“When it came time to put it on stage and take it on tour, it was, ‘There should never be another singer of Static-X that’s a person.” The first of two volumes, “Project Regeneration Vol. 1″ featured 12 brand new tracks, containing many of the final vocal performances and musical compositions of Static, along with Campos, Jay and Fukuda. In a new interview with Audio Ink Radio, Edsel Dope said he believes the Xer0 character offers his some privacy and that his moniker in the band should be respected. Dope also mentions that having Xer0 as the frontman for Static-X, and not Edsel Dope or whoever else, allows the band to have a future beyond the iconic Wayne Static. Edsel spoke about his part in honoring Wayne Static’s memory by controlling how his legacy is managed, including the release of Project Regeneration in 2021.
“I feel like as long as we never put another face to STATIC-X, Wayne will always be the face of STATIC-X. It’s appropriate. That was the number one most important thing. I’ll help my friends. This all started in 2014. In 2014, I moved to L.A. I was working on the DRAMA CLUB project and I really, really wanted to produce another band and make a great record without me being in the band. I just wanted to move the controls, do what I do and help another band sound great. I had done it with a couple of other bands that I produced, but I wanted to do it with a band of note. Back in October 2019, a photo was posted online clearly showing that Dope and Xer0 shared the same neck tattoo. However, Edsel later posted a lengthy statement on his band’s Facebook page attempting to quash the rumors, implying Xer0′s distinctive body ink was in fact a Photoshop job. Dope even provided a photograph of himself supposedly observing a STATIC-X performance sidestage to prove he and Xer0 were not the same person. “If it was 25 years ago, we wouldn’t have any of this mess because we’d call the editor of fucking Rolling Stone magazine and go, ‘Hey, dude, we’re gonna let you in on what’s happening,’ and they would go, ‘Oh, this is great,’ and they would get behind it and they would properly help you tell your story to the world. But in the world that we currently live in, that’s not the goal. The goal is, as I said, to be the naysayer and to be the one who lets you in on the fact that there is no Santa Claus and ruins the parade for everybody because they’re just dicks.”
“When it came time to put it on stage and take it on tour, it was, ‘There should never be another singer of Static-X… STATIC-X’s recent tour celebrated the 20th anniversary of the band’s platinum-certified “Wisconsin Death Trip” album and paid homage to Static, who died eight years ago. “It was the first time we cracked the Billboard Top 20. I remember walking into a mall, and there was our record. I couldn’t… I also think that if you put any musician out there in a mask, everyone’s first question is “who is it?” Look at Sleep Token.
I didn’t understand at the time the depth of addiction that Wayne was under. referring to Wayne Static‘s wife, Tera Wray, who passed away in 2016 That was what I was going to have to worry about. “When I got to L.A., the first thing I did was a short West Coast tour with DOPE and Wayne Static,” he continued. “I purposely did this because I wanted to reconnect with Wayne and start the conversation with him about — I’m a businessman and energy guy. It made no sense to me that Wayne Static was on tour celebrating the anniversary of ‘Wisconsin Death Trip’, playing the album in its entirety as Wayne Static to small crowds. “The motive behind it is that I, Edsel Dope, have zero interest in being the frontman, face or being known as the singer of STATIC-X,” he said.
Tour Dates
And he’s probably right – Wayne Static was the face of Static-X, and trying to put someone new in his place would’ve been a bad call. The reaction to the costume for Xer0 was originally mixed, but it seems like everyone’s cool with it now and having fun.
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- How many editorials have you seen out there trying to figure out who they are?
- “Sadly, even though it’s Wayne Static playing STATIC-X songs, it’s not the same as STATIC-X.
- “In many ways, I’m not a big afterlife person, but in this very room, I have felt him tapping me on the shoulder going, ‘Don’t fuck this up, man.’ I have a really great relationship with his family. If there was any pressure, it was self-induced because I try to imagine what it would be like if someone were doing this for me and how much I would want them to care and how much I would want them to make sure it was done right. That was the number one focus. That was where all the energy went.
Was there ever any doubt that ‘Xer0,’ the highly unsettling Wayne Static cosplayer currently touring with Static-X (tickets), is, in fact, lead Dope dope Edsel Dope? Dope are on every single one of Static-X’s tour dates, the same way Black Label Society used to be on every Ozzfest. Also, pretending to be Wayne Static every night is probably a nice change of edsel dope xero pace from pretending to be a car.
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Both volumes are being worked on by longtime STATIC-X producer Ulrich Wild. In a recent interview with Blabbermouth, Dope opened up about his decision to adopt the name Xer0 and conceal himself in a mask while performing. He also reminisced fondly on his close relationship with late STATIC-X frontman Wayne Static and detailed their shared experience of co-headlining tours in the mid 2010s when he first embarked on solo endeavors. Well, if there was any doubt, you can now lay that doubt to rest. The Danish ‘zine Metal a Day spotted one of Edsel’s tattoos in a photo of ‘Xer0’ performing. So unless some dude has the same exact ink in the same exact spot as the guy who was already rumored to be the Static-X character, this settles it.
