guy. Very talented and I respect him but only trough his music.
I think BL was jealous of Chris Holmes’ popularity. BL is and will always be the leader. But a good leader will always see the strengths in his soldiers, and run with it...
Far, with a capital F, from shredders, but Randy was a decent guitarist. They both fit the mediocre band. Wasp was another Motley Crue..very little talent but had some killer songs. You'd have to be deaf or not even know 2 notes of the minor pentatonic scale to compare Chris and Randy to KK and Tipton.
@@equalleftrights3130 I didn't compare them to KK and Tipton. I just said what they represented in that band. Of course KK and Tipton are far more talented guitar players but WASP lost that edge when Randy and Chris left.
I never knew how vital Randy Piper was to the band until i saw them is concert. It was very surprising seeing how much Randy contributed to vocals. Go past the first two albums and you can really tell what his absence did to their sound.
@@bobdroll6381 You seem bitter that he's gay and have made at least six comments about his sexuality, so, did he turn you down or do you just irrationally hate gay people because this seems personal to you?
@@mykull666 Why would I be bitter about him being gay? Learn what the word means, because that makes zero sense. Especially contextually. I will address your inquiry, though. Gay men can often be VERY catty. Ric is no exception. In fact, he may be the poster boy for cattiness. These interviews have exposed him for the catty bitch that he is. Always blabbing about how so very imperfect all these (far more successful) people were. What about you, Ric? Do you think some of these musicians might have had some unpleasant dealings with you?...before they canned your ass. Now, YOU could've fairly asked if I was a "butthurt" fanboi or something. Well, the answer to that is also no. I can't name more than 2 and a half WASP songs, and Poison, etc. is not to be found on any playlist I've made. I'm just annoyed with this petty jerk who's taken it upon himself to bad mouth people and reveal personal details of their life, that they probably wouldn't want shared, 35 years after the fact. So I called him on it. Repeatedly. Understand?
All these years I never knew the story behind Tony Richards. It's nice to finally understand what led to his dismissal before the band toured. I know he was there long enough to film the two videos for that album but when I saw them in January 85 Steve Riley was definitely on the drums and I was like, where's the guy that was on the album cover?
Blackie has been around a lot longer than many fans realize. He was friends with Ace Frehley when Kiss were early in their career and he was actually a member of the last incarnation of the New York Dolls. That's one big reason for his arrogance, he's been in the business a very long time but it took him about a decade later to actually make it in the music business.
This was absolutely f$&kin awesome I love to hear the truth behind these albums! From poison sucked in the studio, to dee snider being 2 faced. And Sharon and Ozzy being the “metal mafia” This is amazing. I listen before bed time instead of praying
I wouldn't say that Ozzy and Sharon were the metal mafia, but they sure knew how to fuck everyone that worked for them. Paying the greatest guitar player who ever lived 200bucks a week while your buying mansions gets you the gold medal at the fuckboy olympics. Was very soon to lose Randy to Sharon's ego and greed anyway. The gift was that all he cared about was the passion, the art, the Music. Going in to take lessons a week before he died from a local guitar teacher, a teacher he had never seen nor heard before, showed a willingness to learn that knew NO bounds. Forever Randy!!!
As soon as I saw that it was Ric Browde, I knew we were in for a treat. You don't really have to do much to get information out of him as an interviewer. He's ready to spill the tea. As always, I love the channel , man.
Just the way it is with him. Talk with anyone reputable that’s had dealings with him. Chris was definitely taken advantage of and was cut out of copywrite co-ownership rights and royalties on every song he wrote while in W.A.S.P. Randy Piper got hosed too. It was supposed to be a band but Lawless hijacked it away for himself. Someone should have throat punched him and taught Blackie a lesson a long time ago in how to treat folks and maybe the original band could still be playing and creating to this day. I understand the Tony Richards issue because Holmes even said something about Tony hooked on drugs and being on tour probably would have fed his habit and then would have wound up in a body bag because of it.
@@somewhatsomething4882 Was that before after Blackie took a 2 liter bottle, filled it full of water, stuck it up a groupies ass and gave her enema while Nikki was passed out on the couch backstage, then had her wake Nikki up and spray him in the face with it?
I'm not much of a wasp fan although I've heard a few of their songs and thought they were ok. But after listening to this interview I'm going to give them another listen here on youtube just to see if I can hear that perfection Blackie strived for (and also hear how he pronounced Hellion). Even though Ric didn't exactly paint the band in a good light - it's actually great promotion for them. With rock bands sometimes painting them in a bad light is the best promotion.
The first WASP album is right up there with the first Damned, Runaways, Iron Maiden, etc. It's one of those albums that even if you don't like the band, or even the genre of music, you'll like and appreciate that one album.
The first two albums are great, would have been best to keep the band unity, oh well bad leadership. W.A.S.P. could have been the American version of Maiden and Priest! A California band and image with great guitar tone and writing with those early albums!
Despite the BS that went on behind the scenes the debut is probably their best album to this day. Only Headless Children is better in terms of songwriting and production but you can't beat the rawness and brutality of the debut. Also Tony Richards drumming despite being a junkie delivered in spades. He's still alive and well today, cleaned up and married with kids and playing in a band. He's given his version of the story and it was a brutal firing.
The debut album could have had a better production but was damn good. Blackie has had lots of very talented musicians in his band since then and has made many good tracks and several good albums since then
iirc, Richards is currently (as of 2023, when I heard about it) in a Jazz house band somewhere in AZ. If he played like he did on the debut blasted, imagine his playing if he was "present."
That was brutal ? What about Chris Holmes telling Richard Carpenter to his face "Well why didn't you sell one of your cars and feed your fucking sister ? " 😂😂
First album, saw it in the px, bought it. Then, first metal concert, WASP open for IRON MAIDEN on the Powerslave tour at the high school auditorium in Waco. Fan for life!
The story about trying to get complete isolation on all of the drum tracks is just amazing to me as an engineer and producer. I really shouldn't be surprised though. That was during the era of heavy music when drums were most often recorded in deadened isolation booths and the drum heads were taped down beyond reason.
