Gwar

Here's where my more intellectual, sensitive friends will flee from this blog in horror (what, Call Of Cthulu didn't do it for you already?)...my recommendation of Gwar, Insane Metal Band, Theatre Troupe, Scumdogs Of The Universe and Purveyor Of All Things Disgusting. Gwar will probably never be on NPR. Or on commercial radio. But they've been attracting and keeping (sometimes literally) rabid fans satisfied for more than 25 years! Gotta love 'em.

Gwar began in Richmond, Virginia in 1984, when Dave Brockie's band Death Piggy donned outer space monster costumes for a no-budget independent art film "Scumdogs Of The Universe" being made by Hunter Jackson and Chuck Varga. The costumes kept appearing onstage at Death Piggy shows and eventually Piggy was absorbed by the Gwar persona. Like Death Piggy, Gwar shows were both music and mini-plays, but Gwar went further and further into it, eventually creating movies and live performances that were like psychotic musicals written by very very disturbed adolescents (and I mean that in the very best possible way). After over 25 years and many personnel changes, Brockie is still in the band, in the character of Oderus Urungus, chief monster of Gwar. It's cool.

A rather complete history of the band is over on Wikipedia at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwar#1985.E2.80.931989
and is interesting reading, if you find this kind of thing interesting! Gwar are horrible, perverse, disgusting, offensive and appealing to the lowest common denominator in humankind. I highly recommend them! For elder geeks like me who don't want to go to the show and covered with fake body effluvia, a trip to the video store is in order. "Dawn Of The Day Of The Night Of The Penguins" is a pretty good representation of their live show, and features a delightful segment in which Marilyn Mansion is flayed alive! Or the hilarious "It's Sleazy" in which Gwar's amazingly pompadoured manager Sleazy P. Martini hosts his own daytime talk show...although there's some very disturbing violence that ensues. DON'T watch this stuff with your younger kids! At least watch it yourself first. I warned ya.

Edit: I just realized that Marilyn Manson is actually flayed alive in "It's Sleazy"! My mistake. Oh well.