As part of its Return of Gor Gor Tour, GWAR is making a stop in Reno with Helmet, The Dwarves, and Blood Vulture on Friday, Oct. 24, at Virginia Street Brewhouse. Ahead of the show, KUNR host Michele Ravera visited Beyond the Streets gallery in LA for the band’s 40-year retrospective, which features GWAR costumes, props and art on exhibit now through Nov. 2.
Transcript:
MICHELE RAVERA, HOST: It’s still spooky season, so before you get out the tinsel, we’re gonna take a trip to LA to experience Let There Be GWAR, a tribute to 40 years of the band GWAR, and many of the artists who’ve helped craft their flavor of heavy metal and satire, including the use of costumes and props. I don’t want to presume you know GWAR, but they’ve been around so long you’ve probably seen something they’re in. A lot of things get thrown around: Empire Records; they’re in a Beavis and Butt-Head game; and GWAR’s even done a Tiny Desk concert.
(SOUNDBITE OF MICHAEL BISHOP): “GWAR and NPR, they said it couldn’t be done.”
RAVERA: And yet they did. Many of GWAR met in Richmond, Virginia, when the rise of political conservatism and pop music came to a cultural clash between those who wanted a moral reform of society, like parental advisories on music, and those who valued personal freedom. On page 18 of Let There Be GWAR the book, Bob Gorman says he felt he was in the right place at the right time. He’s not just one of the curators of the exhibit, he’s Bonecrusher. GWAR has several non-musician mainline characters.
BOB GORMAN: I started out as an intern in 1988. And I dropped out of art school in 1990, so, a good majority of my life. ... We’re a collective. We’ve worked with many talented artists, been part of the collective over the years, really proud of being able to get all of the main artists that we worked with represented here somewhere.
RAVERA: Another long-time artist with GWAR is Matt Maguire.
MATT MAGUIRE: I currently play Sawborg Destructo, enemy of GWAR, but then I played all the other bad guys, Cardinal Sin. Any of the GWAR fans know the lore of how many bad guys we've had. … I was seeing shows in like ‘87, ‘88, and I made friends with Hunter Jackson and Don Drakulich, which were some of the early formative members of the band. It was science fiction and, uh, you know, fantasy stuff smooshed together, but live on stage, along with an interactivity piece that was amazing.
RAVERA: GWAR has a lot of complicated moving parts. They have a backstory about being from another planet. Here’s how a super fan Zerrella puts it. She was at the exhibit with her parents.
ZERELLA: I’ve been a friend for almost 3 years now, since I was 12 years old.
RAVERA: What part of the story, like, that they’re aliens, or something, are you familiar with?
ZERELLA: I know, like all of it, so I won't get into like all of it, but I know that they come from the planet Scumdoggia and they got banished to Earth by the master. And so now they’re trying to, they’re trying to get back, but they’ve been failing miserably for over 40 years.
RAVERA: And tracing back how that came to be…
HUNTER JACKSON: Hunter Jackson, I’m one of the original creators of the band GWAR, and I’d built the props and costumes because I wanted to make a science fiction movie. And Dave Brockie, who was doing this crazy punk rock band called Death Piggy, did a lot of crazy weird theatrical things in his shows, so came up with the idea that, “oh, let’s put your costumes on the band.”
RAVERA: And full disclosure, I was studying in Richmond during GWAR’s formative years and ended up being cast as an extra in a couple of their movies, so I’ve followed them over the years, and this exhibit really piqued my interest for the variety of things that it had. There’s a lot to see and I asked people who were there what they thought. Here’s “Muddy” Mejia.
RAVERA: So we’re here at GWAR’s 40th anniversary retrospective. Is there one part of this exhibit in particular that you just had to stop and look at every nook and cranny of a costume or a set piece?
“MUDDY” MEJIA: There was some early Richmond Dairy stuff, and I’m fascinated with that because that’s where GWAR originated. Seeing all that stuff from when they started out, just being in that Dairy to where they’re at now… it’s just an incredible journey. I feel like I’ve been part of it for a long time, almost 30 years, so I’ve been a fan since I was 13. I’ll be 45 this year, and I feel like, you know, this is part of my life, too.
RAVERA: And just a few more words before we go.
AIDAN CASSERLY: Aidan Casserly, monster fan. I think GWAR deserves immense respect for the fact that they are artists; they are performers who do things their own way regardless of what society and rules and censorship may tell them. They’ve been doing it their way for decades now, and they’re all the more stronger and better for it. So, to all artists out there: Do it your way, do it yourself, and let your crazy voice be heard.
RAVERA: Let There Be GWAR the book is out now, and the exhibit is free to see in LA through November 2. Details at BeyondTheStreets.com.
RAVERA: And GWAR's performance [tonight] at Virginia Street Brewhouse is at 7 p.m. and you can find ticket information at GWAR.net. Remember earplugs and a white shirt. Michele Ravera, KUNR News.
GWAR music and soundbites incorporated in this KUNR feature include The Road Behind, a clip from GWAR’s appearance on NPR Tiny Desk, Pussy Planet, Have You Seen Me, Sex Cow, and Zombies, March!