Tony has merit to get through. Playing one element at once sucks. It shows Blackie even i respect him as singer and stuff, how ignorant he is about drums. How you get a proper flow when you're doing Quads and triplets among other stuff ? It kills the vibe. How you do that if you have to do one kick, then after the other kick, the snare, one tom hit, another take for one hit to reconstituate a coordination hands and feet by 4 or 5 by that procedee. Rather to do it live.
I love W.a.s.p and Blackie and Chris. In the same take i see both short coming and brilliants. Chris is much smarter than given credit for and Blackie can be nice if wamt to be.He is a man with a complex mind. The producer hit the bulls eye with Blackie head in some way operating as a person with autism. Always thought that myself .People is what they are bad and good. 🙂
I've run into Blackie over the years and depending on what mood he is in.....you can get the nice guy (rare) or the total asshole. He was finishing up The Last Command and I asked him why he tweaked the tapes by one or two cents (didn't make any difference to the songs), and he came back with "so assholes like you will have trouble figuring it out" (i did a lot of guitar transcriptions back in the day), then gave me a stare like he wanted to kill me. What a guy.
@@freedom2084 Slightly speeding up a perfectly standard tuned song, for example, so as to throw people off. Makes his voice sound higher. It's done with videos that people "borrow".
no matter what this album the and today is one of the best metal sounds in the world. The sound have this otherworldly vibe to it, The kind of sound that makes you dream.
Mutt lange never forced to isolate each single hit of a drummer especially when you do a quad or triplet. How you do a proper coordination flow when you have to do it singe element by element ? Its damn stupid .
@@Nissardpertugiuyou lock the bass drum to the grid then on a separate track record the next piece of the kit, etc. Lange does it with guitars too, literally string by string. He has a superpower in making that isolated music sound GREAT
IMO FullInBloom has some of the best content on RUclips and the web. 💯 If you are partial to requests I think people would really like to hear Ric Browde do a deep dive on his time working with SHOOTING GALLERY (Andy McCoy, Jo Dog, Dave Tregunna, Billy G. Bang, Paul Garisto) as well as SMASHED GLADYS. Ric did mention Smashed Gladys briefly in one of your prior interviews, as well as his longtime friendship with Jo Dog. Thanks for the great content! 🎸🎸🎸
Artists like Blackie are overly protective and very picky about their vision. And this so called “producer”can say what he wants 40 years later. But, it sounds like he would’ve been a better producer for the Carpenters and didn’t really understand the metal scene in those formative years. Regardless, of how much bullshit went into the 1st album, it still made an impression on the Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal scene that stands to this day.
love that people always say that Chris is such a great guy and give blackie crap....if Chris can say something like that to a guy who just lost his sister I'm sure he was a handful for blackie to deal with...moron
I never once heard Blackie sing and thought, this is too "sterile". Blackie has that great Metal singing voice. What was that Ric even talking about? LOL. But in a way I'm kind of an apologist for Blackie. Here was this guy that became captain of his own ship. He had a crew that always wanted to fuck around and play rock star. Somebody had to do the hard work and whip others into shape. I mean, you never hear about Black Beard the pirate going, my crew wants to only party all the time, oh well. If anyone ran a business like that they'd flame out and die pretty fast.
Question: Was John Tafer the manager at the Troubedour when WASP was playing there? And, is it true WASP was asked to let some new comedian open for them at the Troubedour named, Sam Kinison? If this is all true, was Tafer the manager who asked WASP to allow Kinison to open. Thank you in advance for any stories or factual information you may have.
I don't like Blackie's religion or politics but the first WASP album kicks ass and does not sound sterile to me. But hearing that Chris couldn’t read or write-- if true -- explains how Blackie screwed him out of a lot of money.
@@crushingalldeceivers -- Well, I'm an atheist and don't believe in any sky daddy. But if I did, and really truly believed in it, I wouldn't have cheated a fellow band member out of his money. And I wouldn't have written a song called F**k Like a Beast. And who knows how many women he defiled? I wouldn't do those things and I don't believe in a god. I can't stand those guys who pretend to be one thing but are really something different or find Jesus after they've had all their fun.
@@sirlawrence9161 -- That's quite funny. My RUclips name has nothing to do with Mormonism. Zero. Zilch. My family history also has nothing to do with any form of Christianity. Oy vay, that was funny.
Bro... W.A.S.P. is one if the only bands that's ever made me wanna f$#k... He said he never even listened to the songs... takes two to tango or this case not.. it's W.A.S.P. we remember a these years later not some producer guy. That sais it all. Blackie hit it on the head. Maybe unorthodox but what about him and his band was orthodox to begin with? Can't wait to see them in San Fran this December⛓⚙😈🤘
Chris Holmes, no filter. Anyone remember the time Slash excitedly asked Chris to check out his new tattoo and Chris’s response? Anyway, Piper is the best!!
@@theoverlook5976 Well, I wouldn't be surprised if Chris said something like that. He said whatever what was on his mind. Look was he said to Richard Carpenter. Would it be too much of a stretch of what he (supposedly) said to Slash? I wouldn't say Chris is a mean man. He is just really direct and straight forward. He did save my ass one night at the Roxy.
I went to this show,they came to Cleveland with Raven and Slayer,the set was Raven,Wasp and Slayer,Fucking Chris was amazing on stage! He was out of his fucking mind as an entertainer and guitarist 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
Thats the one thing about 80s metal/rock,there was no passion in the vocals or the lyrics most times!!it was usually just party stuff or like blackie it was just words that sounded cool but really meant nothing from the SOUL,not much texture!!but it was fast and aggressive most times or the slow fake ballads that came along,with the exception of MOTLEYS HOME SWEET HOME,most were dull and see thru!!but hey it was the best yrs of my life,the 80s were actually pretty incredible and I would give anything to get out of this LIVING NIGHTMARE we are now in the middle of,very sad for the young generation that are left with THIS WORLD today and gettin wodse EVERYDAY!!
