Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice spoke to ex W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes who is getting ready to do an extensive Canadian tour in April / May 2020.
In the interview Holmes talks about the song set list for his upcoming Canadian tour this April; his upcoming new studio album; plans to write an autobiography and details about his recently completed documentary.
On his song set list for his upcoming Canadian tour April / May 2020
“The show starts with ‘On your Knees'(W.A.S.P.), then ‘Get With it’, ‘Let it Roar’ (solo album), ‘Love Machine’, ‘Sleeping in the Fire’ (W.A.S.P.), ‘The Devil Made me do it’, ‘Had Enough’, ‘I am what I am’ (solo albums), Blind In Texas (W.A.S.P.), ‘Born Work Die’ (solo album), ‘Wild Child’ , ‘Animal’, ‘9 5 Nasty (W.A.S.P.) and at the end I play a few cover songs. ‘Born to be Wild’ (Steppenwolf), ‘War Pigs’ (Black Sabbath), ‘Fortunate Son’ (C.C.R.) and then end the night with ‘Rocking in the Free World’ (Neil Young). So nine songs from W.A.S.P. , about eight from my solo albums and some cover tunes.” My backing band is from Canada and they are called ‘Phoenix in Flames’, they will do good, it will be great.”
On details about his upcoming new solo album
“I got all the songs written, we just have to record them. The musical direction is hard to explain I don’t go towards some direction.There is a song like Black Sabbath in there it’s real heavy slow called ‘Touch Me and Die’ and there is a ballad called ‘It’s In God’s Hands’. The songs off the ‘Under The Influence’ E.P. (2018) that I just did will be part of the new album. My favorite song off the new E.P. album is ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’ because the song is written about me as a teenager. All the songs are on my computer all we have to do now is have the drummer play to them live. The album should be done before the end of this year. The album is heavier than the debut W.A.S.P. album.”
On details of his upcoming documentary
“The documentary is about me starting over in Europe. It goes back five years to the first band members I had and going out on the road. There are interviews with people at the shows and what goes on at the shows. The guy doing the documentary also went to Los Angeles and talked to a lot of my friends in the past, my sister is in there, he went and visited my mom. I think he talked to my uncle and a bunch of people I played with in LA over the years. He also interviewed some people I knew in high school that were roadies in W.A.S.P. A trailer should be released at the end of May 2020 and the documentary should be released before the end of the year.”
On his upcoming Autobiography
“I found out at about 36 years old that I had dyslexia, never knew it before. So I started writing a book a few years ago, in my own handwriting they way I write. One sentence is a whole paragraph to me the way I write. I started writing about the first time I ever heard of music as a child, nine or ten. What my influences were, what my mom listened to as a kid and how that influenced me. How I got my first guitar, going to high school, my bother taking me to concerts. I got up to 16 years old and I stopped. Now we are looking for someone to complete the book and publish.”
Growing up with Van Halen in Pasadena California
“If it wasn’t for Eddie Van Halen I wouldn’t play guitar the way I do, I would not have the sound that I have. We hung out back in the day. Eddie even borrowed a guitar of mine for the second (Van Halen) album. As for David Lee Roth he has always been the same. I have some friend who went to high school with him and they said he was the same in high school as he is today. Dave never had the best voice but it had charisma and it was unique and what he sang about you can’t beat it. Van Halen as a band was in a class of their own.”
