Distinguish from guar (Cyamopsis tetragonolobus, an annual legume.)

Gwar is an American thrash metal/punk rock band formed in 1985. The band is best known for their elaborate sci-fi/horror film inspired costumes; raunchy, obscene lyrics; and graphic stage performances, which consist of humorous re-enactments of political and moral taboo themes. The band also performed fire dancing until the character "Slymenstra Hymen" left the band. Their costumes are generally made of foam latex, styrofoam, and hardened rubber. The costumes cover very little, with the rest of their bodies accentuated with makeup. They further their production in concert by spraying their audiences with imitation fluids. Most of the fluids are made of water and powdered food coloring which, for the most part, flakes off or washes out easily. The thicker fluids are made from a clear seaweed extract called carrageenan which is also used in ice cream and milkshakes.^[1] Gwar does not use syrups or stage blood because they dry solid, decimating their costumes.^[2] In concert, Gwar has been known occasionally to perform their encore without costumes.

Another trademark of Gwar's live show is their lampooning of celebrities and figures in current events. Targets of Gwar's humor have included O. J. Simpson, John Kerry, Mike Tyson, George W. Bush (as well as every other President since Ronald Reagan), Jerry Garcia, Osama Bin Laden, Michael Jackson, Steve Wilkos, Al Gore, John McCain, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Paris Hilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Adolf Hitler, and many others. The band also makes frequent references to political and historical figures, fantasy literature, and mythology. For instance, the song Whargoul makes reference to Minas Morgul as well as the eternal warrior of Michael Moorcock. Gwar also has many references to H. P. Lovecraft themes (Antarctica, Yig, Giant Penguins, Fleshy Insanities, etc.). In addition, the title of their fifth album Ragnarok comes from Norse mythology.

Musical style

Originally, the group's musical style was largely influenced by punk rock and the band composed short, simple songs, which would evolve over the years into heavily hardcore-influenced crossover thrash, with Gwar's musical experimentation becoming present in Scumdogs of the Universe, America Must Be Destroyed and This Toilet Earth. Later, this experimental sound would partially eclipse their heavy metal style and Gwar would become a chaotic blend of genres that would be most noticeable on Ragnarok and Carnival of Chaos (the latter showcasing the most variety in musical styles of any point in Gwar's career). 1999's We Kill Everything would present an unusual sound, but based largely on Gwar's Hell-O era sound, resulting in an album that the band dismisses as their worst. Indeed, the band's rejection of We Kill Everything would drive them to return to their thrash metal sound with Violence Has Arrived, which would later evolve into a more technical form of thrash, present in War Party and Beyond Hell.

Biography

1984?1989

Gwar was the result of two separate projects that eventually combined into one. Dave Brockie was the vocalist for a punk band named Death Piggy that often staged mini-plays and used crude props to punctuate their often ridiculous music. Death Piggy would occasionally practice in a room at the Richmond Dairy, a deserted bottling plant that had been taken over by hippies. The hippies would rent out interior areas to various artists and musicians. It was at the Richmond Dairy that Death Piggy met Hunter Jackson and Chuck Varga, both attendees of Virginia Commonwealth University who had set up "The Slave Pit", a production space for Scumdogs of the Universe, a movie they intended to make.^[3] Jackson would create props for Death Piggy to use on stage. On occasion, Death Piggy would wear costumes Jackson and Varga had created for their movie in order to open up for themselves under the name "GWAARGGGH!!!", eventually shortened to Gwar. Gwar would end up eclipsing and later absorbing Death Piggy.

Abuse of Arnold Schwarzenegger character - live at Reds, Edmonton

The band would start touring in support of the album, with Steve Douglas leaving that same year, later to form the alternative band Log, and being replaced by current rhythm guitarist, Michael Derks, who took over Douglas' alias as Balsac the Jaws of Death.

However, the band's line-up would undergo further changes before 1990, with Rob Mosby leaving in 1989 and being replaced by Pete Luchter, who would also quit to be replaced temporarily by Jim Thompson, who had been in the band prior to the release of Hell-O. Thompson however, would also quit and be finally replaced by the current Gwar drummer, Brad Roberts, alias Jizmak Da Gusha.

1990?1994

With Gwar's line-up somewhat solidified, the band would set up to record Scumdogs of the Universe. The album met a moderately large mainstream success and would mark the start of a career under the Metal Blade Records record label. The band would tour extensively in support for this album, releasing the Live from Antarctica VHS tape in July, 1990, containing, amongst other things, the band's first music video for the song Sick of You.

