CHRIS HOLMES

The often-overlooked former W.A.S.P. guitarist looks back on his early years, the height of fame and - oh, yes that infamous scene in The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years

- Joe Bosso

A MONG THE MANY memorable (and in some cases, unintentionally hilarious) depictions of rock 'n' roll hedonism featured in Penelope Spheeris' 1988 documentary, The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, one scene in particular became something of an instant classic: It's a night time sequence in which an extremely inebriated Chris Holmes, then the wild and wooly lead guitarist for the notorious shock metal band W.A.S.P., lazes about in a chair float in a swimming pool and chugs freely from a bottle of vodka.

Holmes, then the wild and wooly lead guitarist for the notorious shock metal band W.A.S.P., lazes about in a chair float in a swimming pool and chugs freely from a bottle of vodka.

“I’m a full-blown alcoholic,” he says matter-of-factly to the off-screen Spheeris. He seems sadly self-aware of his own absurdity, yet oddly defiant as he unconvincingly claims, “I’m a happy camper.” Throughout the interview, Holmes’ words become more unintelligible, and his mood grows darker (he states that he’s already had something like five pints of booze that day). Finally, he produces a fresh bottle of vodka, unscrews it and power chugs roughly half of it before pouring what’s left over his head. It’s as if he’s out to prove some sort of point. But what?

Making the scene all the more surreal — and tragic — is the presence of the guitarist’s mother, who sits silently by the pool, her face frozen in a mysterious, inscrutable expression.