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Thursday, Jan. 23, 2:30 p.m. ET

Pete Townshend's arrest on suspicion of possessing indecent images of
children has the music world buzzing. The legendary rock guitarist and
co-founder of The Who has acknowledged using an Internet Web site
advertising child pornography, but said he was not a pedophile and was
only doing research for an autobiography dealing with his own suspected
childhood sexual abuse. Chat with W.A.S.P. lead singer Blackie Lawless,
a Townshend defender and himself no stranger to controversy, about the
story.


 
 

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Rome, Italy: Why he needed to pay a kiddie porn site to make his
research, when he already saw that those horrible images can be viewed
so easily just entering a fews words on internet search engines? 

Blackie Lawless: I have no idea. I can't speak for that. I'm not here
to act as legal counsel. Those are questions that will have to be
answered later.

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Comment from Blackie Lawless: Please understand I'm not trying to be
evasive, but it's important for people to understand I can't speak for
anyone else, especially when I have no first-hand knowledge of the
actual events.

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Comment from USATODAY.com Host: Sorry, we've lost Blackie. We'll get
going again in a minute.

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Denver, Co: What do you think of the newspapers and News TV stations
that automatically presume Towhshend guilty? How some even make "wrong"
references to the song "fiddle about" suggesting he wrote it about his
obsession with child molestation, when in fact it was written by the
late great Ox. Have any "false" claims ever been referenced at you? 

Blackie Lawless: The way that the national media has portrayed it
worldwide is nothing short of appalling. I saw images on TV where they
put a picture of Pete up and behind that was a television, and behind
him was a silhouetted image of a child. These images create a mindset
in the public that creates a circus-type atmosphere. We live in an era
where the media can assume guilt, which is a very dangerous place for
all of us to be, because even if a person is exonerated later, because
of the stigma that the media has placed on that individual, it will
follow that person for the rest of their lives, and there will always
be that doubt cast over them.

On numerous occasions I've had false claims leveled at me, because the
national media is a circus media. They require colossal amounts of fuel
to feed that machinery. If they had their war right now, which they're
going to be getting in about six weeks, then you would have never heard
a mention of this anywhere. This machinery is kind of like a giant
tractor. Whatever gets in its way will be consumed and chopped into a
million pieces, only to feed its own existence. It's a sad, sad state
of affairs that we all have to be subject to because of tabloid
journalism. The whole idea of tabloid journalism is an oxymoron unto
itself.

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Montreal, Canada: Hi Blackie, My name is Tony, and I would like to know
why do you think in your own words that Pete is Innocent? Don't you
think you should leave it up to his lawyer to defend him. And what are
your reasons for defending the Legendary Rock Guitarist? How can you be
so sure that he is not guilty? Are you with him night and day, and able
to know every move he makes?? What are your motives for defending him,
Publicity for the New W.A.S.P Album? 

Blackie Lawless: First of all the new W.A.S.P. album isn't due until
the end of the year. I need more publicity like I need a hole in the
head. I've been asked to do many many things, and rarely do I ever come
forward to make statements. It has to be something I'm passionate
about. 

If you look at the causes that Pete has stood for, one of them being
child abuse, it's very very hard for a rational thinking person to
believe that he could have been involved with what the media has
portrayed this to be. What's really bafflesome about it is when a
person puts so much of their time and effort into HELPING a cause and
then have it turned around back at them. It would be a similar
situation to you going into a bank, witnessing a robbery taking place,
doing something to try to prevent it, and then for some reason the
police later believing you were involved in robbing the bank.

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Finland: During your time in the business you have fought against many
organizations and beliefs. And now you are fighting on the behalf of an
idol. Do you think that in a similar situation you yourself would get
support from other musicians? Arto for the Altar of W.A.S.P. webpage. 

Blackie Lawless: That's kind of like wondering who would show up at
your funeral. You never really know.