In August 1990, Michael Derks had a daughter, dubbed Smalsac by MTV. He took a short break from the band to care for her. Meanwhile, the remaining members of Gwar went on to appear on the Jerry Springer Show and in the movie Mystery Date.

Scumdogs of the Universe was originally released through the U.K. label Master before being picked up by Metal Blade in 1991. In the group's hunt for a larger label, they auditioned for Relativity Records, one of the bigger indie metal labels. The group killed their audition when they showed up in costume and Danielle Stampe let loose a blood capsule from her codpiece onto one of the office chairs, simulating menstruation.

The band suffered further line-up changes during this period, with Dewey Rowell leaving the band in 1991 and not being replaced until 1992 by Pete Lee, after the recording of America Must Be Destroyed.

However, this success would not be met without controversy. During this period, Gwar was banned in North Carolina because Brockie was wearing his "Cuttlefish of Cthulhu" prosthetic penis, which led to his arrest; this incident was the inspiration for Gwar's third album, America Must Be Destroyed, released in 1992. The album was accompanied by the movie Phallus in Wonderland, which documented the main concept and contained music videos for the album. This movie would be nominated for a Grammy Award in 1993, the year during which Mike Bishop would also leave the band, after the recording of This Toilet Earth, being replaced by Casey Orr, from the band Rigor Mortis.

This Toilet Earth was released on 1994, meeting moderate success and with the videos for Saddam a Go-Go and Jack the World being aired on Beavis and Butt-head; however, this would also mark the beginning of the band straying from their trademark sound, as the album contained heavily experimental songs instead of the more focused heavy metal of the previous two albums.

1995?2000

Gwar started their Edmonton show with simulated Decapitation

It's under these circumstances that they would release Ragnarok (Gwar album) in 1995, an album characterized by a particularly unique sound, including the use of keyboards, something largely unseen before by the band, as well as a much larger use of secondary vocalists. The record is considered to have been largely unnoticed after the success of the last three albums. Despite this, the band would record two videos for the album, "Surf of Syn" and "Meat Sandwich" as well as release Rendezvous with RagNaRok to support the album's plot through footage from the supporting tour.

The band's first side project, X-Cops, would also come to life after the Ragnarok tour, releasing their only full length album, You Have the Right to Remain Silent... the same year.

The band's next record would come out in 1997 under the name Carnival of Chaos, proving to be the epitome of this experimental period containing songs from many different genres, including the classic Heavy Metal, but also hard rock, country, and even jazz.

Carnival of Chaos would be the last album with Pete Lee on guitar, being replaced by Tim Harriss (Who had previously been in the band around 1986 and was featured as a guest guitarist on America Must Be Destroyed) for the recording of We Kill Everything between late 1998 and early 1999, for which Michael Bishop would temporarily rejoin the band as the bassist during the absence of Casey Orr. The record, largely influenced by punk rock, is the band's least favorite album, as its songs are rarely played live. Following this, co-founder Hunter Jackson would leave the group in 2000 to focus on personal projects. Danielle Stampe would leave the band to focus on a personal project named Girly Freakshow; however, she would rejoin the band temporarily for the Bitch Is Back tour in 2002.

2001?2005

Gwar in the middle of live concert in Edmonton

In 2002 Zach Blair left Gwar to form the power-pop band Armstrong along with drummer Brad Roberts to release a single album titled Dick the Lionhearted.

As the band would start approaching a focus on a heavier, more brutal sound near the end of this period, it would also result in the creation of another side project, the Dave Brockie Experience, a band created by frontman Dave Brockie along with rhythm guitarist Mike Derks and drummer Brad Roberts as a way of continuing the comedic sound found on albums like We Kill Everything while maintaining a more serious focus in releases by Gwar. They would release their first LP in March 20, 2001, named Diarrhea of a Madman.

This was not the end of Gwar's new focus on heavy sound, however; following their release of Violence Has Arrived by their most successful album in several years, War Party in 2004 under their new record label, DRT Entertainment. The album would meet a large underground success, as it followed the same path Violence Has Arrived did, but this time with a more serious and technical edge, partially thanks to the efforts of new lead guitarist Cory Smoot (Flattus Maximus) and bass guitarist, Todd Evans (Beefcake the Mighty). Videos would be released for "Bring Back the Bomb" and "War Party" (An early release from director/editor David Brodsky, which was declined by MTV Networks as being too inflammatory despite Gwar removing much of their trademark gore and sexual overtones), and the band would be invited to play in the Sounds of the Underground tour in 2005 along with Lamb Of God, Clutch, Poison the Well, Opeth, Strapping Young Lad, Unearth, Chimaira, Norma Jean, Throwdown, High on Fire, All That Remains, Madball, Terror, DevilDriver, A Life Once Lost, The Black Dahlia Murder, Fear Before the March of Flames, The Red Chord, and Nora, the same year of the release of the band's second album in DRT Entertainment, Live from Mt. Fuji, which would also be the band's first live album besides the then-extremely rare You're All Worthless and Weak, released in 2000 (and re-released in 2006) under Slave Pit Records.

