Wayne Wells and Ken Jay arrived in Los Angeles from Chicago in the early 90s, just as nu metal was starting to make its presence felt in the city’s clubs. In 1999, while touring with Ozzfest, Wayne was in a car accident that landed him in the emergency room. Skold. Tony Campos is politely unrepentant. www.iamwaynestatic.com. “I never quit, the band just fell apart,” he says. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a Page. This is so sad. Publicity Listings It was a decision that was viewed in some quarters as misguided at best and a sick stunt at worst. We want to hear from you! His voice became a guttural industrial growl. That unlikely pairing would later hit the studio for DMC’s rap-rock track “Noise Revolution.”, While Static’s cause of death wasn’t revealed, tweets from his musician friends and peers suggest that a drug overdose was to blame. No one really goes into the fact that the prescription meds that Wayne was on weren’t Wayne’s. I’d be OK with that.”. Godsmack. Pitchshifter. Static-X’s fractured original line-up – Tony plus drummer Ken Jay and guitarist Koichi Fukuda – reunited this year for a tour to mark the anniversary of the band’s 1999 debut, Wisconsin Death Trip, and a mooted new album due in early 2020. See you on the other side, Wayne.”, “I am shocked to hear that Wayne Wells (Wayne Static) has passed away. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, But once he stepped out there it was game on. Spouse (1) Tera Wray (10 January 2008 - 1 November 2014) ( his death) Trade Mark (1) His gravity-defying hair . Rather than bring in an established – and recognisable – vocalist, they opted to enlist a singer they’re only calling Xer0, complete with up-swept mitre of jet-black hair and, most controversially, wearing a mask that looks like a zombie Wayne Static. During nu metal’s blossoming, every band had their USP, and Static X’s was Wayne. About See All. So glad I live a sober life today. See more of Wayne Static on Facebook. “They were all on the cusp of getting deals. By |  England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Stations With Wayne Static. You will receive a verification email shortly. “This is celebrating the record, and it’s celebrating Wayne,” says Ken Jay. Static-X are currently on the second leg of their North American Wisconsin Death Trip 20th Anniversary Tour in the US. But success brought its own problems. Receive news and offers from our other brands? |  I can honestly tell you he would think this is funny.”. Away from the spotlight, the Michigan-born, Los Angeles-based singer/guitarist was a man of few words, unless you knew him well. “We got in on the tail-end of that just as Coal Chamber were pretty big, System Of A Down, Snot,” says Tony. His long black hair would be spiked upwards in one electric-shock mass. Flaw . Fuck the lifestyle, I want life!!!! Dave Everley Not so much shy as reserved, taciturn. Biography from Wikipedia. Static-X’s fractured original line-up – Tony plus drummer Ken Jay and guitarist Koichi Fukuda – reunited this year for a tour to mark the anniversary of the band’s 1999 debut, Wisconsin Death Trip, and a mooted new album due in early 2020. “But that was Wayne. Has a Signature Flying V guitar from Epiphone guitars. 269,109 people like this. “Platinum selling musician Wayne Richard Wells, better known as Wayne Static, passed away at the age of 48,” Static-X’s Facebook page told fans on Saturday night. But things started to shift after they changed their name to Static-X, their new industrial-tinged direction dovetailing with the emerging nu metal scene. But his story isn’t over. He was married to Tera Wray. I played with him in his first band, Deep Blue Dream, in 1987/88,” Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan tweeted. Wayne Wells died after ingesting a toxic mixture of prescription drugs and alcohol. The man who was content to sit quietly and keep his own counsel in private would suddenly become a fulcrum of energy in public. “Yeah, I can see how some people will be shocked and off-put by it. © Copyright 2020 Rolling Stone, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. It’s equally macabre, celebratory, controversial and downright bizarre. Even had his the hood of his car painted with the KISS logo.”