S much as I love this album, the sound was not good. The sound was muddy and did not sound clear at all. The problem might have been in the mix. It had too much mid bass (around 400 HZ.) The mastering should have boosted around 60 HZ, cut a bit of the 400HZ area and slightly boosted 10K. I totally agree with Browde!
I knew poison when they were Paris in Pennsylvania. What they had was four guys that would have jumped out of a airplane to make it.they went off to LA and busted there asses .but if you weren't partying back then you didn't belong in a band
I saw W.A.S.P. at L'Amours several times. Once with Metallica who headlined and Armoured Saint. This was 1985 but I have ticket stubs from the earlier 80s.
Yes! I have the ticket for the Metallica, WASP and Armored Saint show at L’Amour but I never went. My parents wouldn’t let me go to Bayridge from the suburbs. I was just 14!
Usually when I hear a producer or sound engineer complains about an artist being difficult it usually means they wanted the artist to sound like the engineer wants them to sound...its his band...its his sound...period.
Great interview. I was not a wasp fan. It was cartoon fictional movie rock to me. I agree with everything he said about recording music. I play guitar and have for 45 years. Good stuff. Thanks so much..
Motorhead is rock & roll. WASP were (and are) a complete circus and a parody of the genre. Like Venom and thousands of ridiculous "shock rock" bands. Even that, i think "Headless Children" & "The Crimson Idol" were good attempts for quality stuff. Unfortunately that didn't last.
That WASP debut is right up there with Out of the Cellar , Shout at the Devi and Kill em All. The songs have a timeless quality about them. I WANNA BE SOMEBODY IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS. WASP was caught between 2 genres Too dark and evil.for the crowd that bought Bon Jovi and Ratt records But too theatrical for the Maiden Priest and Metallica fans. But make no.mistake WASP is the essence of hard rock.and rhat genre Blackies problem.was it may have said WASP...But he treated it like it was a solo act. Blackie was not the best looking.front man and that didnt help.with the 14 year girls buying records. WASP was a hard band to package in a tour also. They were a in.between band.
No one has anything good to say about Blackie. I've heard a bunch of stories from Scott Ian, Metallica and others about what an arrogant prick he could be
Have heard Stet Howland say Blackie isn't a people person .He is also very shy and as Blackie have said he is aware his shyness and avoiding to mush interaction with people can be seen as arrogance .🙂
I went to one of their concerts during their first tour with some friends. I was the only one who never had heard them and still have not listened to anything by them. Call me crazy. I don't think I missed out on too much.
Blackie wants his songs to be perfect nothing wrong with that. Which is why he has produced all wasp albums except the last command and co produced the first album. Wasp was always his brain child
the fact a black guy loves blackies voice does more for race relations than any bs politician...love it man ..you are obviously a leader and not a follower...respect to you
@@philvacanti1446 Yes but Blackie says they grew up together in a street gang in New York but Ace says he meet Blackie in L.A .The video of Ace saying that is on RUclips somewhere
Yup .... first album rocked like none of his other albums ....I use Hellion as my alarm clock song along with Outlaw by Scream and Devils Child by Priest
Randy is so fucking cool, all of W.A.S.P. is but damn Randy has such a sick look. Even down to his face/makeup/looks it was all 80’s metal. Kinda reminded me of a Quiet Riot look and feel when I first discovered them as a kid. And I have to say W.A.S.P. does 100% make you want to fuck, and I’m not just talking about animal. I have to disagree with the producer that message is absolutely delivered in W.A.S.P.s music! 😂🤘🏼
Yeah, I don’t buy the statement that he never listened to the album at all. Ric is an incredibly interesting interview and has great stories, but he seems incredibly jaded. Constantly throwing shade at every turn. Like a bitter ex. I don’t buy that claim… I’m in the middle of reading his book. He tells very tall tales (IMO) but it’s a hell of a fun read! Great storyteller.
@@mattrock12 If it is true I just find it strange. If I helped produce an album I would certainly be interested in hearing the final result. Furthermore the 1st WASP album is very good and he acts like "I Wanna Be Somebody" was the only good song on it. Seems like a douche to me.
Shiit, I thought I made mistakes as a young rocker but WASP blow my many faux pas into another dimension 😂 So, you have little money blow it on gambling then on borrowed studio time do the most time consuming experiments possible with a drug addict. I have a couple of stories of us with Blackie when they were in London in the 90's but his stupidity whist over here is going in our book 😊🇬🇧
Blackie had to fire Tony for his abuse of drugs he fired don Costa to keep Chris in the band which meant he had to play bass which he hated. If he is so bad why are Mike and Doug still in wasp 20 years on
This guy acts like we've never heard the album. Nothing sterile about it. And maybe Tony Richards seemed incompetent because he was asked to hit each drum separately for the first time in his life. All the final performances on the album are great.
Great interviews, but the audio quality of the interviewees is rather low. Not sure if it is possible to record in higher quality or add CCs, but it sure would be appreciated.
I met Chris and Randy at a club after their show in Vancouver. Chris sat at our table all night and was the nicest guy. At closing he invited us back to their suite to hang out. Blackie stopped us and told us to not bother, they had a gig the next day and needed their rest. We agreed and thought that was that. We told Chris we were going to pass and next thing I know he's arguing with Blackie and comes back over to us. He says fuck that guy, you guys are coming for a drink. Randy says I have a bottle of Russian vodka we can share so we joined them and had a great time. They were telling us about all of the crazy shit they got up to on tour. Chris mentioned that he bought his Mom a house in La Canada. He gave us his number and address and said if we're ever in Cali to look him up. It was a crazy night that started with my buddies buying me a ticket to WASP for my birthday and ended up being one of the coolest experiences Ive had seeing a band.
Hmm. Sounds just like the decline movie and the Idol album all in one night. Smells like bullshit.
Great story 👍
@@kawada1 Thanks dude! It was a trip to say the least. I hear about people paying stupid money for VIP Packages. Back in the day we had a favourite club we went to which happened to be a regular stop for bands hitting Vancouver. I met qite a few there. Iron Maiden, Twisted Sister, Nazareth and Exodus to name a few.