===2006

Disemboweling Paris Hilton character - part of Gwar show in Edmonton, 2004

On February 23, 2006, Gwar's official website, Gwar's official Japanese website (www.Gwarjapan.net) and Oderus Urungus' official homepage announced Gwar's latest album, Beyond Hell, for which, at the urging of DRT Entertainment, a cover version of Alice Cooper's "School's Out" was recorded and released.^[4] The music video, was directed by David Brodsky on July 2nd, 2006. The part of the "school marm" has been mistakenly identified as Devin Townsend, the producer of the "Beyond Hell" CD. It is actually Scott Krahl, a long-time Gwar "slave" and inventor of Gor-Gor. "School's Out" was nominated for Best Video of 2006 on MTV2's Headbanger's Ball.

The Blood Bath and Beyond DVD was released in June 20, 2006, containing exclusive behind the scenes and vintage footage of the band.

Gwar performed a special "half-time" show at the Sounds Of The Underground 2006 Tour along with headliners As I Lay Dying, Trivium, Behemoth, Cannibal Corpse, The Chariot, The Black Dahlia Murder, Terror, Killswitch Engage, Through the Eyes of the Dead, In Flames, HORSE the band, Unearth, It Dies Today, Job for a Cowboy, 3 Inches of Blood, Shadows Fall, This Is Hell, Ringworm, Converge, Machine Head, and Still Remains.

Gwar went on to Headline the following year's The Sounds of the Underground Tour in 2007.

Character representing Osama Bin Laden as part of Gwar concert in Edmonton, 2004

Vocalist Oderus Urungus is also featured on the newest Strapping Young Lad album The New Black as a guest vocalist on the song "Far Beyond Metal". Oderus' lines in the song are taken directly from the Gwar song "Maggots" ("now in the halls of the Necrolord?" etc.). Scott Krahl is in the "Schools Out" video as a female teacher, of whom Oderus makes out with and proceeds to mount at the end of the video.

Beyond Hell was released on August 29, 2006, with Gwar touring to support the album and being helped by the creation of new props for this tour, including several character's off Beyond Hell's plot, including Jitler and Jewcifer. Gwar was also present in the third annual Rock & Shock festival from October 13 to 15 as a part of this tour.

On April 7, 2007 Gwar not only released their long awaited video for the song Eighth Lock off of Beyond Hell, but also announced that they have a headlining slot on Sounds of the Underground 2007 alongside Shadows Fall, Chimaira, Job for a Cowboy, Amon Amarth, Goatwhore, and Suicidal Tendencies.

In Spring 2008 Todd Evans left Gwar to focus efforts on his side project Mobile Deathcamp. Shortly after Todd's sudden departure, Casey Orr was confirmed to fill his former spot as Beefcake the Mighty.

Sleazy P. Martini is to return to the rock stage with Gwar on their Electile Dysfunction '08 tour in the fall of 2008.^[5]

Sleazy P. Martini has indeed returned, Jizmak da Gusha has explained that this is due to the 2008 election.

Etymology

Despite various explanations that Gwar is an acronym for something, band members have insisted from its inception that the letters do not stand for anything. Indeed, the official website of Slave Pit Inc. indicates that Gwar is a shortened version of "GWAARGGGH!!!" the name the band used originally when opening up for Death Piggy. Lead singer and founding member Dave Brockie has been quoted as saying "...it doesn't mean Gay Women Against Rape. It doesn't mean Great White Aryan Race. It doesn't mean Gay Weird Anal Reprobates. It doesn't even mean God What an Awful Racket. It just means Gwar, which means everything pretty much."^[6]

Line-up

Current

• Oderus Urungus (lead vocals ? Dave Brockie)
• Flattus Maximus (lead guitar ? Cory Smoot)
• Balsac the Jaws of Death (rhythm guitar, backing vocals ? Mike Derks)
• Beefcake the Mighty (bass guitar, backing vocals - Casey Orr)
• Jizmak Da Gusha (drums, percussion ? Brad Roberts)

Side members

These are members not involved musically or in the Gwar stage show anymore while still working to varying degrees with band.

