Armed with their shock rock image and their heavy sound, the band W.A.S.P. was a hard-hitter among the hair metal outfits to come out of the 1980s. Despite the band’s shifting lineup, they’ve also been one of the few acts from the decade to endure today, continuing to spread their ferocious style to the masses and it’s no mystery why.
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The only puzzle lies in the group’s band name, as W.A.S.P. seems just as stumped as the rest of us.
Behind the Name
When the Los Angeles-based heavy metal outfit – initially consisting of frontman Blackie Lawless, guitarist Randy Piper, bassist Rik Fox, and drummer Tony Richards – formed in 1982, it was under a different band name.
At one point called Sister, the band was in search of a name that would stick, or rather sting. That such moniker came on one fated day when outside of Lawless’ home, the band’s bassist tangled with a winged assailant.
“I was outside his house one day on his phone talking to somebody in New York and I kicked over a leaf and there was a hornet under it,” Fox explained of the incident. “My instinct was to step on it before it flies and gets me.”
He described how the insect was not completely dead upon closer inspection, detailing the enraged creature’s throbbing abdomen. “It reminded me of the old Green Hornet logo from the ’60s,” he added. He went back into Lawless’ house with an idea. Wasp.
Mulling the idea over for the next few days, Lawless agreed to the moniker, but gave the name its iconic, if not baffling punctuation. Now with a band name written as an acronym, all they had left to do was rock … and evade the persistent question: What does W.A.S.P. stand for?
First thought to stand for “We Are Sexual Perverts,” a phrase etched into the vinyl of their debut album. The name W.A.S.P. has been interpreted to mean several different things from the classic “White Anglo-Saxon Protestants” to the more sinister “We Are Satan’s People.” The braggadocios “We Are So Perfect,” “We Are So Powerful,” and even “We Are Sexual Prophets” have also been common hypotheses among fans.
Over the years, the name has been shrouded in mystery, seemingly open to interpretation; and when asked, the band has never really given a straight answer as to what their name stands for. Lawless himself once answered, “We Ain’t Sure, Pal.”
(Photo by Pete Still/Redferns)
