Millions of years ago, a group of monstrous warriors from outer space was banished to Earth, where they proceeded to decimate the dinosaur population, fornicate with apes, and ultimately, create what would come to be the human race.
These “Scumdogs of the Universe,” as they call themselves, were then frozen in Antarctica some time during the Ice Age, where they lay dormant for thousands of years until they were thawed out in the ’80s by an enterprising entertainment executive. They formed a rock band called GWAR to spread their incendiary ideology of chaos and conquest, destruction and disorder, brutality and blood… lots and lots of blood.
Mankind would never be the same.
For four decades and counting, GWAR’s lore has continued to gain new fans and followers via immersive concerts and outrageous satirical storytelling. Celebrating its 41st anniversary this month with a huge retrospective exhibit at Beyond the Streets gallery in Los Angeles, the alien band’s savage explorations of our society might resonate more than ever right now.
“Humans are gluttons for punishment, and they want to see the implements of their demise in the flesh,” Beefcake the Mighty, the band’s bassist, tells SPIN when asked what he thinks about the massive installation during a private walk-through alongside his fully-decked out bandmates, drummer Jizmak Da Gusha, and lead singer Blöthar the Berserker.
Da Gusha actually gushes about the grotesque grandness of the show, adding that he knows everyone will love its “in-depth, inside look at what it actually takes to be in this band!”
Stomping through the space with his giant hooves, Blöthar’s snout nearly squeals with delight. The beastly creature with an udder known for spraying GWAR’s signature pink-red fluid on crowds during live shows, is clearly proud as he surveys the audacious array of costumes, production pieces, and ephemera from its earliest incarnations.
He points to his favorite piece—giant papier-mache letters that look like something out of a Flintstones cartoon, which he recalls were crafted by the band’s beloved co-founder and departed lead singer, Oderus Urungus, many moons ago. “After all these years, humans are finally coming around to the true genius of GWAR!” he proclaims.
With three rooms of astounding objects, mechanics, mannequins, armor, headpieces, flyers, photos, posters and merchandise, plus video screens and TV sets running live shows and videos throughout, “Let There Be GWAR” goes way beyond the music to highlight what really drives their genius: art and collaboration as inspiration, wherein a tribe of punk rock misfits and sci-fi visionaries came together to conjure something out of this world.
“It’s really about showing GWAR as an artist collective,” says Beyond the Streets founder Roger Gastman. “They make comic books, they make films, they make art, they make sculpture, they do everything—and the band is what brings it all to life for the audience to see. The band is usually celebrated, and the artistry sometimes has to take a back seat. With this show, it’s on full display.”
It’s a sentiment reiterated by Gastman’s co-curator, Bob Gorman, also a member of the band’s collective, the Slave Pit, based in Richmond, Virginia. The creatures might be from another galaxy, but the men—and women—who create them come from Virginia area art schools (namely VCU) and punk clubs, where their DIY spirit inspires GWAR’s twisted innovations, especially when it comes to finding new ways to drench their crowds with what they like to call “spew.”
While GWAR’s other members stay in character for the most part, especially while in costume (and when they pose for photos with fans at BTS’s opening), Gorman, aka Bonesnapper the Cave Troll on stage, appears in human guise to discuss the art show and the band’s legacy overall.
After joining in 1988, he helped create some of GWAR’s bloodiest skits and contraptions (he recalls his first time on stage involved getting his head cut off). Over the years, he also saved and archived whatever he could get his hands on, as seen in the photo-packed biographical coffee table book Let There Be GWAR, which he and Gorman originally published in 2015.
Gorman also discusses band history and artifacts in the 2021 documentary, This is GWAR currently on horror-themed streamer Shudder, which started out focusing on the death of frontman Dave Brockie (Oderus), but ended up being about the collective’s evolution, exploring the relationships and extraordinary craftsmanship of its various lineups on and off stage.
The exhibit serves as a launch for the long-awaited re-issue of the book, which came out soon after Brockie passed away. While some fans thought the band should hang it up at that time, many others wanted them to continue.
“The spirit of this collective is bigger than one person,” says Gorman. “Our old fans wanted us to go on. They knew we were this group of like-minded weirdos coming together…it’s sort of like this revolving cast, with people coming in and out. And it’s been my entire life since around 1990.”
From Ozzy Osbourne to KISS, the Misfits to Slipknot, menacing and mysterious spectacles have always excited music fans. While GWAR put their personas and cosmic narrative up front when they began, Gorman says they lifted the curtain a bit more after guitarist Cory Smoot (Flattus Maximus) died in 2011, followed by Brockie in 2014.
“People were only interested in the story or the mythology of the characters before that,” Gorman shares. “But then, when people passed away, and we had to make announcements about it, I think fans thought more about us. I think people said, ‘I should really appreciate this because maybe they won’t be around someday’… and then, when we kept doing it and doing it well, they started caring more about us.”
Like BTS’ much-lauded Beastie Boys exhibit in 2019, “Let There Be GWAR” is the next best thing to seeing a live show and you don’t even have to get spewed. Although you can still get spewed since GWAR are on tour now. It’s more interactive too, with lots of selfie photo ops and even a living room set-up where you can play the 1994 Sega-Genesis video game, “Beavis and Butt-Head,” which follows the cartoon characters as they try to attend a GWAR gig.
Getting mocked on the MTV hit exposed the group’s gore and grind to an entirely new generation of humans, many of whom have followed them ever since. Fans are sure to snatch up new curated merchandise (from action figures to bottles of their infamous spew) highlighting the campy fun and otherworldly wizardry of the band’s art, which Gorman and Gastman hope will further cement their place in pop culture.
“This show is putting everything in a new context,” Gorman says. “We wanted to honor the fans and say this is for them, but also have it be well-rounded enough that people can come in and dip their toes into our world.”
“Let There Be GWAR” runs through November 2 at Beyond the Streets, 434 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles.
More info at beyondthestreets.com
GWAR are on tour now. See show dates at GWAR.net
Leave a comment