W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless recently addressed whether he wishes things had turned out differently with former bandmate Chris Holmes, who recently announced his cancer diagnosis.
Lawless discussed the musical differences that led to Holmes’ departure from the band, explaining how his creative direction shifted after the release of 1989’s “The Headless Children.”
“Chris is a great performer,” Lawless said. “But he — let’s just put it this way, that he wasn’t able to do musically the things that I wanted to do later on. And it really was reaching a point of saturation where… You hear the old expression, ‘Well, we split up because of musical differences.’ Well, it really was that.”
He went on to elaborate on the specific creative demands that ultimately drove the split.
“I mean, at the end of the day, if you look at it, that’s what it was,” Lawless continued. “Because I wanted to go into an area to do things that, to try, especially… Well, once we did [1989’s] ‘The Headless Children’, I’d gone as far as I could go. To ask him to do [1992’s] ‘The Crimson Idol’, to be Bob Kulick? No. And that’s not to put him down. It is what it is. So, like I said, me wanting to move on, to express myself in different ways, it really ended up being the quintessential musical differences.”
Lawless also weighed in on the possibility of reuniting with Holmes onstage one last time. This came after Holmes’ recent cancer diagnosis and the supportive message Lawless shared for him on social media.
“Well, I would have to turn my back on the band that I have,” Lawless said. “And to do that… I’ve been with these guys for over 30 years, and this is the band that I know. And I just couldn’t do that.”
Holmes’ health struggles have deepened in recent weeks, adding weight to Lawless’ comments about their shared history.
Holmes has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He has already begun radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment in France, where he has lived with his wife since 2014. His wife has stressed that the treatment cannot be interrupted, underscoring the seriousness of his current condition.
This marks the second time Holmes has faced a cancer battle. He was previously treated for throat and neck cancer in 2022, a fight he won after fans rallied around him with a crowdfunding campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Holmes has since launched a new fundraising campaign to help cover the costs of his current treatment. Speaking about his diagnosis, he struck an optimistic tone: “The good thing is it’s 100% curable.”
Lawless has responded to the news by publicly calling on the W.A.S.P. fanbase to rally behind his former bandmate. He described the “entire W.A.S.P. family” as devastated by the diagnosis. He asked fans to help however they can, whether through financial support or simply words of peace and encouragement.
