“GWAR” By Dillon Collins
Masters and rulers of our universe, scumdogs of the galaxy, Gwar are rearing to unleash their latest dose of unrelenting savage metal with The Blood of the Gods. Part grim warning that humankind has reached the point of no return, part tribute to their fallen brothers (notably frontman Oderus Urungus aka the human Dave Brockie), The Blood of Gods is a war cry of blood, sweat and every fluid known to man. Lead howler himself Blothar caught up with Metalheads Forever discussing the quickest way to earthly destruction, besting their blood total live, defiling Donald Trump and much more.
We here at Metalheads Forever are humbled to have gained an audience with the lead howler himself. At this point, is it a foregone conclusion that Gwar are the undisputed rulers of planet earth?
Blothar: Pretty much, by default, unless you count the guy from North Korea. Someone just asked me what I thought about North Korea and I said I think he should rule the world, personally. We’d help that guy out. I think they should just change the name of Earth to North Korea. It would be awesome.
Gwar’s mission of world domination continues with your latest album “The Blood of Gods”(out on Oct. 20 via Metal Blade Records). What’s your thoughts on getting this thing out there?
Blothar: We can’t wait for it to come out. It’s like a big turd we’ve been working on for a very long time and it’s almost there, and we keep pushing and pushing. Soon it’s going to fall out into the toilet and make a big splash and we’re all going to clap our hands and call for our mommies to wipe our butts. We can’t wait for it to happen.
It’s been said that the futility of mankind is a large looming theme on this record, and the idea that humans have passed the point of no return. How much of that comes to play on The Blood of Gods? And is earth really beyond saving?
Blothar: Gwar has always been the symptom and the cure for what troubles humanity on this planet. Humanity is actually what troubles the planet. Earth is a great guy, I know him personally. Of course like me he is both sexes, both a he and a she. I’m a mother by the way, a mother of nine. The thing about it is, being a friend to the world, Gwar is an enemy to humanity.
Part of the problem that Gwar has been facing is that humans don’t seem to need us anymore. You turn on the television and you watch executions being broadcast, people cutting off the heads of other people and holding them in the streets, assembling massacred bodies up to take photographs. These aren’t the actions of people who are deranged murderers, these are people doing these kinds of things for political reasons and religious reasons.
Part of the anxiety that drives this album, or a sort of problem Gwar is faced with, is that it is difficult for us to keep up with humanity’s lust for self-destruction. The only people that seem to hate humans more than Gwar are humans themselves. It’s a struggle. In this day and age, how do you go out there and do something that is going to shock people when all you have to do is pick up your morning paper to find something that is more shocking than what Gwar does onstage. That’s very much behind some of this record, that humanity has reached a point where they actually start to challenge the authority of Gwar, to challenge us and raise up against us and Gwar struggles in a mighty battle with humanity and comes out the other side of it. That story is told on the record.
It’s more clearly articulated in the live show coming out when we tour for the record. You can see that the shadow government that rules the world is trying to enlist Gwar on its side and Gwar resists that. Early on they actually had us convinced. We wrote our first ever pop song, I’ll Be Your Monster. That song was a result of Sleazy P basically looking at us down the barrel of a gun and saying look boys, this is what they want us to do! The shadow government says we have to do it, so let’s do it, and we did it. We don’t know yet if it’s going to work. We still have our fingers crossed that Gwar can literally take over the world, the way The Beatles did. Wouldn’t that be fantastic!
Gwar is famous (or infamous) for their larger-than-life live shows, filled with blood, semen, severed heads, the whole nine yards. How do you plan to top your personal best during this upcoming run?
Blothar: It’s going to be the biggest and the bloodiest show that we’ve had. We’ve been working on it. We know that there are old enemies of Gwar that might resurface that haven’t appeared in a very long time. We know there will be definitely more blood. We’ve increased the amount of human viscera that we put out to the audience. I think last count we were up to 99 gallons of blood and I think this time we’re going to go over the 100 gallon mark. It’s going to be more bloody, will have a bigger scope and presentation then what people are used to seeing from Gwar I think.
Of course this is Gwar’s first album since the passing of longtime lead howler Oderus Urungus. I’d imagine much of this album is in tribute to his legacy? What do you think he’d think of The Blood of Gods?
Blothar: It is a tribute. The name of the album The Blood of Gods refers to our fallen brother Oderus Urungus, and also the others we have lost. There are some names that aren’t even on the list that people don’t know, the human slaves of Gwar who have passed before. The Blood of Gods is about all of those creatures. It absolutely is a tribute to Oderus Urungus and his human slave Dave Brockie. We’re doing our best to do what we’d think he’d want us to do, which is going out and making the world a worse place to live. I like to think he’s going to like this record.
With all this talk of the end of days for humanity, what would you say to the humanoids in terms of how to prevent the end of the world?
Blothar: Gwar has always tried to encourage humanity to put the barrel of a gun in their mouth and pull the trigger. In some ways I don’t see what else you can do. Things are pretty bad. My theory or advice would be you’d have a world-wide election and you put the leader of North Korea in charge of the entire planet and you just see what happens. At least it would be funny. What do you have to lose? Look at the way things are now.
Very important question. In your best opinion, do you think President Trump is a closet Gwar fan?
Blothar: No, I’m almost positive he is not a Gwar fan and I don’t think he’s going to be a Gwar fan after this tour and no one in his family will be, because they won’t even be alive. That guy, he’s a great example of humanity. What he’s mostly interested in is himself and that’s the only show that guy is watching, The Trump Show. No, I don’t think he concerns himself with us at all, and we like it that way. It wouldn’t surprise me in this particular climate if Gwar crosses some kind of line that brings authority down on the band that we haven’t previously imagined. That’s the way things are going right now, not only from Trump but the world in general. People don’t seem to be able to agree about very much at all any more.
Earlier this year Kathy Griffin made headlines for beheading a fake POTUS Donald Trump. Us metal fans saw this as a copycat of what Gwar has been doing since the beginning. How did the band take it? Do you see it as a fitting tribute or a blatant ripoff?
Blothar: Kathy Griffin, now she’s a G-list celebrity – ‘Life on the F List.’ People knew who she was and it was a foolish thing for her to do, to take Gwar’s routine. For us it was all hilarious. We really loved when she was describing the band G.W.A.R. Everybody knows that it stands for whatever the hell they think it stands for. Of course, Gwar is not going to get that kind of credit or that kind of attention. For better or worse Gwar has done some outrageous things that have flown under the radar in ways that other people haven’t been able to get away with. I think Kathy Griffin’s publicist was suggesting it was because she was a woman and not a man, and I would suggest it is because Kathy is milk toast garbage and not a heavy metal band that people are paying attention to it. I don’t think it has anything to do with her gender. That’s where we came down, we were insulted that she took our routine.
The Blood of Gods is available everywhere October 20th. Visit gwar.net for tour dates and more
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Dillon Collins/MHF Magazine
