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My only GWAR story

On March 23rd, my facebook feed started filling with RIP's and old Gwar concert photos. I wanted to contribute but was in a mess of life and couldn't get to my hard drives in time. But today I did. And here's my GWAR story. The only time I got to see GWAR in the flesh was at Irving Plaza in 2009. I wrote about it for Noisecreep. But what I didn't write about was the absolute chaos in the photo pit. The band started their set so hard that fans pushed the barricade down. It was the only time I've ever seen actual terror in any security team's eyes. They were mortified. Even though they had spent the day preparing for the gooey mess that was about to protrude from Oderous giant dong, they clearly did not anticipate dealing with a possible stage rush. It is very rare that you see security at a venue ACTUALLY scared. I should also mention, Nathaniel Shannon nearly got himself decapitated as he went to grab his camera bag from underneath the barricade.

GWAR had a 30 year career in music. For 3 decades, they made playing weird rock and roll around the world their job. And even in 30 years, the band never got old. I'm convinced the band is timeless. The costumes. The story-lines and press releases. The show. The chaotic music. It just got sharper and funnier and scummier. It's bands like GWAR that remind me, you can create your own reality. It's possible to make a career in something that is extremely unconventional.

This month Decibel released a tribute that is something like 10 pages long to Dave Brockie / Oderous. If you don't already have a subscription, make sure you at least buy this issue.

The one word that kept popping into my brain as I was writing his eulogy was "possibility". Dave Brockie introduced possibility into my life.

I can only hope now to live in some measure as Dave lived: dedicated to being himself and taking the world as one long, absurd, crazy, terrifying, hilarious joke.

Mike Bishop, Decibel June 2014

How many other artists can you work with where there's a protracted email exchange about changing the phrase "Lindsay Lohan's diseased twat" to "Lindsay Lohan's diseased puss"?

Jon Freeman Decibel June 2014

Our best days are not behind us -- they are in front of us. This is what I learned from Dave Brockie.

Chris Bopst, Decibel June 2014