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GWAR

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GWAR is a thrash metal, punk and shock rock band formed in 1985 by a collective of artists and musicians at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. The band is best known for their elaborate sci-fi/horror film inspired costumes; raunchy, obscene, politically incorrect lyrics; and graphic stage performances, which consist of humorous re-enactments of scatology, sadomasochism, necrophilia, pedophilia, bestiality, fire dancing, pagan rituals, executions, and other controversial violent and political themes. GWAR has been on the leading edge of shock rock since their formation.

Their costumes are generally made of foam latex, styrofoam, and hardened rubber. It should be noted that 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 blood, semen, urine, pus and other bodily 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. GWAR does not use syrups or stage blood due to the fact that they dry solid, wrecking their costumes . In concert, GWAR has been known occasionally to perform their encore without costumes.

Another trademark of GWAR's live show is their mutilations of celebrities and figures in current events. Victims of GWAR's antics have included O.J. Simpson, John Kerry George W. Bush, Jerry Garcia, Osama Bin Laden, Michael Jackson, Al Gore, Paris Hilton, 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, a setting in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and the title of their fifth album RagNaRok comes from Norse mythology.

GWAR has not enjoyed as much mainstream recognition as many other bands. Around the time of their third album (America Must Be Destroyed), they enjoyed a fair deal of success, due in part to Beavis and Butt-head. GWAR's music video 'The Road Behind' was featured on the show and Beavis proclaimed that "all music videos should be like a GWAR video". After that, GWAR's popularity waned and they were even featured on the VH1 program Where Are They Now. Though not at the peak of their popularity, GWAR was invited to play on the 2005 Sounds Of The Underground tour, and is currently playing it again for 2006. [link].

Contents

Origins

The origin and meaning of the band's name has been disputed by fans. One explanation circulating among fans is that GWAR is an acronym for "God What an Awful Racket!" Another rumor suggests that the name may have come from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' graphic novel, Watchmen, in which a sign reads "Pink Triangle LIVE at the Gay Women Against Rape Benefit Concert." Another widely accepted explaination is found in the Death Piggy (a precursor to GWAR) CD booklet: "Drunken friend shouted Guargh!...You should use that as a band name".

However, band members have insisted from their inception that the letters in their name do not stand for anything. Lead singer and founding member Dave Brockie has been quoted as saying "...it doesn't mean Gay Woman Agents Rape. It doesn't mean Great White Aryan Race. It doesn't mean Gay Weird Anal Reprobates. It doesn't even mean God We Are Racket. It just means GWAR, which means everything pretty much. "

The band 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 would meet 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. A friendship was forged, and 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 GWAR. Eventually, GWAR would eclipse and later absorb Death Piggy.

GWAR was at one time banned from performing in their home city of Richmond, Virginia due to their raucous stage performances. During that time, they would appear in their home town under the pseudonym RAWG and play sans costumes. The ban was later lifted and the band can now play in Richmond again in full gory attire. GWAR was banned earlier in North Carolina for obscenity reasons (Brockie was arrested for wearing his "Cuttlefish of Cthulu" prosthetic penis; this incident was the inspiration for GWAR's America Must Be Destroyed album). Band members and associates often have cookouts at their house, dubbed "Gwar-BQ's." GWAR was and is primarily a band of former art students, and this is reflected in the obscure references made in some of their songs. GWAR fans are known as Bohabs or Scumdogs.

Current GWAR issues

GWAR was set to begin working on their new album in January 2006, as stated by vocalist Oderus Urungus (Dave Brockie). In January 2006, GWAR also opened a gallery show called ["The Art of GWAR"] at Art Space gallery in Richmond to display the many props, costumes, cartoons, paintings produced by The Slave Pit, GWAR's art and effects studio.
In February 23, 2006, GWAR's official website and Oderus Urungus' official page announced a new album, tentatively titled Beyond Hell, which is set to be released sometime in 2006. Due for release in July of 2006 GWAR will be getting 7" action figures made of themselves by toy manufacturer Shocker Toys LLP.

