Lita Ford says that the infamous scene in “The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years” movie in which then-W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes can be seen guzzling vodka in his pool “destroyed his career.”
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Holmes became legendary for the scene in the 1988 movie 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.
Ford, who was married to Holmes for two years in the early 1990s, spoke about Holmes‘s appearance in the movie during a recent interview with Meltdown of the WRIF radio station. She said (hear audio below): “That scene really ticked me off, because that was a setup. Penelope Spheeris, who was the producer of the film, set Chris up for that scene, which I thought was just dirty. And he ended up pouring pool water all over his face. It’s not vodka in that bottle. Can you imagine pouring vodka all over your face like that? It was a setup, and it really ruined his career. It just destroyed his career, which is why he doesn’t live in this country anymore.”
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Calling Sandy Holmes “a nice lady,” Ford clarified that Chris and his mother “did drink — they weren’t clean and sober — but, I mean, to that length, to where he pours it all over his face was just ridiculous. And then Penelope Spheeris made it out to look real, like he’s really pouring this vodka on his face, it was just overkill,” she said. “And… I don’t know… For me, it was upsetting, ’cause it wasn’t true.”
According to Lita, “The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years” is “supposed to be a comedy. And then [Penelope] came out with ‘Wayne’s Word’, which was a huge hit,” she said. “And, again, it’s a comedy. But when she did that with Chris, it just destroyed his career. But… I don’t know… He didn’t do too much to make up for it either.”
Via Blabbermouth.com