SWIMMING SOBER
Chris Holmes films sequel to infamous ‘The Metal Years’ pool interview, says he’s sober 20+ years
Blabbermouth — Former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes is perhaps best known for the infamous scene in the 1988 movie “The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years” in which he was interviewed while floating in a swimming pool, fully clothed and visibly quite intoxicated while his mother sat poolside. The interview stood out in stark contrast to the more light-hearted and humorous interviews conducted by director Penelope Spheeris, which mostly portrayed rockers as good-natured, though often dimwitted or deluded, party animals. During the interview, Holmes smiled drunkenly at the camera, deeming himself “a full-blown alcoholic” and “a piece of crap” despite his band’s success, and punctuated his remarks by guzzling from three bottles of vodka. At the end of the interview, Holmes upends a full bottle of Smirnoff over his head as he rolls out of his inflatable chair and into the water.
Fast forward to 2017 and Duke TV has posted brand new pool interview with Holmes — conducted by his wife Sarah — which starts out with the same exact questions Chris was asked in the “Decline Of Western Civilization” scene. Check it out below.
Asked if he drinks very much, Chris said: “You’ve gotta drink something to stay alive. I drink Diet Pepsi, Gatorade, Powerade. I hate the water out of the tap. But I like Sparkletts. If you’re asking about alcohol, no, I don’t drink alcohol anymore. [I stopped] a long time ago — February 6 of ’96. Why do I not drink anymore? After six DUIs, they throw you in jail, and it’s really hard to drink in jail. And they’ll make you quit, the government, or they’ll lock you up.”
He continued: “I’ve learned when somebody’s drunk that they don’t do really too much that’s really constructive. They have a fun time, but they’re not that smart. Drinking turns you into an idiot. A lot of people like to be idiots. I used to be one — probably the biggest one there was. But as you get older, things change.
“When I stopped drinking, I’d see all my friends drinking and they’d just turn into idiots. I was the one leading the pack anyway, so I’m not one to talk about being an idiot and drinking.”
Read the rest of the above story at Blabbermouth
