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Blackie Lawless

Background information
Birth name Steven Edward Duren
Born September 4, 1956 (1956-09-04) (age 51)
Origin Florida, moved to New York at age of 6
Genre(s) Heavy metal, Hard rock, Shock rock, Glam metal
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, actor
Instrument(s) Vocals, Guitar, Bass
Years active 1975–present
Associated acts W.A.S.P., London, Circus Circus, Sister, Killer Kane, New York Dolls, Orfax Rainbow, Black Rabbit and The Underside

Steven Edward Duren (born September 4, 1956, in Staten Island, New York), better known as Blackie Lawless, is best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for heavy metal band W.A.S.P.. Events 476 - Romulus Augustus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock Shock rock is a wide umbrella term for artists who combine Rock music with elements of theatrical Shock value in live performances Glam metal (also known as pop metal) is a sub-genre of Heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States. A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. WASP is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 and emerged with the L This article is about the American band London. For the British band with the same name see London. Sister was a Los Angeles late 1970's Heavy metal band who were the first known band to use the pentagram logo History In the 20th century the forces of crime and disorder steadily gained power For the self-titled debut album see New York Dolls (album The New York Dolls are an American Glam rock band formed in Events 476 - Romulus Augustus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Staten Island (ˌstætənˈaɪlənd is a borough of New York City situated primarily on the island of the same name New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Rhythm guitar is the use of a Guitar to provide Rhythmic chordal Accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a Musical ensemble A musical ensemble is a group of two or more Musicians who perform instrumental or vocal Music. WASP is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 and emerged with the L He has become notorious in the heavy metal community for his live performances, controversial album covers and lyrics. A controversy or dispute is a commencement of a conflict between statements of accepted fact and a new or unaccepted proposal that disagrees with argues against An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially-released audio recording product or Album. Lyrics (in singular form Lyric) are a set of words that accompany music either by speaking or singing

Contents

Biography

Duren is of Blackfoot Native American ancestry. The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi (meaning "original people" c Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States His mother was part French and part Native American. [1]

Duren's musical interests began when he was nine years old ("My brother had a guitar and I used to sneak down to his bedroom and play it when he wasn't there"), he had his first guitar about a year later and earned his first pocket money with his first band called "The Underside. "

At 16, Blackie played with the band "Black Rabbit" in local bars, another early band was "Orfax Rainbow. " After leaving high school he worked two years for his father's construction firm.

Music career

For about fifteen days, in May 1975, Blackie played guitar for the New York Dolls, replacing Johnny Thunders at two shows, during their tour through Florida. For the self-titled debut album see New York Dolls (album The New York Dolls are an American Glam rock band formed in Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale Jr ( July 15, 1952 - April 23, 1991) was an Italian American Rock and roll Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the After the tour, he went to California with Arthur Kane and helped found the "Killer Kane Band", (Single "Mr. Cool"), a song which then went on to become "cries in the night", where Lawless was the singer. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Arthur Kane ( February 3, 1949 &ndash July 13, 2004) was a Musician and librarian best known as the At that time his artistic name was "Blackie Goozeman. " About a year later Kane went back to New York while Lawless decided to stay in Los Angeles. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West

In 1976, he formed Sister, who are believed to be the first Los Angeles group to use the (inverted) pentagram as their logo. Sister was a Los Angeles late 1970's Heavy metal band who were the first known band to use the pentagram logo Randy Piper, later of W. Randy Piper (born in 1956 in San Antonio, Texas) is an American musician who made his name in the early days of W A. S. P. , was Sister's second and longest-staying guitar player. Lawless' stage antics at the time included lighting his boots on fire (the trick he later gave to Nikki Sixx) and eating live worms. Nikki Sixx (born Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna Jr December 11, 1958, San Jose California) is an American bassist, Around 1978, a new lineup was assembled that included the aforementioned Sixx on the bass and Lizzie Grey on guitars. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) This lineup tried to record a few songs, but the outcome was so terrible they decided to scrap the idea altogether. Around that time, Chris Holmes came into the picture for the first time to play guitar. According to Holmes, this lineup managed to play live at least once.

After this version of Sister failed in its turn, Lawless started his next band "Circus Circus", in 1979, with Randy Piper again appearing in the lineup. When it became clear that this band was going nowhere as well, in 1981, Lawless joined Lizzie Grey and Nikki Sixx's relatively successful London, with whom he played a few gigs and recorded two songs as demos, already without Sixx, who'd left to form Motley Crue. Nikki Sixx (born Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna Jr December 11, 1958, San Jose California) is an American bassist, This article is about the American band London. For the British band with the same name see London. Mötley Crüe ( IPA pronunciation: /'mɒtliː in 1982 Lawless assumed bass duties and along with Randy Piper formed W.A.S.P.. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the WASP is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 and emerged with the L The lineup was soon completed with Chris Holmes on lead guitar and Tony Richards on drums. Chris Holmes can refer to one of the following people Chris Holmes (Firefighter, a Firefighter in Northern Kentucky Chris Holmes (Photographer Lead guitar refers to the use of a Guitar to perform Melody lines instrumental fill passages, and Guitar solos within a song structure Tony Richards born Anthony Richard Orlando He is an American musician and drummer The drum is a member of the percussion group technically classified as a Membranophone.

