W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless really made his political feelings known during the band's November 16 show at the Hammerstein Ballroom At Manhattan Center in New York, NY. Lawless made a lenghty speech prior to the show closer "Blind In Texas" about his opinions on free speech and president elect Donald Trump, before dropping four Trump 2024 banners alongside a screen depicting Trump post-assassination attempt on July 13, 2024 during a rally near Butler, PA.
"We'll do something a little different tonight. We are in the appropriate city to do this. You know, it was Shakespeare that said, 'Some are born to greatness. Some have greatness thrust upon them,'" said Lawless as transcribed by Blabbermouth. "It was the Greek historian Herodotus who said that when it comes to tragedy and things like that, that we do not rule circumstances, circumstances rule us."
Lawless then spoke a little about his experience with censorship in 1985 when the Parents' Music Resource Center (PMRC) put W.A.S.P.'s "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)" among its Filthy Fifteen list.
"Now when I was a little kid, growing up across the bay over here in Staten Island, I never, I never ever imagined that my time would come where I would be thrust into a situation where I had no control over. Now, it will be 40 years next year, there was a situation that happened, and it was called the PMRC. And there were hearings, there were hearings done in Washington, D.C. And two days later, Frank Zappa and myself stood on a stage just around the corner here and we talked about the evils that would come about them. Because censorship is an ugly, ugly thing. And it ain't just in music. It happens in all forms of life.
"Now, down the street here in lower Manhattan, there's a chapel down there. It's called the St. Paul's Chapel. We now know it as the chapel from 9-11. But before that, when George Washington was elected the first president of the United States, after he was sworn in the federal building, he walked into that street and he walked down to that chapel and he consecrated the United States of America to God Almighty right there on that spot.
"The very first amendment of our constitution guarantees freedom of speech. Our founding fathers were genius enough to know that if you can control speech, you can control thought. And these men knew this. These were great men. Fast forward a couple hundred years, 250 almost, now we have a situation in the last six, eight years, we find censorship again rearing its ugly, ugly head. Now, this time it's on the Internet, and it's affecting every single one of us."
And sure – the PMRC is a prime example of the First Amendment being infringed upon, as it's a government entity censoring speech. It's not clear what government entity is censoring what speech on the Internet in Lawless' opinion.
Lawless then addressed the fact that Donald Trump was at Madison Square Garden next to where the W.A.S.P. show was taking place. "Tonight, you may not be aware, but right next door to us over here in the Garden, there is a man who has undergone attempt after attempt, assassinations on his life, and this man has stood up for this country. He's right next door right now at the Garden.
"Now, I got two things that I'm passionate about the most. One of them is that freedom of speech. And the other one is about being a patriot. Because I'm here to tell you, I don't care if you're Republican, Democrat, Independent, you need to be a patriot of this country. I am willing to die for this country. I believe in it that much. And that man next door, he believes in it too. I only got one more thing to say before we go. 'Cause I'm blind in Texas."
