TONY CAMPOS On STATIC-X's Future: 'As Long As We're Having Fun Doing This And The Fans Keep Wanting Us To Do It, We'll Do It'

In a new interview with Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco Bay Area radio station 107.7 The Bone, STATIC-X bassist Tony Campos once again said that it's up to the fans whether the group's current lineup will continue once he and his bandmates have finished touring in support of their eighth studio album, "Project Regeneration: Vol. 2". Released in January, the LP is a collection of 14 brand-new tracks that contain the final vocal performances and musical compositions of founding vocalist Wayne Static, along with the original "Wisconsin Death Trip" lineup featuring Campos, Koichi Fukuda (guitars) and Ken Jay (drums). The album was produced by STATIC-X's current vocalist/guitarist Xer0 and mixed/mastered by longtime collaborator Ulrich Wild.

Asked if STATIC-X will carry on as a tribute to Wayne beyond the current touring cycle, Tony said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " That's what it started out as, and it just kept snowballing and growing. And it's where it is now because fans keep coming out. And I think I've said it previously — if I haven't, I'll say it now — as long as we're having fun doing this and the fans keep wanting us to do it, we'll do it."

When Blakk noted that it appears that STATIC-X has grown the fanbase since the band's comeback in 2019, Tony said: "Yeah, we've kind of noticed that. We've noticed a lot of younger people. Our fans that grew up with us back in '99 and early 2000s, they're all adults and have kids, and they're bringing their kids to the shows. And, yeah, it's great to see that, a new generation of evil disco heads getting a little fix."

Regarding the possibility of STATIC-X writing new music from scratch, Tony said: "I don't know if we'll be doing full-length albums. Who buys albums now? [Laughs] I think maybe if we do write any new music, maybe it'll be a single. But I don't know. I'm just living in the now and enjoying the now. And when the future comes, I'll cross that bridge and we'll deal with it."

Although the identity of STATIC-X's touring singer has not been officially revealed, strong rumors suggest that DOPE's Edsel Dope is the anonymous, somewhat ominous new frontman of STATIC-X who is wearing a mask in the likeness of late frontman Wayne Static while performing alongside Campos, Jay and Fukuda.

In a fall 2023 interview with Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3, Campos addressed STATIC-X's reliance on a "masked" vocalist instead of hiring a proper replacement for Wayne, saying: "It's been really cool, man, how people have embraced that idea of having the character up there being the representative of Wayne's vibe and spirit without us being, like, 'Hey, here's STATIC-X with their new singer.' That's not what we wanted to do. So, we were just, like, 'How do we represent Wayne in a cool way?' And I think this is a really cool way to do it."

He continued: "I keep coming back to the IRON MAIDEN analogy — not only was Wayne our Bruce Dickinson [IRON MAIDEN singer], but he was also our Eddie [IRON MAIDEN mascot]. He was the mascot for the band. So how do you represent that? And I think the Xer0 character does a good job at it."

When Hall noted that it must be "a pretty powerful experience" for him to be looking over and seeing Xer0 channeling the spirit of Wayne during STATIC-X's live shows, Tony said: "When we first started and I'm up there headbanging doing my thing, out of my peripheral vision, I see that figure with the hair and I'm playing the songs again, it's just like 20 years ago; it was just that vibe again. And having Koichi and, and Kenny up there, it was really cool, man. And especially those first couple of weeks, we'd be done with the show and we'd be back in the dressing room, and we'd all be, like, 'Fuck, Wayne should be here.' But we definitely feel this vibe and presence."

Static died after mixing Xanax and other powerful prescription drugs with alcohol, according to the coroner's report. The 48-year-old, whose real name was Wayne Richard Wells, was found dead in his Landers, California home on November 1, 2014.

Static founded STATIC-X in 1994 and achieved commercial success with "Wisconsin Death Trip", which included the rock radio hit "Push It".

The group issued five more studio albums before disbanding permanently in June 2013. Static had been pursuing a solo career at the time of his death.

Dope recently told Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio that the reason Xer0's identity has not been officially revealed is that he wants to make sure that STATIC-X is "properly represented, because I would never be interested in looking at a photo of STATIC-X or reading a liner note that mentions me as being the singer of STATIC-X. Edsel Dope has no interest in being the singer of STATIC-X," he clarified. "There's one living, breathing singer of STATIC-X, and that's Wayne Static. And then there's a character, an entity, for lack of better words, that was created in order to allow STATIC-X to have a future and to continue and be the legacy act that they are and tour and perform, and we gave that character a name that is respective to STATIC-X and fits the branding of what STATIC-X is, and that's what the importance is. It's the importance of recognizing the character as opposed to recognizing the person behind the character."

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.

STATIC-X's "Project Regeneration Vol. 1" LP came out in July 2020.