Wasp Man

Album: Two's Missing (1969)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This Keith Moon penned song was the B- side to the band's single "Relay." The origins of the track lay in a late-1960s incident aboard a plane flight. Roger Daltrey recalled to Uncut magazine October 2001: "It all happened on a flight from Copenhagen back to London. We hit some bad weather and, my god, I've been in some planes that have done some things in my time but this f---ing plane was like a rollercoaster ride, it almost flipped over."

    "We'd got through this weather and it all sort of leveled out and everybody was puking and sitting in almost total silence," Daltrey continued. "Now, meantime, Moon's disappeared. He was sat with this groupie bird who had this tiger-skin coat which he's taken, and her bra. Needless to say this girl had very large mammaries. So he disappears up the back of the plane to the bog. Everybody's still puking and the captain's come out and he's standing there apologising, saying it's the worst weather he'd ever been through."

    "Then from the back suddenly there came this 'bzzzzzzzzz!' We looked round and it was Moon stood with the two bits of her bra over his eyes like big fly eyeballs and he's got her tiger-skin coat tied round his neck like a cape," Daltrey added. "And he shouted, 'Don't worry, folks – Waspman's here to save you!' And he did this thing up and down the plane buzzing away as Waspman, kissing all the women and just f---ing around in general. By the end of it everybody was just rolling about laughing. He'd taken the edge off that hairy situation and cheered everyone up."

    "So that's how 'Waspman' was created," he concluded. "We'd already done 'Batman' a few years before so we said, 'OK, we'd better write a theme for Waspman!'"

Comments: 1

  • Sludge from WheelingThe guitar is very similar to In A Hand Or Face.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

Kim Thayil of SoundgardenSongwriter Interviews

Their frontman (Chris Cornell) started out as their drummer, so Soundgarden takes a linear approach when it comes to songwriting. Kim explains how they do it.

Charlie Benante of Anthrax

Charlie Benante of AnthraxSongwriter Interviews

The drummer for Anthrax is also a key songwriter. He explains how the group puts their songs together and tells the stories behind some of their classics.

Eric Burdon

Eric BurdonSongwriter Interviews

The renown rock singer talks about "The House of the Rising Sun" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Steely Dan

Steely DanFact or Fiction

Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?