Chris Holmes

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Chris Holmes (full name Christopher John Holmes) is a musician who was born June 23, 1958 in Glendale, California and grew up in La Canada, California. He was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon). Together with Blackie Lawless he was one the founding members of the heavy metal band W.A.S.P.

Career

Chris Holmes is a guitarist who is among the break-out crop of rock musicians from the Pasadena area in the late 70's and early 80's. He played in the bands Buster Savage, LAX, and Slave before meeting Blackie Lawless and playing with Blackie in Sister. Out of Sister came W.A.S.P. Chris played in W.A.S.P. from 1983-1990 and again from 1996 until 2001. While still with the band Chris participated in the filming of the rock documentary The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years.[1] In his infamous performance, he was interviewed drunk in his pool with his mother sitting on the side. He showered himself with two bottles of vodka. This "rockumentary" included interviews with members of Motörhead, Aerosmith, Poison, Kiss, Megadeth, London, Faster Pussycat and others discussing their lifestyle and the metal genre in the late 1980s.

Chris left W.A.S.P. after the Headless Children Tour (1989-90) and formed the band Psycho Squad. The song "Mean Man" from The Headless Children album was written by Blackie Lawless about Chris Holmes.

He was briefly married to Lita Ford from June 1990 to July 1991. Holmes rejoined W.A.S.P. in 1996 and remained lead guitarist until 2001 when he decided to call it quits for good. He was briefly a touring guitarist for L.A. Guns, after they parted with Tracii Guns. In mid-2002, Chris was contacted by friend and former bandmate, Randy Piper to join Randy's band Animal. Chris relocated to Ohio to prepare for the upcoming Animal tour "900 lb Steam" Tour in 2003. The tour went off without a hitch and after the end of the tour, Animal decided to go back into the studio to record the next album with Chris. However, Chris had prior obligations back in L.A. and had to move back home to L.A.

Since Chris' return home in late 2003, he has worked with a number of bands producing and laying some guitar work. Currently 2008 has been a good year for keeping the MeanMan onstage while playing gigs with L.A.'s Big Ball Stars and having friend/webmaster Tim Meredyk create the Official Chris Holmes Myspace for Chris while still keeping up with the other Holmes sites. Chris was involved in the Randy Rhoads Documentary directed by Peter M. Margolis and expected to be released in the fall of 2009 on Dakota Films. Last month, March 2009, VH1 Classic had aired the Roc Docs. episode, "Do It For The Band: The Women Of The Sunset Strip" in which Chris also appears.

Guitars

• Ibanez Destroyer (Red) - In an interview, Chris said that this guitar was borrowed by Eddie Van Halen for the recording of the Women and Children First album. The guitar can be seen in the Neil Zlozower "Women and Children First" Sunset Sound studio photographs. Eddie had a similar Ibanez Destroyer that he modified after recording Van Halen I into the Shark Destroyer. Eddie did not like the tone after the modification so he borrowed Chris Holmes's Ibanez Destroyer. Chris's Red Ibanez Destroyer is distinctive as it was modified to have only a single volume control whereas usually there are 3 volume and tone controls. The Red Ibanez Destroyer is still in his possession. [2] [3].
• Jackson (Charvel) Customparts Star (Yellow, completely beaten-up)
• Jackson Custom Star (Bloodsplatter)
• Jackson Custom Rhoads (Black with white bevels)
• Jackson Custom Rhoads (White, later sent back to customshop, wing cut, slimmer neck and zebra/lion graphic added). Sold on eBay, currently residing in Finland.
• Jackson Custom Star (Black with Harley Davidson graphic and yellow bevels) Sold on eBay.
• Fender Stratocaster (Red w. White pickguard) seen once on a TV Show.
• Jackson Custom Star (Budweiser graphic and reverse Strathead-neck) Smashed by Lita Ford.
• Jackson Flying V (Natural).
• Jackson Custom Explorer (Headless Children graphic).
• Gibson Flying V (Black w. White pickguard).
• Destroyer (Black)

"The Metal Years" Interview

Holmes is infamous for his contribution to the 1988 documentary The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, during which he was interviewed while floating in a swimming pool, fully clothed and visibly intoxicated. This interview stood out in stark contrast to the more light-hearted and humorous interviews conducted by director Penelope Spheeris, which mostly portrayed rockers as good-natured, though often dimwitted or deluded, party animals.

During the interview, Holmes smiled drunkenly at the camera, deeming himself "a full-blown alcoholic" and "a piece of crap" despite his band's success, and punctuated his remarks by guzzling from three bottles of vodka. At the end of the interview, Holmes upends a full bottle of Smirnoff over his head as he rolls out of his inflatable chair and into the water. Holmes' mother Sandy Holmes is also present during the interview, sitting at poolside with her own drink and trying to ignore her son's taunts.

Later, it was alleged that Chris Holmes and a friend had filled empty vodka bottles with water to give the illusion that Chris was actually drinking and pouring the vodka over himself. Regardless, Chris was most certainly fully intoxicated at the time of the interview.

External links

• Official Chris Holmes Myspace Page
• Interview