@@bogrot69 totally. We had a club called Obsessions in NJ and I saw andet a bunch of upcoming bands there like warrant, winger, kix and killer dawrves
@@kawada1 Ha! Killer Dwarfs were playing at this club the night I met the guys from Nazareth. We got to know them a bit after seeing them play there a few times. It was after the show and we were upstairs having drinks with them when Dan McCafferty and Darrell Sweet walked in.
I love the drums delivered by Tony Richards! Awesome! Sad to hear about his bad habits. I think the 1984 lineup was the best!
A
Ya, he had a real tribal sound that was awesome. Megadeth had a similar awesome drummer with similar problems if i remember right. I'm guessing left-handed. ??
Tony is the only WASP drummer that mattered. Everyone else,hell,you could replace them with a machine and no one would notice.
W. A. S. P's first album was the best one, they never topped it 🤘
Great L.P.!...but Headless & Dying For The World are better...
Crimson Idol
It's great, but Crimson Idol is their masterpiece. Headless is also amazing.
@@TheSimba3062 Yes. Completely agree
Headless is the best IMHO.
A classic album, for sure 🤘🌟
WASP carved their own niche, and they didn't get enough credit.
It was glammy, it was metal, it was KISS on metamphetamine, it was shock rock, it was everything at once.
One of the best debut albums of all time.
I read an interview with Bob Kulick (RIP), producer and lead guitarist on Crimson Idol. He spoke about how CI was a good album but could have been a great album had ,’Blackie listened to ANYONE, besides himself.’ Cracked me up. Blackie was his own stage mom.
What could have made it better?
@tortimeese Blackie is still touring and will release a new album soon that will no doubt be a success. Where are all the guys that he held back? Blackie was the common denominator in W.A.S.P. 's success and he wasn't going to let anyone mess it up for him. He wrote 100% of the songs.
The explination below is spot on in - songwriters get convinced THEIR part of the music is the reason the bad is successfuf. That feeling slowly turns into "im the band" and every idea not presented by the band leader is shot down, even if its great @@TheMahonj
The thing that made me love WASP was Chris Holmes and Randy Piper. Especially Chris, I still remember the day when I first heard Harder Faster and was blown away by his guitar tone. Blackie is a talented dude and he had a great vision for his band but his biggest mistake was letting Chris and Randy go. Now, I don't care that much for modern WASP and Crimson Idol is an amazing album bla bla but WASP is not WASP to me without Chris and Randy, period. Dual wielding axe shredding animals! What KK and Tipton are to Judas Priest, Chris and Randy were to WASP. And Blackies behavior to his band mates and fans, the more I hear about those stories the more I dislike the guy. Very talented and I respect him but only trough his music.
I think BL was jealous of Chris Holmes’ popularity. BL is and will always be the leader. But a good leader will always see the strengths in his soldiers, and run with it...
Far, with a capital F, from shredders, but Randy was a decent guitarist. They both fit the mediocre band. Wasp was another Motley Crue..very little talent but had some killer songs. You'd have to be deaf or not even know 2 notes of the minor pentatonic scale to compare Chris and Randy to KK and Tipton.
@@equalleftrights3130 I didn't compare them to KK and Tipton. I just said what they represented in that band. Of course KK and Tipton are far more talented guitar players but WASP lost that edge when Randy and Chris left.
I never knew how vital Randy Piper was to the band until i saw them is concert. It was very surprising seeing how much Randy contributed to vocals. Go past the first two albums and you can really tell what his absence did to their sound.
I must agree, Chris's tone was always so heavy and in your face. Great stuff !!!
In all the members of W.A.S.P. defensive fairness, that album is one of the best early heavy metal records despite what Rics experience was.
Agreed. Fantastic album
I love that record too!
Ric is a gay, bitter man-child.
@@bobdroll6381
You seem bitter that he's gay and have made at least six comments about his sexuality, so, did he turn you down or do you just irrationally hate gay people because this seems personal to you?
@@mykull666 Why would I be bitter about him being gay? Learn what the word means, because that makes zero sense. Especially contextually. I will address your inquiry, though. Gay men can often be VERY catty. Ric is no exception. In fact, he may be the poster boy for cattiness. These interviews have exposed him for the catty bitch that he is. Always blabbing about how so very imperfect all these (far more successful) people were. What about you, Ric? Do you think some of these musicians might have had some unpleasant dealings with you?...before they canned your ass. Now, YOU could've fairly asked if I was a "butthurt" fanboi or something. Well, the answer to that is also no. I can't name more than 2 and a half WASP songs, and Poison, etc. is not to be found on any playlist I've made. I'm just annoyed with this petty jerk who's taken it upon himself to bad mouth people and reveal personal details of their life, that they probably wouldn't want shared, 35 years after the fact. So I called him on it. Repeatedly. Understand?
I always get bummed out when I hear the closing song on your interviews because I know it’s over. Your content is always amazing 🤘🏻
Ric Browde: Jaded, contemptuous, dngaf, and spends his retirement helping animals. This is the BEST kind of interview.
You forgot homosexual.
He's obnoxious, disloyal, pompous, and hypocritical
@@MrOctober44 The BEST kind of interview.
@@automatics1im Heh
@@bobdroll6381So what if he is? You seem jealous. Did he turn you down or something?
The first WASP album always was my favourite! Still blast that once a week, before the flaaammeeeee burns ouuuuuutttttttttt!!!!!!
Ouuuuuuuut
Oouuuuuuuuuuuuut...!
That first WASP album was insane, loved that record! Had no idea who they were just got it based on the cover and i was blown away!
All these years I never knew the story behind Tony Richards.
It's nice to finally understand what led to his dismissal before the band toured. I know he was there long enough to film the two videos for that album but when I saw them in January 85 Steve Riley was definitely on the drums and I was like, where's the guy that was on the album cover?
That album had such a raw and unique sound.