EDSEL DOPE Once Again Responds To Rumors He Is STATIC-X’s Singer XER0
The problem with being a mysterious character in the world of entertainment is if you have a prior history in the world, and recognizable tattoos, it’s very hard to keep your identity a secret. While the identity of Static-X’s new frontman has been rumored to be Edsel Dope, we now have some definitive evidence of his true identity. “And we were always friends, but now we’re like the best of friends. And we owe each other a lot. I’m grateful for the opportunity because without those guys and the years of work they put into building STATIC-X, I wouldn’t have a project to land all those efforts too. And for them, without my efforts to help them survive and exist in the modern day, they would have this band that is no longer around. For lack of a better word, we literally brought STATIC-X back from the dead. And it took allof us to do it.” The group issued five more studio albums before disbanding permanently in June 2013. “You have to understand that if we didn’t make that an absolute mission of ours that people would shit all over it and they would have done everything they could to discredit it. And if it were Edsel Dope singing for Static-X, it would be, ‘Oh, it’s Static Dope.’ Or if it was Burton from Fear Factory, it would be, like, ‘Oh, Static Factory.’ It’s, like, ‘Go fuck yourself.’ You can’t give people the ability to control your narratives or else they’re gonna control it in the worst fucking way possible, because, for whatever reason, that’s the culture that we currently exist in. Brief interjection – writing about Ghost’s lore and writing about the business and creative side of Ghost are two different things.
“In many ways, I’m not a big afterlife person, but in this very room, I have felt him tapping me on the shoulder going, ‘Don’t fuck this up, man.’ I have a really great relationship with his family. If there was any pressure, it was self-induced because I try to imagine what it would be like if someone were doing this for me and how much I would want them to care and how much I would want them to make sure it was done right. That was the number one focus. That was where all the energy went. When Erickson noted that social media has given everyone a voice, which in turn has turned out to be more of “negative than a positive”, Dope concurred. “When I got to L.A., the first thing I did was a short West Coast tour with Dope and Wayne Static. I purposely did this because I wanted to reconnect with Wayne and start the conversation with him about — I’m a businessman and energy guy. It made no sense to me that Wayne Static was on tour celebrating the anniversary of Wisconsin Death Trip, playing the album in its entirety as Wayne Static to small crowds. Sadly, even though it’s Wayne Static playing Static-X songs, it’s not the same as Static-X. The amount of people showing up to see Wayne Static was infantile to what would have been if it was Static-X. “Sadly, even though it’s Wayne Static playing STATIC-X songs, it’s not the same as STATIC-X. The amount of people showing up to see Wayne Static was infantile to what would have been if it was STATIC-X.
Rumors began to swirl that Xer0 was actually Dope frontman Edsel Dope, which have since been confirmed and discussed by Dope himself. Despite everyone knowing the identity of Xer0, Dope still doesn’t want to be known as the guy who fronts Static-X. Campos went on to say that he “knew there would be some negativity” on the Internet once STATIC-X had announced its comeback. “But I think once people heard our story and heard that Wayne’s family had given us their blessing to do what we were doing, and then once they actually saw it, I think that was the big turning point. Once people came out and experienced the show and saw what we were doing, I think it made most of those people turn around.” “Really and truthfully, it’s not so much about it being private as it is about respecting the brand of Static-X and retaining the respect when writing or discussing it. And a good example I can use for that is Ghost. Everybody knows that there’s a dude called Tobias that’s behind the paint, but when people write about Ghost, they don’t call him Tobias; they respect the entity and they call him Papa whatever the fuck he is. And that’s because they respect the creative, they respect the artistic integrity of it enough to honor that.” The first of two volumes, “Project Regeneration Vol. 1″ featured 12 brand new tracks, containing many of the final vocal performances and musical compositions of Static, along with bassist Tony Campos, drummer Ken Jay and guitarist Koichi Fukuda.
Static-X reunited in 2018 with the lineup of original members bassist Tony Campos, guitarist Koichi Fukuda, and drummer Ken Jay alongside new vocalist Xer0. Xer0 is widely believed to be Dope vocalist Edsel Dope, who has spoken at length about his position in the band. Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.
EDSEL DOPE: ‘I Have No Interest In Being The Frontman, Face Or’ Being ‘Known As The Singer Of STATIC-X’
Lore stories refer to the character, while interviews are always done with Tobias Forge the person. Nobody’s out here changing Xer0′s name to Edsel Dope in stories about tours or any quotes about upcoming bands. But Edsel Dope is certainly talking about Static-X as Edsel Dope, and is referred to as such. Dope is currently touring Europe with Static-X, and will support the nu metal band on the second leg of their North American tour, which kicks off in Austin, Texas November 8. In his statement, Dope also expressed his gratitude at the chance to tour alongside the nu metal band in honour of Wayne Static and Static-X’s album ‘Wisconsin Death Trip’, which marks its 20th anniversary this year. Here’s Edsel in simpler times, offering some logical advice for musicians looking to fund their career by slinging dope, like he did.
“With STATIC-X, we knew very early on that we were not going to have the overwhelming support of the media and the community,” Edsel continued. Edsel then discussed the role he’s taken on to ensure Wayne Static’s legacy is handled properly, including the 2020 “Project Regeneration” album that consisted of Wayne’s last recordings. “For me, when coming onboard to help complete the last bit of music that Wayne left behind, which ended up accidentally stumbling into what became a treasure trove of content, which I’m so excited and so blessed to have been the guy who got to uncover it,” he said.
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