Acting
Blackie Lawless
Born 1956-09-04 · Staten Island, New York, USA
Blackie Lawless (born Steven Edward Duren; September 4, 1956) is an American songwriter and musician best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist (formerly bassist) for the heavy metal band W.A.S.P. He began his music career playing with bands such as Black Rabbit and Orfax Rainbow. In 1975, after Johnny Thunders left the glam rock band New York Dolls in the middle of a tour of Florida, the band started auditioning for guitarists. He was hired but only stayed for the remainder of the tour. After the tour, he went to California with bassist Arthur Kane and helped found Killer Kane. At that time, his stage name was "Blackie Goozeman" as stated on the back of Killer Kane's only EP. About a year later, Kane returned to New York City but Lawless decided to stay in West Los Angeles. In 1976, he formed Sister, which also featured future W.A.S.P. guitarist Randy Piper. Around 1978, a new lineup was assembled which included Nikki Sixx as bassist and Lizzie Grey on guitar. Later, Chris Holmes joined. Sister evolved into Circus Circus in 1979, with Piper again appearing in the lineup. In 1981, following Circus Circus' failure, Lawless joined Lizzie Grey and Nikki Sixx's band London, with whom he played a few gigs and recorded two songs as demos, though by this time Sixx had already departed to form Mötley Crüe. In 1982, he switched to bass after firing original member bassist Rik Fox, later of Steeler fame who had joined the band only 4 months prior, and had named W.A.S.P. over personal issues. The lineup also included Randy Piper and was soon completed with Chris Holmes on lead guitar and Tony Richards on drums. W.A.S.P. underwent numerous lineup changes, with Lawless being the last remaining original member and chief songwriter. Many of his songs tended to deal with religious or apocalyptic themes, due to his Christian upbringing. The band achieved their greatest success from 1985 to 1988, with several hit singles including "L.O.V.E. Machine", "I Wanna Be Somebody", and "Wild Child".
Acting credits
4.9A computer whiz is yanked into a twisted digital world by the sadistic wizard Mestema and forced through a gauntlet of wild, deadly trials, from mutant goblins to metal mayhem, with his girlfriend’s soul on the line.
The Dungeonmaster
1984
NRHear 'n Aid was a one-time collaboration of various individual hard rock and heavy metal artists in 1985 to raise money for famine relief in Africa. According to Ronnie James Dio's MySpace profile, the project raised $1 million within a year.
The Hear 'n Aid Sessions
1986
NRNo synopsis available yet.
W.A.S.P. - Videos... In the Raw
1988
NRVideo magazine with interviews and video clips. Featured on this volume is: Deep Purple, Brian May, Skid Row, Lemmy, The Cult, Iron Maiden, Ace Frehley, King Diamond, Kix, Steve Jones, Blackie Lawless, Steve Stevens, Coroner, Gun, Princess Pang.
Hard 'N Heavy Volume 5
1989
6.0Circus Circus was a rock and roll band from Los Angeles, California, USA and was formed by Blackie Lawless in 1979. The band is seen as a precurser to W.A.S.P.. Also in the line-up was Randy Piper who played in Blackie's previous band Sister and would also go on to perform in W.A.S.P.. Circus Circus split in 1981.
Circus Circus: Los Angeles 1980
2005
5.8Geraldo Rivera investigates allegations of a widespread Satanic underground in the United States.
Devil Worship: Exposing Satan's Underground
1988
NRThis compilation DVD features music videos with rarely seen footage of up-close and in-depth interviews with some of the greatest bands in rock history. This volume features interviews and videos by W.A.S.P., Ratt, Alice Cooper, Billy Idol, Atomic Playboys, My Sister's Machine, London Quireboys and Biohazard. Hard-core Hard 'N' Heavy fans will also enjoy all the innovative DVD features, including band history highlights, discographies and interactive trivia games.
Rockthology Presents: Hard 'N' Heavy, Volume 8
2004
7.0In September and October of 1984, within weeks of the release of their self-titled debut album, W.A.S.P. undertook their first headline World Tour, taking them to England, Europe, and Japan. This Video was shot at London's famous Lyceum on Monday, September 24, 1984, in front of a capacity crowd.
W.A.S.P. | Live at the Lyceum, London
1984
6.0A mostly black-and-white, narrated dramatization of WASP's 1992 album The Crimson Idol, filmed in 1992 and finally released with the 2017 re-recording as the soundtrack.
W.A.S.P. | ReIdolized (The Soundtrack to the Crimson Idol)
2018
NRThe Crimson Idol tells the tragic story of Jonathan Aaron Steele, an unloved child who rises to rock superstardom but ultimately destroys himself.
The Crimson Idol
2018
8.0The Sting is a live album and DVD by the band W.A.S.P. Originally released as a DVD/CD set, it is also available as a CD on its own. The concert was originally recorded and shown as a live webcast, which happened during the bands Helldorado World Tour. The DVD of the show (and the webcast) is the first live footage of the band to feature Blackies signature microphone stand, dubbed 'Elvis' by band and fans alike. This album according to band members is known as "The Sting". It is alleged that Blackie is unhappy with the way the DVD and CD were produced, feeling that the sound is of an inferior quality.
W.A.S.P.: The Sting: Live at the Key Club L.A.
2000
NRVideo magazine with interviews and video clips. Featured on this volume is: Judas Priest, W.A.S.P., Michael Monroe, Great White, Alice Cooper, Francis X, Candlemass, Sons of Angels, Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, Dio, Slaughter, Thunder, Testament, L.A. Guns and Bang Tango.
Hard 'N Heavy Volume 7
1990
9.0A very rare Japan-only video with eleven promo clips.
W.A.S.P. | First Blood... Last Visions...
1993
Behind the camera
6.0A mostly black-and-white, narrated dramatization of WASP's 1992 album The Crimson Idol, filmed in 1992 and finally released with the 2017 re-recording as the soundtrack.
W.A.S.P. | ReIdolized (The Soundtrack to the Crimson Idol)
2018
NRThe Crimson Idol tells the tragic story of Jonathan Aaron Steele, an unloved child who rises to rock superstardom but ultimately destroys himself.
The Crimson Idol
2018