Blind In Texas

Zoo Freaks, the Zoo Crew is cranking up the volume with "Blind In Texas" by W.A.S.P. from their 1985 album The Last Command, and this track is a wild ride through the Lone Star State. According to a fan comment on SongMeanings, frontman Blackie Lawless wrote the song after a rough week gigging in Houston, where he was less than thrilled with the locals and the scorching Texas heat. The following week, while in a northern state—possibly Minnesota—Lawless found himself caught in a blinding blizzard, inspiring him to mash up the Texas experience with the idea of being "blind" in a chaotic, booze-fueled haze. The song’s lyrics, with lines like “An El Paso hellhole, I couldn’t get much higher” and “I drank Dallas whiskey and lost my mind,” paint a picture of a raucous drinking spree across Texas cities, from San Antonio to Waco. It’s a straightforward, high-energy rocker with no hidden meanings, just pure, unapologetic fun, as noted in a 2023 blog post on Crooked Wanderer, which calls it a “big and loud song, as huge as the state it’s named for.”

Adding to the song’s lore, the music video for "Blind In Texas" is a campy spectacle, dropping a leather-clad, codpiece-wearing W.A.S.P. into an old-timey cowboy saloon, complete with a cameo from ZZ Top, as mentioned in a 2015 Ultimate Classic Rock article. A 2024 X post by @doomedparade humorously questions the anachronistic setting, noting the band’s claim of “highballs in Houston, three for a dime” feels like 19th-century pricing. The track was the lead single from The Last Command, which went platinum, though the single itself didn’t chart heavily, per the same Crooked Wanderer post. Tragically, the song resurfaced in 2023 when drummer Steve Riley, who played on the album, passed away at 67 after battling pneumonia, a loss mourned by fans online.

W.A.S.P. got their start in the gritty Los Angeles heavy metal scene of the early 1980s, emerging from the ashes of Blackie Lawless’s previous band, Circus Circus, alongside guitarist Randy Piper. Formed in 1982, the band quickly gained notoriety for their provocative lyrics and shock-rock antics, drawing inspiration from the likes of Alice Cooper. Their name, according to a 2020 YouTube interview with former bassist Rik Fox, came about after Fox encountered a hornet outside Lawless’s home while the band was still called Sister. Trying to kill the insect, Fox noticed its throbbing stinger, which reminded him of the Green Hornet logo. Lawless, liking the imagery, adopted the name and turned it into the acronym W.A.S.P., a nod to their rebellious, in-your-face style, as confirmed by Piper in the same interview. Their 1984 debut album, W.A.S.P., released under Capitol Records, featured hits like “I Wanna Be Somebody” and the controversial “Animal (F**k Like a Beast),” which was omitted from U.S. releases to avoid bans. The band’s early tours with acts like Kiss and a then-unknown Metallica cemented their reputation as a force in heavy metal.

For Zoo Freaks wanting to dive deeper into W.A.S.P., their official website is waspnation.com, where you can find tour dates, merch, and news on their latest projects, including their 2024 tour celebrating 40 years since their debut album. Connect with them on social media via their Facebook, Instagram, and X accounts for updates and fan interactions. Fans can also join the dedicated Blind in Texas - a tribute to WASP Facebook page, a DFW-based tribute band with 848 likes, or check out the r/WASP_Fans subreddit, boasting 1K subscribers, for community discussions and shared love for the band’s legacy.