. Wayne Static (born Wayne Richard Wells, November 4, 1965 in Muskegon,Michigan, USA) is an American musician, and the lead vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist, and programmer for the industrial metal band Static-X. The real identity of Xer0 remains a mystery. Page Transparency See More. Musician/Band. While Ken or Tony aren’t willing to publicly place the blame, band insiders have suggested his involvement with porn star Tera Wray – later his wife – was the point where things started to go wrong. He was just 48. Private tensions between the two soon turned to public hostility. Then we went and had a beer afterwards, and I don’t think he said another word.”. Wayne Static was born on November 4, 1965 in Muskegon, Michigan, USA as Wayne Richard Wells. Founded by Static in 1994, Static-X became one of the more well-known nu metal acts beginning with their platinum-selling 1999 debut LP Wisconsin Death Trip, which boasted the single “Push It.” Known for his impossibly spiky hair and long chin beard, Static and his band would release five more studio albums over the next decade before Static-X went on hiatus in 2010, a year after they released their final album Cult of Static. “Had Wayne gotten cleaned up and distanced himself from negative influences, he’d be here with us right now,” says Tony. BA1 1UA. While the news of the reunion was largely greeted positively, with Wayne’s family giving it their blessing, there was one huge, jarring note. “In the long run, Wayne made his choices, and me being there wasn’t going to affect that one way or another.”. All rights reserved. Wayne was dealing with a growing drug and alcohol addiction. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer, The world’s biggest and best metal magazine. Visit our corporate site. Related Artists. Wayne was scheduled to co-headline tours with Powerman 5000 and Drowning Pool over the next several months. Eisbrecher. Community See All. They called themselves Drill at first, recruiting Koichi Fukuda and Tony Campos and experimenting with a range of sounds from post-grunge to hardcore punk. Receive mail from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors? or. Wayne Static was born on November 4, 1965 in Muskegon, Michigan, USA as Wayne Richard Wells. It was the perfect soundtrack for the times. See actions … “We were friends for such a long time. The most popular candidate is Edsel Dope of Dope, a band who toured with Static-X in the past and recently opened from them on their US comeback tour. Log In. Wayne claimed their friendship was nothing more than a “business arrangement”, and accused his former bandmate of jealousy after Tera began sitting in on interviews (he later claimed he was joking, though it did little to salvage the two men’s relationship). That’s when Wayne Wells became Wayne Static. “He was quiet as a mouse offstage, then he’d get up there and do the big rock voice, then get offstage and not say a word again,” says Tony Campos, bassist and Wayne’s long-time bandmate in industrial/nu metal heroes Static-X. Official Sites, One of five artists who performed songs for the "Queen of the Damned" soundtrack, along with, Is the lead singer/guitarist for the "Techno-Rock" band. He died on November 1, 2014 in Landers, California, USA. “I don’t know if there’d be much conversation.” His voice suddenly sounds warm and sad at the same time. “And then I was just stunned.”. Those “choices” would gradually become apparent as the decade progressed. Taking the place of their fallen comrade is Xer0, a mysterious singer in a Wayne Static mask. Read More. But it also carries heavy emotional freight for the people he left behind, not least given the fact that their friendships remained unrepaired at the time he died. Two years later, Static revived the Static-X moniker as his own solo project. Static-X’s debut album, Wisconsin Death Trip, was released in 1999 and eventually sold a million copies – not Korn or Limp Bizkit numbers, but not to be sniffed at. Years of “chronic prescription drug and alcohol abuse” had also been a factor. Musician Wayne Static performs at the 'Marky Ramone Drum Scholarship All-Star Fundraising Concert' at Musicians Institute on October 8, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. “It’s all part of a bigger healing process,” says Ken. “Wayne had a terrifically morbid sense of humour. On January 13, 2016, Tera was found dead at her home. “And there are five that we developed from Wayne’s last demos. If Tony says this with a tinge of emotion, it’s because he’s talking about his friend and sometime antagonist in the past tense. “I thought it was a fucking joke,” he says.