W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless has revealed that the PMRC controversy led to death threats and a near-fatal incident, in comments reported by Loudersound.
The statement addressed how the PMRC debate affected the band and Lawless’s personal life. He recounted receiving thousands of threats over his stance against the committee.
“Death threats are no fun. Was the controversy worth it? From the perspective of being able to do the things I’ve wanted to do, yes. But there is a dark side,” Lawless said.
He explained that the intensity of the debate brought outside influence into the situation.
“When that whole thing started getting hot and heavy, especially when the Washington Wives and the PMRC took over, people started getting influenced by what they saw on TV. I had thousands and thousands of death threats,” he continued.
Lawless then described specific threats against his safety.
“Somebody tampered with the wheels on my car and I nearly crashed on the freeway – it’s a miracle I wasn’t killed. I got shot at twice,” he said.
The remarks came as Lawless reflected on the fallout from the PMRC era. The episode left such a mark in part because W.A.S.P. became one of the committee’s most visible targets.
The Parents Music Resource Center was founded in 1985 by Tipper Gore and three other politically connected women. The group became known as the “Washington Wives.” It pushed for warning labels on music it considered sexually explicit, violent or drug-related.
That summer, the PMRC released its “Filthy Fifteen,” a list of songs it viewed as especially offensive. W.A.S.P.’s “Animal (F**k Like a Beast)” was on the list. The song was also cited during the September 19, 1985, Senate hearing on so-called “porn rock.” Senator Paula Hawkins displayed the song’s album cover. Testimony also addressed its explicit title and imagery.
The attention came at a high price for the band. Lawless has described the backlash as personally dangerous rather than merely controversial. He has said he received more than a thousand death threats in the post. He has also recalled that a front wheel came off his car at about 55 mph. A mechanic told him the wheels had been tampered with and that he “should be dead.”
The latest comments came in a wide-ranging interview. Lawless also discussed W.A.S.P., Kiss, the decline of rock ‘n’ roll and the personal price of fame. The interview was not a new investigation into the 1980s incidents. It was a retrospective on his career. It also brought him back to a period he says extended well beyond a debate over censorship. Further updates may follow.