I agree it was perfect.
Blackie has been around a lot longer than many fans realize. He was friends with Ace Frehley when Kiss were early in their career and he was actually a member of the last incarnation of the New York Dolls. That's one big reason for his arrogance, he's been in the business a very long time but it took him about a decade later to actually make it in the music business.
Objectively speaking this was one of THE all time best rock/metal debut albums Was 17 when it came out and it blew me away.
Your opinion. Glad you like it
@@daveg4236 It's the right opinion. W.A.S.P. rules. Thank God Blackie didn't listen to this hack. He's the better producer.
This was absolutely f$&kin awesome
I love to hear the truth behind these albums! From poison sucked in the studio, to dee snider being 2 faced.
And Sharon and Ozzy being the “metal mafia”
This is amazing. I listen before bed time instead of praying
I wouldn't say that Ozzy and Sharon were the metal mafia, but they sure knew how to fuck everyone that worked for them. Paying the greatest guitar player who ever lived 200bucks a week while your buying mansions gets you the gold medal at the fuckboy olympics. Was very soon to lose Randy to Sharon's ego and greed anyway. The gift was that all he cared about was the passion, the art, the Music. Going in to take lessons a week before he died from a local guitar teacher, a teacher he had never seen nor heard before, showed a willingness to learn that knew NO bounds. Forever Randy!!!
@@HappyFoxSuperSTAR great comment!
You are spot on
@@HappyFoxSuperSTAR the 200 bucks a week was to Jake not Randy right?
@@theophany1770 Had Randy lived long enough they would of screwed him to
@@pawlpoche8736It's hard to say this is the truth. This sounds like a bitter guy from the 80's. The guys that don't make it are very bitter.
Blackie demands the best to me he is the best singer songwriter in metal. Who cares about the haters
Yes. Such a perfectionist he uses backing tracks rather than stand on talent. Calling out a karaoke artist... for what he is.
@@zoso1980 even if that were true wouldn't be the only one
Agreed 1000 percent. Only Rob Halford could top Blackie. The Crimson Idol is a masterpiece, and so was every other W.A.S.P album.
@@zoso1980 the vast majority of bands use backing track's. Especially these old school bands who've aged over the last 30 to 40 yrs.
If you can't sing it don't do it
WASP was bsdass ! i grew up with this music! the guitar work was very inspiring! THE TORTURE NEVER STOPS!!.....
As soon as I saw that it was Ric Browde, I knew we were in for a treat. You don't really have to do much to get information out of him as an interviewer. He's ready to spill the tea.
As always, I love the channel , man.
Most gays like to gossip, so no surprise there.
Rics an amazing guy!
I've never heard one person, NOT ONE, say something nice about Blackie Lawless, lol.
Just the way it is with him. Talk with anyone reputable that’s had dealings with him. Chris was definitely taken advantage of and was cut out of copywrite co-ownership rights and royalties on every song he wrote while in W.A.S.P. Randy Piper got hosed too. It was supposed to be a band but Lawless hijacked it away for himself. Someone should have throat punched him and taught Blackie a lesson a long time ago in how to treat folks and maybe the original band could still be playing and creating to this day. I understand the Tony Richards issue because Holmes even said something about Tony hooked on drugs and being on tour probably would have fed his habit and then would have wound up in a body bag because of it.
Nikki Sixx did 😂😂😂
@@somewhatsomething4882 Was that before after Blackie took a 2 liter bottle, filled it full of water, stuck it up a groupies ass and gave her enema while Nikki was passed out on the couch backstage, then had her wake Nikki up and spray him in the face with it?
@@mikeryan5088 He is, I've met him a few times. He's a complete asshole,
@@somewhatsomething4882 blackie had a hooker take a shit on nikki's face while they were hanging out at a hotel together though 😭😭
Dude, you have the best interviews. I simply love them.
Loved this interview..I think this puts to rest a lot of questions ppl had about the making of this album..awesome work brother👍🤘
I'm not much of a wasp fan although I've heard a few of their songs and thought they were ok. But after listening to this interview I'm going to give them another listen here on youtube just to see if I can hear that perfection Blackie strived for (and also hear how he pronounced Hellion). Even though Ric didn't exactly paint the band in a good light - it's actually great promotion for them. With rock bands sometimes painting them in a bad light is the best promotion.
The first WASP album is right up there with the first Damned, Runaways, Iron Maiden, etc. It's one of those albums that even if you don't like the band, or even the genre of music, you'll like and appreciate that one album.
Live in the Lyceum 1984. That’s all you’ll ever need brother.
I think ‘Hellion’ has a killer vocal track!
The first WASP album rules and would have ruled with or without this guy.
Agree💯
Yes, it is soooooooo good. You can hate Blackie & WASP and still love that album, it's that good.
The first two albums are great, would have been best to keep the band unity, oh well bad leadership. W.A.S.P. could have been the American version of Maiden and Priest! A California band and image with great guitar tone and writing with those early albums!
What a fantastic interview, never disappointed when hearing about WASP in the early days! Keep them coming my friend!! 🤟🏻💀🤟🏻
Your interviews sound like they take place on the moon but I love the history.
Despite the BS that went on behind the scenes the debut is probably their best album to this day. Only Headless Children is better in terms of songwriting and production but you can't beat the rawness and brutality of the debut. Also Tony Richards drumming despite being a junkie delivered in spades. He's still alive and well today, cleaned up and married with kids and playing in a band. He's given his version of the story and it was a brutal firing.
Great comment! And happy to hear about Tony Richards!
The debut album could have had a better production but was damn good. Blackie has had lots of very talented musicians in his band since then and has made many good tracks and several good albums since then
iirc, Richards is currently (as of 2023, when I heard about it) in a Jazz house band somewhere in AZ. If he played like he did on the debut blasted, imagine his playing if he was "present."
Man that was brutal. Tony Richards sounds like he was a mess
That was the most 1980s story ive heard not a cool one a sad one.
