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.
“There’s one living, breathing singer of Static-X, and that’s Wayne Static. And then there’s a character, an entity, for lack of better words, that was created in order to allow Static-X to have a future and to continue and be the legacy act that they are and tour and perform, and we gave that character a name that is respective to Static-X and fits the branding of what Static-X is, and that’s what the importance is. It’s the importance of recognizing the character as opposed to recognizing the person behind the character.” DOPE leader Edsel Dope has shared his thoughts on “Xer0”, the masked frontman of STATIC-X who is widely believed to be him. In a recent interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Edsel talked about the unique position of fronting STATIC-X in place of deceased vocalist/guitarist Wayne Static while trying to remain faceless. In an interview with Blabbermouth, Dope discussed his choice to go by the name Xer0 and to wear a mask on stage. He also touched on his relationship with the late Static-X frontman Wayne Static and touring with Static when he was going solo in the mid-2010s. Static-X reformed in 2018 with the mysterious Xer0 fronting the band.
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- I didn’t understand at the time the depth of addiction that Wayne was under.
- “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…
- Both volumes are being worked on by longtime STATIC-X producer Ulrich Wild.
- Funny enough, this is the second time the mystery member of a prominent band has been identified by an exposed tattoo, after Slipknot’s Alessandro Venturella.
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.
“When it came time to put it on stage and take edsel dope xero 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.
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.
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.
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“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.”
This album featured some of Wayne‘s final recordings and was a way to commemorate him after he passed away. On October 12, Edsel Dope posted a lengthy statement on his band’s Facebook page quashing the rumours, implying Xer0’s telltale neck tat was in fact a Photoshop job. “I have quietly sat through all of this speculation and have thoroughly enjoyed the ride,” it began. Last week, Static-X fans thought they had identified the reformed band’s mysterious vocalist Xer0 as Edsel Dope – but the frontman of Dope has since quashed those claims, comparing the speculation to “an episode of Scooby-Doo”.
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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.
“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.
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.
Either way, if you were planning on catching some of these Static-X reunion shows, this confirmation shouldn’t really stop you. The band is on tour right now with DevilDriver, Dope, Wednesday 13, and Raven Black. Dope continued, saying that if Static-X had hired just a regular old non-costume-wearing vocalist, there would’ve been a shitstorm.
In 2018, STATIC-X resurrected and introduced the enigmatic Xer0 as their new frontman. Gossip quickly spread that Xer0 was actually Edsel Dope of DOPE fame–and these rumors have since been validated by Dope himself. Despite this knowledge, however, it seems Edsel is not keen on being recognized for his role in STATIC-X‘s resurgence. Funny enough, this is the second time the mystery member of a prominent band has been identified by an exposed tattoo, after Slipknot’s Alessandro Venturella.