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Tampa, Florida: Blackie, I'm a fan of yours much in the same manner as
you are of Pete. I've noticed that you have become a target for
speaking out and defending Pete. Do you think this might be why more
artists and musicians are Scared to Death to take a stand like you
have? BTW-I saw your Unholy Terror show in St.Pete and you guys were
great. =) 

Blackie Lawless: Probably so. It's not just musicians, though. I've
noticed that there have been prominent journalists who have also been
afraid to come forward on this. If there's any one thing I ever learned
from Pete, it's "tell the truth", no matter how painful it may be. If I
didn't do that right now, as strongly as I feel about this, everything
I ever learned from him would be in vain.

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Tulsa, Oklahoma: Pete Towsend's trouble would seem to derive from the
fact that he attempted to do independent research into an area
considered taboo and did so without benefit of association with a
"legitimate" sponser such as law enforcement, university or other
institution. How would you recommend that an individual with
intelectual, non-prurient interests in this and other subjects be
protected from prosecution and comdemnation? 

Blackie Lawless: I'm not here to represent as legal counsel. I can only
give my personal opinions, and because this is an area that I've not
had experience in I can only talk about the things that I do know.

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New York, NY: When was your most recent communication with Pete
Townshend? Has he reacted to your support? 

Blackie Lawless: With everything that's going on right now, I've not
had any communication at all, nor did I expect or want it, because
that's not the reason I did it. I did this for two reasons. Number one,
to keep from having this thing tried in the world court of public
opinion, and secondly to try to get other CREDIBLE musicians to come
forward on his behalf.

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Uppsala, Sweden: What do you feel about rock radio stations like the
one in Saginaw, MI that immediately banned THE WHO's music after Mr.
Townshend's statements? 

Blackie Lawless: I rest my case. When I made the comment about this
thing not being tried in the world court of public opinion, this is the
very thing I was referring to.

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Fairfield, IL: Do you really care about Pete Townsend and the victims
of child pornography or is this just an opportunity for you to get your
name back out there in the national media and try to jump start your
tired career? Also, please tell me the "treatise" you issued on
Metal-Sludge.com was a joke. Do you really believe the Vatican has the
largest collection of pornography in the world hidden in it's basement?
If you believe in such ridiculous urban legends, then isn't also
possible you would believe anything? I agree with innocent until proven
guilty, but research? With our nation on the brink of war why do you
champion this cause? 

Blackie Lawless: The statement that I'm referring to concerning the
Vatican was by their own admission back in 1978, and I would think that
in light of recent events with their own priests, the Vatican refusing
to acknowledge Israel as a nation until 5 years ago, their admitted
support of Mussolini less than 2 years ago, and a little thing called
in the Inquisition, it would seem to me they're capable of anything. I
don't think it's fair to confuse patriotism (and I definitely am a
patriot) with the whitewashing of a tremendous artist.

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Canton, Illinois: Do you think with all the bad/wrong publicity
surrounding Peter at the moment it will severly damage his carreer? If
so, waht would your advice to him be to get it back on track as the
superb guitarist/songwriter that anyone with the slightest bit of
knowledge of The Who and Peter already know he is? 

Blackie Lawless: First things first. We wait and see what the eventual
outcome is, because if I'm right as well as the others who believe that
this is not what it really appears to be, it's all going to be a lot of
something over nothing.

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Great Bend, KS: Hi Blackie, Just wondering if you have read Pete's
essays (posted on his website last year) dealing with this very issue.
If so, what is your opinion of these writings? It seems to me that Pete
was being very truthful about what he had done. He was very vocal
AGAINST the evils of child porn. He also voiced his feelings on the
current atmosphere in the UK. Do you feel he is being persecuted
because of his statements about the methods of the UK establishment? 

Blackie Lawless: I wrote in my letter to the press that rock and roll
is and always will be a target for authority. I'm well familiar with
his writings, which is the very reason that I'm here trying to speak up
for him now.