@@craigusselman546 Agreed
He's still alive. Go figure
That was brutal ? What about Chris Holmes telling Richard Carpenter to his face "Well why didn't you sell one of your cars and feed your fucking sister ? " 😂😂
@@MERCURYSUNSET 🤣🤣🤣you're right that nuclear brutal
Just discovered this channel. You've got some quality content! 👌
First album, saw it in the px, bought it. Then, first metal concert, WASP open for IRON MAIDEN on the Powerslave tour at the high school auditorium in Waco. Fan for life!
The story about trying to get complete isolation on all of the drum tracks is just amazing to me as an engineer and producer. I really shouldn't be surprised though. That was during the era of heavy music when drums were most often recorded in deadened isolation booths and the drum heads were taped down beyond reason.
Tony has merit to get through.
Playing one element at once sucks.
It shows Blackie even i respect him as singer and stuff, how ignorant he is about drums.
How you get a proper flow when you're doing Quads and triplets among other stuff ? It kills the vibe.
How you do that if you have to do one kick, then after the other kick, the snare, one tom hit, another take for one hit to reconstituate a coordination hands and feet by 4 or 5 by that procedee.
Rather to do it live.
idk what happened after he left, but the 1st wasp album is a classic.
Blackie and Stetson were very cool when we hung out in Florida 😎🎸🤘
I love W.a.s.p and Blackie and Chris. In the same take i see both short coming and brilliants. Chris is much smarter than given credit for and Blackie can be nice if wamt to be.He is a man with a complex mind. The producer hit the bulls eye with Blackie head in some way operating as a person with autism. Always thought that myself .People is what they are bad and good. 🙂
I love all the little "behind the scenes" details that come out in these interviews.
I’ve never heard a good word about “Blackie.” But gotta keep in mind that this is coming from someone nicknamed “Bitter Bowde” in the industry.
Blackie is aperfectionist and exremly goal oriented. And has always been, And if youare not? then you probably can't hang around him?
I met him yrs ago and he signed my 84 bc rich and tour shirt from his first tour with maiden, he was so kind i was in awe
I've run into Blackie over the years and depending on what mood he is in.....you can get the nice guy (rare) or the total asshole. He was finishing up The Last Command and I asked him why he tweaked the tapes by one or two cents (didn't make any difference to the songs), and he came back with "so assholes like you will have trouble figuring it out" (i did a lot of guitar transcriptions back in the day), then gave me a stare like he wanted to kill me. What a guy.
Ace Paul thanks for your comment but what does tweaking a few cents mean?
@@freedom2084 Slightly speeding up a perfectly standard tuned song, for example, so as to throw people off. Makes his voice sound higher. It's done with videos that people "borrow".
no matter what this album the and today is one of the best metal sounds in the world. The sound have this otherworldly vibe to it, The kind of sound that makes you dream.
Ric totally understands what rocknroll is supposed to be about and sound like.
The pursuit of perfection never hurt Mutt Lange.
Mutt Lange also knew what he was doing and had the money to do it.
Mutt lange never forced to isolate each single hit of a drummer especially when you do a quad or triplet.
How you do a proper coordination flow when you have to do it singe element by element ? Its damn stupid .
@@Nissardpertugiuyou lock the bass drum to the grid then on a separate track record the next piece of the kit, etc.
Lange does it with guitars too, literally string by string. He has a superpower in making that isolated music sound GREAT
Cool interview! Love the depth of the channel
IMO FullInBloom has some of the best content on RUclips and the web. 💯 If you are partial to requests I think people would really like to hear Ric Browde do a deep dive on his time working with SHOOTING GALLERY (Andy McCoy, Jo Dog, Dave Tregunna, Billy G. Bang, Paul Garisto) as well as SMASHED GLADYS. Ric did mention Smashed Gladys briefly in one of your prior interviews, as well as his longtime friendship with Jo Dog. Thanks for the great content! 🎸🎸🎸
Loved Smashed Gladys. Wish we had more from them. Always wanted to get their album cover tattooed on me just never did.
Thanks for this awesome interview :) Any more videos coming up with Ric Browde ?
"I wanna be somebody " classic song 🎵 🎶
Artists like Blackie are overly protective and very picky about their vision. And this so called “producer”can say what he wants 40 years later. But, it sounds like he would’ve been a better producer for the Carpenters and didn’t really understand the metal scene in those formative years. Regardless, of how much bullshit went into the 1st album, it still made an impression on the Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal scene that stands to this day.
Chris actually said to Richard, why didn't you sell one of your vettes so you can feed your sister Karen? Damn Chris
How fucking shitty...
love that people always say that Chris is such a great guy and give blackie crap....if Chris can say something like that to a guy who just lost his sister I'm sure he was a handful for blackie to deal with...moron
I never once heard Blackie sing and thought, this is too "sterile". Blackie has that great Metal singing voice. What was that Ric even talking about? LOL. But in a way I'm kind of an apologist for Blackie. Here was this guy that became captain of his own ship. He had a crew that always wanted to fuck around and play rock star. Somebody had to do the hard work and whip others into shape. I mean, you never hear about Black Beard the pirate going, my crew wants to only party all the time, oh well. If anyone ran a business like that they'd flame out and die pretty fast.
The best album they ever did, sounds as good now as it ever did.
All 3 maybe 4 first albums ar gold to me. I love the energy on the first album and that they took it to the edge voice vise and >Blackie was screaming
Question: Was John Tafer the manager at the Troubedour when WASP was playing there? And, is it true WASP was asked to let some new comedian open for them at the Troubedour named, Sam Kinison? If this is all true, was Tafer the manager who asked WASP to allow Kinison to open. Thank you in advance for any stories or factual information you may have.
Fascinating interview.
Great interview 👍🏻
I don't like Blackie's religion or politics but the first WASP album kicks ass and does not sound sterile to me. But hearing that Chris couldn’t read or write-- if true -- explains how Blackie screwed him out of a lot of money.
I like Blackie's religion and politics, but Chris should have been treated better... no doubt.