• Sexecutioner
• Sleazy P. Martini

Slaves

• Matt Maguire ("Mattron"/"MX2")
• Bob Gorman ("Muzzle Slave")
• Scott Krahl ("Cock & Balls Slave")
• Nate Krishna ("SlaveDizzle")
• Joe Douglas ("Spewie")

(Guitar, bass, drums, trumpet, keyboard, vocals, saxophone, tuba, triangle, clarinet, bass clarinet, french horn, violin, oboe, flute, harp, organ.)

Retired members

Vocalists

• Joey Slutman (Joe Annaruma)
• Johnny Slutman (Ben Eubanks)

Backing vocalists

• Techno Destructo and Scroda Moon (both by Hunter Jackson)
• Sluggo P. Martini (Michael D. Moore, 1985)
• Amazina/Gwar Woman (Colette Miller, 1986?1987)
• Mike Delaney (as Sexecutioner, replaced by Chuck Varga)
• Slymenstra Hymen (Danielle Stampe)

Guitarists

As Balsac the Jaws of Death

• Barry Ward
• Steve Douglas

As Flattus Maximus

• Dewey Rowell
• Pete Lee
• Tim Harriss
• Zach Blair
• Brian Fechino (in studio on America Must Be Destroyed)

Other

• Mr. Magico (Russ Bahorsky)
• Stephen Sphincter (Ron Curry)
• Cornelius Carnage (Greg Ottinger)
• John Cobbett

Bassists

As Beefcake the Mighty

• Michael Bishop
• Todd Evans

Other

• Stephen Sphincter (Ron Curry)
• BalSac (Chris Bopst. Note: Originally not the same character as Balsac the Jaws of Death)

Drummers

• Unnamed character (Sean Sumner) (deceased)
• Hans Sphincter/Hans Orifice (Jim Thompson)
• Nippleus Erectus (Rob Mosby)
• Lee Beato (Pete Luchter)

Keyboardists

• Müsel (Dave Musel)

Slaves

• Danny Black
• Mike Bonner
• Davis Bradley III
• Hunter Jackson

Gwar also has a plethora of members, most of which are referred to simply under the collective label of "slaves" (see above). The Gwar slaves are involved in many other aspects of the band, including costume design, music mixing and editing, running Slave Pit Records, the record label owned by the members of Gwar, and the creation of the now defunct Gwar comic book, Slave Pit Funnies.

Discography

Studio albums and EPs

• Hell-O (1988)
• Scumdogs of the Universe (1990)
• The Road Behind EP (1992)
• America Must Be Destroyed (1992)
• This Toilet Earth (1994)
• Ragnarok (1995))
• Carnival of Chaos (1997)
• We Kill Everything (1999)
• Violence Has Arrived (2001)
• War Party (2004)
• Beyond Hell (2006)

Compilation albums

• Slaves Going Single (2000)
• Let There Be Gwar (2004)

Live albums

• You're All Worthless and Weak (2000)
• Live from Mt. Fuji (2005)

Videography

• Shimmy Disc Video Compilation V.1 (1988)
• Rawgwar (19890
• The Next Mutation (1989)
• Live from Antarctica (1990)
• Phallus in Wonderland (1992)
• All the Sex (1992)
• Twice the Violence (1992)
• Tour De Scum (1992)
• TVD (1994)
• Skulhedface (1994)
• Return of Techno-Destructo (1996)
• Rendezvous with Ragnarok (1997)
• Surprising Burst of Chocolaty Fudge (1998)
• Dawn of the Day of the Night of the Penguins (1998)
• It's Sleazy (2000)
• The Gwarnage Campaign (2002)
• Blood Drive 2002 (2002)
• Ultimate Video Gwarchive (2002)
• War Party Tour 2004 (2004)
• Blood Bath and Beyond (2006)
• Beyond Hell Live (2007)
• The Dim Times (TBA)