W. A. S. P.

During W.A.S.P.'s long history, there have been numerous band/lineup changes, and today Lawless is the only remaining original member. WASP is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 and emerged with the L He writes most of the songs and music scores on W. A. S. P. 's albums and says his favorite album to date is The Crimson Idol. An album or record album is a collection of related audio or Music tracks distributed to the public The Crimson Idol was the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band W Many of his songs tend to deal with religion, due to his fundamentalist Christian upbringing and the fact that his grandfather was a deacon and his uncle was a preacher, but veer into socio-political topics from time to time. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Lawless even spoke often about going into politics, but has not yet actively pursued that action. Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions

Lawless' influences include AC/DC, Black Sabbath and the Beatles. AC/DC are an Australian Hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. Black Sabbath are an The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 His notorious stage theatrics were influenced by Alice Cooper and The Who, but he took it one step further with throwing raw meat into the audience and girls positioned on torture racks. Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier; February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer songwriter and musician whose career spans five The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend During the 1980s he was severely criticized by organizations like the Parents Music Resource Center because of W.A.S.P.'s rather extreme live shows with concerts regularly cancelled by local authorities and, in some countries, banned from playing entirely. The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC was an American committee formed in 1985 by four women Tipper Gore, wife of Senator and later Vice President WASP is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 and emerged with the L Lawless has sued and won a case against PMRC for copyright infringements.

In 2003 Lawless was an outspoken defender of Pete Townshend (from The Who), who was arrested on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children. Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (born 19 May 1945 in Chiswick, London) is an English rock Guitarist, Singer, The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend W.A.S.P. did a cover song from The Who's "The Real Me" on the The Headless Children (1989) CD. WASP is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 and emerged with the L The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend " The Real Me " is a song written by Pete Townshend on The Who 's second full-scale Rock opera, Quadrophenia in 1973 The Headless Children was the fourth studio Album by American heavy metal band W A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio

Acting

Apart from being a musician, Lawless can be seen in Can't Stop the Music (1980), a musical about The Village People, and in the 1985 fantasy/horror film The Dungeonmaster. For the soundtrack album see Can't Stop the Music (album. For the title song see Can't Stop the Music (song. Village People are a concept Disco group formed in the late 1970s The Dungeonmaster, (originally Ragewar The Challenges of Excalibrate) is a 1985 low-budget sci-fi/fantasy movie rated PG-13 starring He also had a cameo role related to the 1984 movie This Is Spinal Tap; he appeared in a mock commercial celebrating the release of the Spinal Tap recording. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) This Is Spın̈al Tap (officially spelled with a non-functional umlaut over the letter 'n' and dotless 'i' is a 1984 mock Rockumentary

Lawless was tapped to play Sammi Curr in the horror film Trick or Treat (1986), but declined the offer. Trick or Treat is a 1986 horror film by DeLaurentiis Entertainment Group, starring Marc Price (of “ Family Ties ” Tony Fields The role was instead given to Tony Fields.

Lawless was also considered for the role of the liquid-metal T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, although his height proved to be a problem. The T-1000 is a fictional Android Assassin featured as the main Antagonist in Terminator 2 Judgment Day. Terminator 2 Judgment Day, commonly abbreviated as T2, is a 1991 action / Science fiction film directed co-written The role of the original Terminator had been written for a man of average stature, who could easily blend in to a crowd, and James Cameron wanted to apply that original concept to dramatic effect for the T-1000. James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is an Academy Award -winning Canadian - American director In an AOL chat, Lawless explained: "Probably the biggest regret that I have, though I didn't turn it down, was a part in Terminator 2 that Robert Patrick got. Terminator 2 Judgment Day, commonly abbreviated as T2, is a 1991 action / Science fiction film directed co-written Robert Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is a Saturn Award -winning American Film and television Actor. Schwarzenegger wanted me to do the part, but when he found out I was 6'4", I couldn't. Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger ( German ˌaɐnɔlt aloʏs ˈʃvaɐtsənɛɡɐ born July 30 1947 is an Austrian American Bodybuilder, Actor I regret not being able to do that. "

Recent times

In 2006 Lawless was found not guilty of criminal assault in an Arizona courtroom. The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. A courtroom is the actual enclosed space in which a judge regularly holds Court. The charge dated back to August 2005, when he reportedly kicked a security guard during a tantrum whilst performing in Scottsdale, Arizona. Scottsdale ( O'odham Vaṣai S-vaṣonĭ; Yaqui Eskatel) is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona,

The band cancelled its previously announced European dates in July 2006, after Lawless was diagnosed with an abnormality in one of the arteries leading to his heart. He's now fine after some rest and special treatment. Later on he announced new European dates for the same year.

All rumours about Blackie Lawless having a bad heart have been declared false by his representatives at the official W. A. S. P. Website. As have rumours about Blackie being killed in a car accident in 2007.

In October of 2007, the band announced that no recording devices, including phones with cameras, would be allowed into shows and any phones found by security would be confiscated, for the duration of The Crimson Idol tour. The Crimson Idol was the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band W It is speculated that this was mostly due to W. A. S. P's decreasing record sales, but is also thought to be to protect the video footage shown onscreen during the concert. However this turned out not to be the case, as many of the audience members proceeded to take pictures of the band whilst they were onstage performing.

Trivia

References

  1. ^ Metaltruth.com Interview 2007

External links


Persondata
NAME Lawless, Blackie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Duren, Steven Edward
SHORT DESCRIPTION Musician, songwriter and actor
DATE OF BIRTH 1956-9-4
PLACE OF BIRTH Staten Island, New York
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
Staten Island (ˌstætənˈaɪlənd is a borough of New York City situated primarily on the island of the same name New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous
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