@@crushingalldeceivers -- Well, I'm an atheist and don't believe in any sky daddy. But if I did, and really truly believed in it, I wouldn't have cheated a fellow band member out of his money. And I wouldn't have written a song called F**k Like a Beast. And who knows how many women he defiled? I wouldn't do those things and I don't believe in a god. I can't stand those guys who pretend to be one thing but are really something different or find Jesus after they've had all their fun.
@@brigham2250 Aww did the wittle Mormon have to go to church as a bo?
@@sirlawrence9161 What do you want to be when you grow up mate ?
@@sirlawrence9161 -- That's quite funny. My RUclips name has nothing to do with Mormonism. Zero. Zilch. My family history also has nothing to do with any form of Christianity. Oy vay, that was funny.
Yeah Chris's holmes is awesome man.great rock star
That VICTORY album sounded amazing! (Culture killed the Native)
"The Headless Children" is a classic
Bought it, listened to it once. Never listened to it again. Still have the tape.
@@KnuckleheadStuey well on the bright side of things, village idiot fits you well anyways.
Bro... W.A.S.P. is one if the only bands that's ever made me wanna f$#k... He said he never even listened to the songs... takes two to tango or this case not.. it's W.A.S.P. we remember a these years later not some producer guy. That sais it all. Blackie hit it on the head. Maybe unorthodox but what about him and his band was orthodox to begin with? Can't wait to see them in San Fran this December⛓⚙😈🤘
Chris Holmes, no filter. Anyone remember the time Slash excitedly asked Chris to check out his new tattoo and Chris’s response? Anyway, Piper is the best!!
No,,tell us dude...
@@theoverlook5976 Thanks... I am headed that way now...
@@rlaw1971 It’s actually an interesting interview. I thought you’d appreciate watching the whole video instead of reading my typing.
@@theoverlook5976 Well, I wouldn't be surprised if Chris said something like that. He said whatever what was on his mind. Look was he said to Richard Carpenter. Would it be too much of a stretch of what he (supposedly) said to Slash? I wouldn't say Chris is a mean man. He is just really direct and straight forward. He did save my ass one night at the Roxy.
@@acepaul407 Sounds like a good story. Care to share?
I went to this show,they came to Cleveland with Raven and Slayer,the set was Raven,Wasp and Slayer,Fucking Chris was amazing on stage! He was out of his fucking mind as an entertainer and guitarist 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
Thats the one thing about 80s metal/rock,there was no passion in the vocals or the lyrics most times!!it was usually just party stuff or like blackie it was just words that sounded cool but really meant nothing from the SOUL,not much texture!!but it was fast and aggressive most times or the slow fake ballads that came along,with the exception of MOTLEYS HOME SWEET HOME,most were dull and see thru!!but hey it was the best yrs of my life,the 80s were actually pretty incredible and I would give anything to get out of this LIVING NIGHTMARE we are now in the middle of,very sad for the young generation that are left with THIS WORLD today and gettin wodse EVERYDAY!!
Hmmm. I've heard some very different perspectives on all of this, so I wonder a little about some of what I'm hearing here.
Well who gives a fuck. Blackie was right in the end, the album IS a masterpiece.
Bring Chris, Randy and Tony back for the last tour, and only play the entire first album and parts of the second album.
S much as I love this album, the sound was not good. The sound was muddy and did not sound clear at all. The problem might have been in the mix. It had too much mid bass (around 400 HZ.) The mastering should have boosted around 60 HZ, cut a bit of the 400HZ area and slightly boosted 10K. I totally agree with Browde!
Isn't this the same guy who was just ripping on the experience of working with Poison? Which begs the question... is it the band or is it him?
Tom wearman worked w poison
Rik produced Look What The Cat Dragged In
All the bands he produces are high on drugs, working with drugged up people must be very difficult
Both bands weren’t known for their musicianship. Have to side with Browde
I knew poison when they were Paris in Pennsylvania. What they had was four guys that would have jumped out of a airplane to make it.they went off to LA and busted there asses .but if you weren't partying back then you didn't belong in a band
Thanks!
I saw W.A.S.P. at L'Amours several times. Once with Metallica who headlined and Armoured Saint. This was 1985 but I have ticket stubs from the earlier 80s.
Yes! I have the ticket for the Metallica, WASP and Armored Saint show at L’Amour but I never went. My parents wouldn’t let me go to Bayridge from the suburbs. I was just 14!
@@scorchedearth8661 I went on Friday and Saturday nights. I'm pretty sure Sunday's show was a dry one.
I Was There! Friday, Saturday and Sunday!
There's a song on that first one where at the end Blackie says "what the F was that" I always wondered what happened?
@Michael Angelo I don't know, could be he wasn't happy with how someone played or maybe a rat ran across the room lol
there is a book out there for sale that explains that.
Usually when I hear a producer or sound engineer complains about an artist being difficult it usually means they wanted the artist to sound like the engineer wants them to sound...its his band...its his sound...period.
Exactly. Ric's just a gay, bitter man-child.
Blackie had Frankie do his drums without cymbals.
Blackie is ant live as it gets .
Great interview. I was not a wasp fan. It was cartoon fictional movie rock to me.
I agree with everything he said about recording music. I play guitar and have for 45 years.
Good stuff. Thanks so much..
LOL this guy goes straight to the...THROAT! 🤣
Loved this brutally honest insight about one of the most despicable bands ever.
If you arent into wasp you aint into rock
Motorhead is rock & roll. WASP were (and are) a complete circus and a parody of the genre. Like Venom and thousands of ridiculous "shock rock" bands. Even that, i think "Headless Children" & "The Crimson Idol" were good attempts for quality stuff. Unfortunately that didn't last.
@@endtyme1345 everyone knows first wasp album is best
@@Clnt874 "Everyone" means sh*. Get your own opinion pal. That's the only thing it matters. Do *YOU* think is good? that's perfectly fine. 🤟🏻
@@endtyme1345 crimson idol doesnt touch the first wasp album. 98 percent of earth would agree
That WASP debut is right up there with Out of the Cellar , Shout at the Devi and Kill em All.