Other info

Appearances

• Gwar received a large dose of publicity from their appearance on The Jerry Springer Show, exposing the world of shock rock. Early on in the show, Jerry brought out El Duce, lead singer for The Mentors, a rock group known for their extremely vile lyrical and visual themes. El Duce spoke at length about his stage show in which women have claimed to be raped, displaying his misogynistic personality, and even claiming that he "probably has some bastard kids around the country." Also present for this episode was Jeni, a performer in the shock rock band the Spo-Its. Jerry later brought out Gwar, full costumed and in character, as a ballast to El Duce. Gwar slowly won over the audience (who initially booed them) with their sense of humor, showing that they felt that their goal was giving the audience the same kind of fun they would get from a horror movie or funhouse. Springer was applauded for a clip he showed in which Gwar brought him out on stage at The Agora in Cleveland, Ohio, pretending to kick and scream, introduced him to the crowd, and fed him to one of their monster stage props, the World Maggot. Next, Springer brought out a mother and son to sit with Gwar, the son was a huge fan of Gwar. The mother was angry and accused Gwar of promoting violence and the degrading of women. Though he was not anywhere as offensive or acidic as El Duce, Oderus Urungus stood up to the mother, accusing her of shifting the guilt over having a troublesome child, and pointed out that it would be much better for her son to be at a show full of puppets and fake blood than seeing The Mentors assault women live on stage.
• Oderus Urungus and Beefcake the Mighty were interviewed on The Joan Rivers Show in 1990. Like their Jerry Springer appearance, it was mainly on the topic of shock rock. Oderus and Beefcake were greeted with a lukewarm response but won the audience over quickly with a combination of their costumes, joke, and mannerisms. Oderus and Beefcake also spoke with a foreign accent throughout the interview.
• Gwar also did the music for an episode of the show Codename: Kids Next Door titled "Operation F.O.O.D.F.I.T.E." They played altered versions of both "The Private Pain of Techno Destructo" and "Gor-Gor", changing the lyrics to fit the storyline (which centers around a villain's repeated attempts to get the kids to eat healthy food). Unable to find the original music tracks for the songs, they re-recorded them especially for the episode. In the music credits, they went under the name of RAWG for this show.^[7]
• Gwar appeared on an episode of Viva la Bam, where they performed during a dirt bike and monster truck show put together by Bam and his friends.^[8]
• Gwar appeared in South Beloit High School on Ocotber 29, 2008
• Gwar appeared on the movie Empire Records on a TV that the character Mark, played by Ethan Embry, was watching while eating brownies made with "extra sugar". Mark hallucinates about joining Gwar and performing in their music video (which he is still watching) and is then killed brutally, while still watching himself.^[9]
• In 1995, Gwar's "Saddam A Go-Go" was featured on the hit video game Beavis and Butt-Head in Virtual Stupidity, this was a music video accessed ib Beavis and Butt-Head's House.
• Gwar appeared in Part 5 of Episode #3 of the Fox Sports program "Core Culture", titled "Backstage Pass". The west coast broadcast featured an interview clip with local performer Stephen Kiel, a.k.a. Diabolical Kiel. The segment features the band on their visit to Portland, Oregon, and includes footage of them at the Burnside Skatepark, mingling with the crowd. The segment also features footage of their performance at the Roseland Theater.^[10]
• Gwar also appeared playing in a night club in Mystery Date, a 1991 Movie staring Ethan Hawke.^[11]
• In the movie S.F.W. Gwar not only made an appearance on MTV in the movie but the song they were performing was the movie's theme song, which is present on the movie's soundtrack album.
• Gwar were featured on the front page of satire website Something Awful on October 13, 2006.^[12]
• Music magazine Blender's website Blender.com has created two Gwar themed videos. The first features Blender.com reporter Joe Knaus in a pretend sacrifice by the band onstage during the Sounds of the Underground festival in 2006. There is also a quite humorous clip of Oderus feigning a crack deal on the streets on New York City as a Christmas gift to Gwar's crew and support acts prior the band's show at Irving Plaza in December 2006.
• In Alabama Thunderpussy's new music video for the song "Words of the Dying Man" 2007, Balsac the Jaws of Death makes an appearance, emerging from the shower to join the crowd.
• Gwar's first foray into the world of pro wrestling took place in Lorain, Ohio on January 30, 1999 on a show entitled "Guts, Gore, and Gwar '99". The show was promoted by what is now known as Mega Championship Wrestling. In addition to appearances by Mad Man Pondo, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, and Samu, the show featured a "match" between Oderus Urungus and Techno Destructo.
• Attending a Gwar concert was the main goal that drove the action in the Beavis and Butthead video game for the Super Nintendo (SNES), Sega Game Gear, Sega Mega Drive, and Game Boy.
• Gwar's Oderus gives a candid out-of-costume interview (as Dave Brockie) in the documentary Working Class Rock Star.

Related bands

• Dave Brockie Experience
• Death Piggy
• Köszönöm (Side project by Mike Derks and Brad Roberts)
• Municipal Waste
• MC Rhythmless (Gwar rap side project)
• RAWG
• The Mentors
• Wolfgang AM
• X-Cops
• Green Jellÿ
• Lordi (A similar, monster costume-wearing metal band)

External links

• Official Site
• Interview with Oderus Urungus
• GWAR Fan Community
• Official Japanese Site
• GWAR Interview by Florida Entertainment Scene
• Interview @ SHOUT! Music Webzine

References

de:Gwar es:GWAR fr:GWAR it:GWAR nn:GWAR pl:GWAR pt:Gwar fi:GWAR sv:GWAR

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