Torgeir P. Krokfjord at Norway's Metal Express Radio recently spoke to W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless. The second part of that interview is now online. The following is a brief excerpt:

Blackie on what motivates him:

"There’s two things that motivate me nowadays, and that’s the will to create the best possible music, and the will to deliver my absolute best when on stage. People try to make me do all these ridiculous things, say things I don’t really mean, be places I don’t want to be, do interviews I don’t want to do. My response to all this is that I just really can’t fucking care less; I don’t give a damn if I make this or that much money, you know."

Blackie on the role the press plays in today’s music business:

"The press has turned so tabloid, so hopelessly obsessed with bullshit. As a consequence of this, I nowadays do only 2-300 interviews a year, as opposed to 5-600 as I used to do. I’ve no need whatsoever to make myself into some kind of media whore. If my music doesn’t speak for itself today, after some 25 years in the business, then there’s really not much I can do. If people can’t get a thrill by listening to The Crimson Idol or The Headless Children without having to see my face in a magazine first, then all hope is basically lost."

Blackie on playing live:

"For me playing a concert is hard work, just like recording an album is hard work. Whether the crowd response differs from song to song and so on really doesn’t matter to me, my goal is to make every second of that gig just as great as the last second and the next second. If people enjoy some songs more than others, then that just means that we’ve not done well enough overall. Still, I really don’t see or hear that much of the crowd anyway. When we play live everything sort of passes by in slow motion, and I’m really able to absorb neither visual nor sonic impressions. I know there are people out there, but I can’t really see or hear them. For that reason I’m not at all able to identify myself with the artists that brag about the thrill and rush they get from being on stage. I see it as my job, and that’s it really. Still, I’m not one to complain. This is the hand I’ve been dealt, as they say, and to be honest it’s not a bad hand at all."

Go to this location for the complete interview. Click here for the first part of the interview.