The rock world is reeling over the news we got this weekend about passing of Wayne Static of Static-X. From his former managers to all his legions of fans, comments are pouring out all over the net. He was only 48. Wayne Richard Wells, passed away quietly in his sleep, according to a publicist. Static-X was just getting ready to head out on co-headlining tours with Powerman 5000 and Drowning Pool when he died. There has been no official confirmation of the cause of death, but some of Static’s music industry colleagues suggested in their reactions that drugs may have been involved, but his publicist insisted the singer and guitarist had kicked hard drugs in 2009, adding, “This is not a drug related incident or an OD.” Static is survived by his wife, porn star Tera Wray, who he married in January 2008. A native of Michigan who later moved to Chicago, Wayne Static founded Static-X in 1994 after the break-up of his previous band, Deep Blue Dream. Static played in that group with Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan. Static-X became one of the most popular acts in the so-called “nu metal” movement, selling more than one million copies of its 1999 debut, Wisconsin Death Trip. The disc included the rock radio hit “Push It.” Static-X released five more studio albums, with the last being Cult Of Static in 2009. The band broke up shortly after that, reformed again with a new lineup in 2012, then disbanded permanently in June 2013. A 2012 tour was short-circuited due to Static’s unspecified health issues. Static released his first and only solo album, Pighammer, in 2011. His live performances were insane! He’d flail around the stage and you were sure he was going to hurt himself or someone else! And his gravity-defying hair style was like one of the wonders of the world! (He told me once he used egg whites in the early days!) Wayne Static told us several years back his philosophy of playing in a live rock band: “We go up there and we have a good time on stage. We’re well rehearsed as a band, we work really hard to make sure we play the songs well, and that we’re tight as a band and we go up and have fun. That’s what people want to see. They don’t want to see a band go up there and look bored or a band go up there and get bummed out ’cause their guitar went out of tune or whatever technical problems you have, you know. It’s like, ‘Who cares?’ It’s a party, you know?”
ROCKERS REACT TO THE DEATH OF WAYNE STATIC:
Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach): “RIP Wayne. This is so sad. Too many musicians are dying from overdoses . . . I know drugs and partying are part of the ‘rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle,’ but damn, how many more gotta die??? F*** the lifestyle, I want life!!!! See you on the other side, Wayne.”
Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins): “I am shocked to hear that Wayne Wells has passed away . . . He was a real gentleman, and loved music (and Kiss, Ace in particular). Even had his the hood of his car painted with the Kiss logo.”
Corey Taylor (Slipknot/Stone Sour): “I am absolutely devastated to hear about Wayne Static’s death. A good man and a good friend. My thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Aaron Lewis (Staind): “My heart goes out to Wayne’s family. He was my friend. Many shows and tours together. I’m stunned and shocked. RIP my dear friend #speechless”
Jonathan Davis (Korn): “Rest in peace, Wayne. I’m speechless right now. I’m losing too many of my friends. I’ll see you on the other side, brother.”
John 5 (Rob Zombie): “Very saddened to hear that Wayne Static has passed away in his sleep . . . My thoughts are with his wife and family and friends.”
Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil): “Shocked. Waking up with the horrific news someone you knew died is the worst feeling in the world… R.I.P. Wayne.”
Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit): “RIP Wayne Richard Wells. His contributions are timeless.”
Jeremy Spencer (Five Finger Death Punch): “What a shame. R.I.P. Wayne Static.”
Morgan Rose (Sevendust): “Crushed to hear the news of Wayne Static passing away. We played many shows together. Horrible news. RIP Wayne.”
David Draiman (Disturbed): “Goodbye old friend.”
Pete Loeffler (Chevelle): “Just heard about Wayne Static passing away. Sad news indeed. We played with Static-X a hell of a lot over the years. RIP bro.”
On a much lighter note, Seether posted the video for their new singler, “Same Damn Life.” Directed by Nathan Cox, you will be hard pressed to recognize Shaun Morgan in this one! Check it out here. Seether will be announcing a major tour soon….Did you catch the third episode of Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways? This one was set in Nashville. It’s sooo great! The new tune is called “Congregation” featuring Zac Brown. I gotta say, if Dave Grohl isn’t nominated for an Emmy for this, I will call foul!….Pulse of Radio also reports this morning about our friend Rob Zombie, who has announced his next movie as a director, 31, is ready to move forward now that the crowd-funding campaign for the project is complete. According to theHollywood Reporter, Zombie’s 90-day campaign to raise a budget for the movie hit enough of his goals for him to set a February start date for production to begin. Zombie said about the end of the campaign, “Without the fans raising funds and helping to build buzz, a crazy film like this would have been almost impossible to get off the ground. I owe the fans big time on this one.” Zombie told us getting any movie project off the ground is much tougher than a lot of fans realize: “For every movie I’ve gotten made, there’s been five movies in between that I put a lot of work into that never happened. But people only see the ones that happen, so they don’t know, so they think, ‘Oh, every time you want to make a movie, it just happens, because you want it to.’ But it just doesn’t work that way, you know, it’s really hard getting things made and sometimes you spend a lot of time and a lot of money working on these things and they just don’t happen.” 31 is set at Halloween and follows five carnival workers who are kidnapped and held hostage in a large secret compound known as Murder World, where they have 12 hours to survive a game called “31,” in which murderous maniacs dressed as clowns try to kill them. Zombie said that the story was inspired by hearing a statistic that claimed more people go missing and are never from again on Halloween than any other day. He explained, “I thought that’s a good premise for a film. Add in the fact that everyone I know seems to really hate clowns and now you got a film.” Zombie hopes that 31 will kick off a new franchise. His previous films include The Lords Of Salem, The Devil’s Rejects, the 2007 remake of Halloween and House Of 1000 Corpses…..Nine Inch Nails main man Trent Reznor has revealed in a new interview with Billboard he’s working on an undisclosed music-related project for Apple. Reznor is the chief creative officer for Beats Music, the streaming service started by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine purchased by Apple earlier this year. Asked about his new effort for Apple, Reznor said, “Beats was bought by Apple, and they expressed direct interest in me designing some products with them. I can’t go into details, but I feel like I’m in a unique position where I could be of benefit to them. That does mean some compromises in terms of how much brain power goes toward music and creating. This is very creative work that’s not directly making music, but it’s around music.” Reznor hinted the project is in the “world” of music delivery, adding, “It’s exciting to me, and I think it could have a big enough impact that it’s worth the effort. I’m fully in it right now, and it’s challenging, and it’s unfamiliar and it’s kind of everything I asked for — and the bad thing is it’s everything I asked for.” Reznor also told Billboard he’s working on new Nine Inch Nails music, but doesn’t see himself going out on another 11-month tour like the one he just did, explaining, “I don’t see any full-fledged rock extravaganza happening maybe ever, certainly not for the next several years.” (what?!!!) Nine Inch Nails has been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, with Reznor saying, “I find it flattering to be one of the nominees. It would be an honor to be a part of that if it goes that way. And if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I’ve done the best work I can do.” The latest Nine Inch Nails album, Hesitation Marks, came out in September 2013 after a hiatus of more than four years. Reznor’s most recent musical work is the score for the movie Gone Girl, which he composed with longtime collaborator Atticus Ross. The pair also composed the scores for The Social Network and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo…..Celebrating birthdays today: Slipknot’s Mick Thompson is 41 and Tim McIlrath of Rise Against is 35. Keep your eyes peeled for some news on Rise Against later today!