Blackie Lawless on the W.A.S.P. Song “I Wanna Be Somebody”: I always thought the song was, quite honestly, mediocre – 2022 – NEW ALBUM NEWS

Ultimate Classic Rock: W.A.S.P. frontman discusses 40th-anniversary U.S. tour, new album and more. You can read the entire interview @ this location.

INTERVIEW EXCERPT:

If you look at any of the biggest rock acts throughout history, I think they understood from a very early stage that they had to play the long game, and they weren’t interested in scoring one or two hits or being the flavor of the week and then disappearing. They wanted to turn this into a career. I think that takes a completely different mindset than just having your 15 minutes.

Yeah, because you know, what is it you have to say? I mean, what makes you different? What makes you so cool that you can actually verbalize something in lyrics? So what is it you’re trying to say? Do you have some unique perspective? Because there’s a lot of people that can play instruments out there. What sets them apart? What is it that they’re saying?

When [Pete] Townsend says, “I hope I die before I get old,” when you make a statement like that, that’s substantial. And it’s either going to endear people or it’s going to repel them. But you want to stand for something, so what are you saying that everybody’s thinking but has never really figured out a way to put into words yet? Is there something that you’re really moved about that you can say that other people are going to identify with?

“I Wanna Be Somebody.” That’s a pretty comprehensive statement. I always thought the song was, quite honestly, mediocre. But I get the sentiment because the sentiment is what moved me in the first place. And I think that’s a pretty fair example of what a fan base would latch on to and say, “That’s something I can identify with.”

How’s the new record going? How far along are you in that process?

Well, I could tell you it’s pretty far, but I’ve learned in the past that that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. … I was convinced where I thought this record was going before we [started], and now I’m not so sure. It doesn’t mean that the material is gonna change; it’s the way you treat the material. You know, how do you want the mix to sound? There’s a number of factors that go into it. So these things, a lot of times, I’ve learned you’ve got to get out of the way and let it take its own direction. I mean, you can force anything if you want to, but if you let it go where it wants to go, then that’s a big part of the beauty of the discovery process.

You can read the entire interview @ this location.