The Crimson Idol

The Crimson Idol was the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band W.A.S.P., originally released by Capitol Records in 1992 (1993 in the United States). The album is a concept album, telling the story of the rise and fall of a fictional rock star named Jonathan Steel. The album was originally recorded as a Blackie Lawless solo album, but he bowed to fan pressure and released it under the W.A.S.P. moniker. THE STORY The story of The Crimson Idol revolves around a teenager named Jonathan. He is the son of William and Elizabeth Steel, and brother of Michael Steel. Michael is the favored son of his parents, but Jonathan is a complete failure in their eyes. He runs away from home after his brother is killed in a car accident, and starts to wander the streets, getting addicted to drugs and alcohol. When he walks past a music store, he sees a guitar and wants to become a rock star. He steals the guitar and plays as often as he can, to try to obtain money to record an album. Then he meets a man, "Chainsaw" Charlie, the president of a major record company. He promises to make Jonathan a star, and introduces Jonathan to Alex Rodman, who will become his manager. Jonathan becomes a rock star, but he finds out that life is not as glamorous as it seems. Jonathan has fame and fortune, but not the one thing he always wanted, the love and acceptance of his parents. One night before a concert, Jonathan calls his parents in an attempt to reconcile their differences and heal the emotional wounds between them. According to the story "less than fifty words were spoken" the last four of which being "we have no son." Jonathan realizes that he will never be accepted by his parents and decides to commit suicide. During the aforementioned concert, Jonathan removes the strings from his guitar, shapes them into a noose and hangs himself. THE TRACKLIST All songs written, composed, arranged and produced by Blackie Lawless. "The Titanic Overture" – 3:23 "The Invisible Boy" – 4:04 "Arena of Pleasure" – 4:06 "Chainsaw Charlie (Murders in the New Morgue)" – 7:36 "The Gypsy Meets the Boy" – 4:08 "Doctor Rockter" – 3:43 "I Am One" – 4:27 "The Idol" – 5:20 "Hold on to my Heart" – 4:14 "The Great Misconceptions of Me" – 9:29 The Story of Jonathan (Prologue to The Crimson Idol) - 16:35 (bonus tk) THE BAND Blackie Lawless – vocals, lead guitars, rhythm guitars, bass guitar, keyboards Bob Kulick – lead guitar Frankie Banali – drums Stet Howland – drums