Eventually, my writing caught some notice, and I was asked to join the team at Doomed and Stoned. “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. “I have personally seen their tears of joy and their expressions of gratitude and approval for the way that Tony, Ken, Koichi, & Xer0 are celebrating the music and memorializing the life and legacy of their son and sibling, Wayne Wells Static. “I personally get to see the joy, the tears, and the incredible sense of healing that is occurring on the faces and in the hearts of Static-X fans, each and every night, around the world. In the next couple of years, I was asked to contribute to The Ripple Effect, It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine, and am a regular monthly contributor to the Doom Charts. With this volume out, and people already looking forward to Volume II, I questioned Tony about how the two albums compare.
“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.” 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. 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. I knew that if people showed up to see us, they would be blown away by the vision we had for this. I knew that people wanted Wisconsin Death Trip, and I knew that they had no real idea of how the hell we could give them that without Wayne.
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Thankfully there were some tapes Wayne had recorded before his death, and through the efforts of the band members from the Wisconsin Death Trip-era of Static-X, we are now able to relive what Wayne dubbed “Evil Disco”. Originally released in 2009, now available on streaming services for the first time. Last year, STATIC-X wrapped up a world tour comprised of nearly 100 mostly sold-out dates in celebration of the 20th anniversary of its platinum-selling debut album “Wisconsin Death Trip”.
- 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”.
- Thankfully there were some tapes Wayne had recorded before his death, and through the efforts of the band members from the Wisconsin Death Trip-era of Static-X, we are now able to relive what Wayne dubbed “Evil Disco”.
- In the next couple of years, I was asked to contribute to The Ripple Effect, It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine, and am a regular monthly contributor to the Doom Charts.
- “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.”
- It is difficult for me to put into words, because technically, I am front and center, but somehow we were able to make it so that the focus wasn’t really on me.
- Along with the news of the new record came a pair of new songs, “Believe” and “No Respect,” which can be heard here.
In time, the design of the mask will likely morph and mutate, but I really have no desire to ever perform with Static-X without it. I think wayne is being remembered and honored the best and awesomest way he is. I don’t care a bit about the politics or who fucked over who, doesn’t matter. What matters is that they’re doing a solid tribute to Wayne, and if they continue on with the band, fine. Static-X has been described as industrial metal, nu metal, and alternative metal. Self-described as “evil disco”, Static-X’s style, according to The Washington Post, “combines electronic elements influenced by industrial artists such as Ministry and Skinny Puppy with the harshness of bands like Pantera”.
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“I needed a name,” he continues, explaining he settled on Zer0 “because it’s like starting over — zero followers, zero fans, zero expectations.” Edsel Dope, founder of nu-metal/industrial outfit Dope, has been rumored to be Xer0, the frontman taking the stage in tribute to the late Wayne Static in the reactivated Static-X lineup. He’s avoided confirming this over the years and, during a recent interview as well as a promotional video, he admitted he had been touring anonymously as Zer0 in the electronica duo Drama Club. 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”.
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. While Xer0’s identity has never been officially revealed, speculation has generally pointed at Dope singer Edsel Dope, though Edsel himself has denied this. In 2012, Wayne Static decided to reform Static-X, but none of the original members would join him. He’s another great human being and the energy that he brings to this band both on and offstage is very special.
Compared with an old photo of Edsel Dope, the tattoo seems to be an exact match. A super close up shows a similar gap in the tattoo, looking almost like an cartoonish orbital socket. Since his debut in Static-X, Xer0 has covered his neck to conceal any identifying features. However, during an Oct. 7 concert in Hamberg, Germany, Xer0’s neckerchief slipped down, revealing a tattoo on the right side of his neck.
Right now, I am just focused on doing my part to complete all of this new Static-X music for my old friend Wayne, his family, and for the fans, while we gear up to play these remaining handful of shows that were booked into 2020. I also felt that wearing a mask would allow me to keep the focus on the 4 guys that created the music of Wisconsin Death Trip. I believe that the fans really appreciated the fact that our intention was to represent Wayne on this 20th Anniversary tour, rather than attempting to replace him.
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It is difficult for me to put into words, because technically, I am front and center, but somehow we were able to make it so that the focus wasn’t really on me. “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 edsel dope xero 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 project began in 2013 with the aim of playing late night parties and to distance himself from the working world and other music he has famously been a part of. “I didn’t want anybody to know who the fuck I was. I just wanted to put on a mask and disappear and go do something creative and fun,” Edsel said on the Ryan Seaman and Friends podcast.
I became very inspired by the challenge and the more I got involved, and the more I begin to dig into what was there, the more responsibility I began to feel toward doing this for Wayne and I just got sucked into the project further and further. I’m a producer and a vocalist / guitarist, and I live in L.A., so it was kind of unavoidable that I would be involved with this project to one degree or another. In retrospect, this feels like it kind of falls under that mystical category of “meant to be.” Just yesterday (Oct. 7) Static-X revealed a U.S. tour with DevilDriver, Dope, Wednesday 13 and Raven Black.
But Edsel Dope is certainly talking about Static-X as Edsel Dope, and is referred to as such. The irony is quite obvious as the aliases are nearly identical and are pronounced (presumably) the exact same way. It’s sure to send certain fans right down the rabbit hole from whence they came in regards to uncovering the true identity of the enigmatic Xer0. In the fall of 2019, Edsel Dope even addressed the rumors that he is Xer0 in Static-X in a statement that dismissed a story claiming to have photographic proof of his neck tattoos being exposed. He dubbed it “clikcbait and hilarious” and provided Photoshopped images of various celebrities sporting that same neck tattoo. I had some basic dialog with Tony, and I just started listening to what he had and it just began to quickly grow into something really exciting to me.
In Other Projects
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. “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.” 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. 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.
Static-X’s style also has used elements of genres such as techno, speed metal, and thrash metal. Static-X was founded in 1994 after the disbandment of Wayne Static’s prior band, Deep Blue Dream. Static played in the band in the late 1980s with future Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan. However, when the Smashing Pumpkins began to gain popularity, Corgan made the choice to commit all of his attention to The Smashing Pumpkins, and the band eventually disbanded. Static and Ken Jay later moved to Los Angeles to start a new band with guitarist Emerson Swinford, whom they had met through their mutual friend, Chicago singer-songwriter, PJ Olsson.
The reaction to the costume for Xer0 was originally mixed, but it seems like everyone’s cool with it now and having fun. 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. How many editorials have you seen out there trying to figure out who they are? It’s just that natural curiosity to want to know who’s behind the music you like. We’ve covered everything they’ve done since the reunion, and frankly I liked the first Project Regeneration record.