The entire GWAR concept seems to be gaining acceptance elsewhere, judging by the success of Lordi, a Finnish hard rock band, which won the 51st. Eurovision Song Contest 2006, in Athens, Greece, on May 20, 2006. Lordi's costumes and subject matter is very similar to GWAR's (and, in more specific terms, its music has been described by some European music critics as "Cookie Monster meets GWAR").

As of late, GWAR has also released a single of Alice Cooper's classic song School's Out and is downloadable on their website. The song will also be on the "Beyond Hell" album.

On the release page for "School's Out" GWAR has announced that the new DVD "Blood Bath and Beyond" will be released June 20th 2006. They have also changed the name of the new cd from the tentative "Go To Hell" to "Beyond Hell" to be released in late August 2006.

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.)

Line-up

Current

Retired members

This does not account for all of the characters GWAR has in their elaborate stage shows, however. GWAR has a plethora of members, most of which are referred to simply as "slaves." 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.

Retired Slaves:

Discography

Album Cover Date of US Release Title Label Chart Peak Position
1988 Hell-O Shimmy Disc Records
1990 Scumdogs of the Universe Metal Blade Records
1992 America Must Be Destroyed Metal Blade Records Top Heatseekers
The Billboard 200 		6
177
1992 The Road Behind EP Metal Blade Records

1994 This Toilet Earth Metal Blade Records Top Heatseekers 32
1995 RagNaRok Metal Blade Records
1997 Carnival of Chaos Metal Blade Records Top Heatseekers 24
1997 Hate Love Songs/Penguin Attack 7" Sessions Records
1999 We Kill Everything Metal Blade Records Top Heatseekers 24
2000 Slaves Going Single Slave Pit Records
2000 You're All Worthless And Weak Slave Pit Records
2001 Violence Has Arrived Metal Blade Records Top Heatseekers
Top Independent Albums 		46
33
2004 Let There Be GWAR
(1986 recordings) 		Slave Pit Records
2004 War Party DRT Entertainment Top Independent Albums 43
2005 Live From Mt. Fuji DRT Entertainment
2006 Beyond Hell DRT Entertainment

Videography

See GWAR videography

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 mysogynistic 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 Odeon 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.

El Duce was struck and killed by a train two weeks after the filming.

Joan Rivers Show

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 warm 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 Gor-Gor and The Private Pain of Techno Destructo, changing the lyrics to fit the \"storyline\" (which centers around a villain's repeated attempts to get the kids to eat healthy food). They went under the name of RAWG for this show.
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.

GWAR appeared on the movie Empire Records in a TV that the character Mark, played by Ethan Embry, was watching while eating brownies made with "extra sugar".

[ GWAR made an appearance at the professional wrestling event for the promotion Richmond Lucha Libre. The show entitled "Back at Last to Beat Your Ass" took place on July 24, 2004. GWAR acted as ringside enforcers for a six man Steel Cage Massacre. Their appearance is featured on the Richmond Lucha 2 disc "Greatest Hits" video release.

Guts, Gore, and GWAR '99

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.

Related bands

External links

References

GWAR
Oderus Urungus | Flattus Maximus | Beefcake the Mighty | Jizmak Da Gusha | Balsac the Jaws of Death
Slymenstra Hymen | Nippleus Erectus
Albums: Hell-O | Scumdogs of the Universe | America Must Be Destroyed | This Toilet Earth | RagNaRok | Carnival of Chaos | We Kill Everything | Violence Has Arrived | War Party | Beyond Hell
Independent releases: Slaves Going Single | You're All Worthless And Weak | Let There Be GWAR
Other releases: The Road Behind | Hate Love Songs/Penguin Attack 7" | Live from Mt. Fuji
Related articles
''GWAR videography | Dave Brockie Experience | Death Piggy | X-Cops

 

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