The songs have a timeless quality about them. I WANNA BE SOMEBODY IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS.
WASP was caught between 2 genres
Too dark and evil.for the crowd that bought Bon Jovi and Ratt records
But too theatrical for the Maiden Priest and Metallica fans.
But make no.mistake WASP is the essence of hard rock.and rhat genre
Blackies problem.was it may have said WASP...But he treated it like it was a solo act.
Blackie was not the best looking.front man and that didnt help.with the 14 year girls buying records.
WASP was a hard band to package in a tour also. They were a in.between band.
I call it the “ Amored Saint syndrome”
Too heavy for radio, not heavy enough for metal fans
YES but that's what makes it sooo perfect!
Shout wasn't MC's debut album
Actually Blackie Lawless' Captain Hook pirate look was very intriguing to teenagers. But unlike Peter Pan most people grow up.
Blackie should bring back Tony Richards.
xoxo The Clarences
No one has anything good to say about Blackie. I've heard a bunch of stories from Scott Ian, Metallica and others about what an arrogant prick he could be
I heard Lemmy of Motor Head punched Blackie for being a jerk. Blackie threw Motor Heads gear out, Lemmy found out and punched him on the jaw
Have heard Stet Howland say Blackie isn't a people person .He is also very shy and as Blackie have said he is aware his shyness and avoiding to mush interaction with people can be seen as arrogance .🙂
In a 1986 interview, Tom Araya of Slayer mentioned that Blackie was being an asshole when they opened for them.
Nikki Sixx has good things to say about him.
@@rogerphilabaum4563 to be fair, Nikki is also an asshole though.
I went to one of their concerts during their first tour with some friends. I was the only one who never had heard them and still have not listened to anything by them. Call me crazy. I don't think I missed out on too much.
Blackie wants his songs to be perfect nothing wrong with that. Which is why he has produced all wasp albums except the last command and co produced the first album. Wasp was always his brain child
I’ve heard bad stories about Blackie ( Steve Duren ). Holmes was ripped off. Etc. etc.
Imagine a band with Blackie and Danzig. That'd be a nightmare to work with.
Throw in Vinnie Vincent and you a have total cluster fuck .
That first album was incredible. Blackie shouldve stayed playing bass instead of switching to guitar
Oh my god that first album was a monster.and I'm a black guy.still love blackies voice.
the fact a black guy loves blackies voice does more for race relations than any bs politician...love it man ..you are obviously a leader and not a follower...respect to you
Hey man, theyre all cool, especially Lawless & Holmes.
Can't we all just get along?
On the first Wasp record Blackie wanted to be Gene Simmons, when the Electric Circus came out he wanted to be Paul Stanley
Yep... It's hilarious that he wanted to be the two least cool members of Kiss.
Yeah the first time I ever saw a picture of Blackie I thought this guy is the second coming of Gene Simmons.
Wasn't he friends with Ace way back?
@@philvacanti1446 Yes but Blackie says they grew up together in a street gang in New York but Ace says he meet Blackie in L.A .The video of Ace saying that is on RUclips somewhere
@@philvacanti1446 Yes he was.
dude sounds like a good producer for motley
Amazing interviews. I did a video on the guitar of Chris Holmes you may like.
Yup .... first album rocked like none of his other albums ....I use Hellion as my alarm clock song along with Outlaw by Scream and Devils Child by Priest
Randy is so fucking cool, all of W.A.S.P. is but damn Randy has such a sick look. Even down to his face/makeup/looks it was all 80’s metal. Kinda reminded me of a Quiet Riot look and feel when I first discovered them as a kid. And I have to say W.A.S.P. does 100% make you want to fuck, and I’m not just talking about animal. I have to disagree with the producer that message is absolutely delivered in W.A.S.P.s music! 😂🤘🏼
Rock-n- Roll dude
He never listened to the record? Weirdo.
He'd heard the songs enough by the time he was done recording.
Yeah, I don’t buy the statement that he never listened to the album at all. Ric is an incredibly interesting interview and has great stories, but he seems incredibly jaded. Constantly throwing shade at every turn. Like a bitter ex. I don’t buy that claim… I’m in the middle of reading his book. He tells very tall tales (IMO) but it’s a hell of a fun read! Great storyteller.
@@mattrock12 If it is true I just find it strange. If I helped produce an album I would certainly be interested in hearing the final result. Furthermore the 1st WASP album is very good and he acts like "I Wanna Be Somebody" was the only good song on it. Seems like a douche to me.
@@KISSFAN1970 Agreed. Cheers, man. Have a great weekend!
@@mattrock12 You too!
Shiit, I thought I made mistakes as a young rocker but WASP blow my many faux pas into another dimension 😂 So, you have little money blow it on gambling then on borrowed studio time do the most time consuming experiments possible with a drug addict. I have a couple of stories of us with Blackie when they were in London in the 90's but his stupidity whist over here is going in our book 😊🇬🇧
What book? I want to read it.
Some buddy just like my comment.
Blackie had to fire Tony for his abuse of drugs he fired don Costa to keep Chris in the band which meant he had to play bass which he hated. If he is so bad why are Mike and Doug still in wasp 20 years on
A paycheck..
Maybe they get along with him better than others duh
They both have other bands as well that could help as well lol
This guy acts like we've never heard the album. Nothing sterile about it. And maybe Tony Richards seemed incompetent because he was asked to hit each drum separately for the first time in his life. All the final performances on the album are great.
Not like you have a chainsaw blade between your legs ......lol
Great interviews, but the audio quality of the interviewees is rather low.
Not sure if it is possible to record in higher quality or add CCs, but it sure would be appreciated.
👊
I dont remember any W.A.S.P songs but for some reason I’m binge watching these videos!
Had no idea richards was a junkie.He sounded good on the record so....im still a fan and the first album is great.
Sad to hear about Tony and Chris…Blackie, found people He could manipulate.
4:14 If Richard Carpenter had cracked Chris Holmes' cranium with a guitar, would anybody have cared? lol