“Profile had just had a #1 record with Run-DMC [1988’s Tougher Than Leather],” recalls Mayo. “So they were thinking, ‘Gee, we got a #1 with these guys we never spent a penny on, so we don’t need to spend any money on these metal bands we’re stuck with.’ They literally didn’t spend any money on us, and we lost all our tour support.”
That was just salt in the mortal wound, as Profile delayed the release of Why Play Around? for about a year. Wargasm went through the motions with two more inadequate labels before folding.
Mayo: “That’s where we lost a lot of momentum. We put out three more releases after that, internationally, but we had gotten as big as we were going to get.”
Considering the hassles Wargasm endured, you’d expect Mayo, who still lives in Stoughton and is a manager at Borders, to be bitter-as-hell. But his outlook is well-adjusted, philosophical, and totally gay.
“I just wanted to be at that level where Wargasm could sustain itself, really, so I could eat and pay my rent. It almost got to that point, but if we had really broke big, I probably wouldn’t have married the woman I married, and I definitely wouldn’t have the son I have. It’s impossible for me to look back and wish things had been different.”
WARGASM + STEEL ASSASSIN + RAW RADAR WAR + SUPERPOWER + RAZORMAZE | Middle East downstairs, 480 Mass Ave, Cambridge | September 13 at 7:30 pm | $15-$18 | 617.864.EAST or mideastclub.com | More info about Rawkstars at www.rawkstars.org
