The band was the result of the collaboration between Hunter Jackson and Dave Brockie, then the singer for a punk band called Death Piggy. Jackson was working on a movie at the time the two met. The movie, entitled Scumdogs of the Universe, featured a plot involving terrifying intergalactic barbarians. Jackson and Brockie combined their ideas, re-named the band Gwar, and have been performing as ghoulish intergalactic warriors ever since. Their costumes are generally made of foam latex, styrofoam, and hardened rubber. It should be noted that the costumes they are wearing actually cover very little with the rest of their bodies being accentuated with makeup. They further their production in concert by dousing, spraying, and at times nearly drowning their audiences with imitation blood, semen, gore, and other bodily fluids. All the fluids are made of water and dye that washes out easily. It is rumored that corn syrup or a similar product has been used as a thickener.
Another trademark of GWAR's live show is their mutilations of celebrities and figures in current events. Victims of GWAR's antics have included O.J. Simpson, George W. Bush, Paris Hilton, and many others. The band also makes frequent references to political and historical figures, fantasy literature, and mythology. For instance, the song "Whargoul" makes reference to Minas Morgul, a setting in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books; and the title of their sixth album, Ragnarok, comes from Norse mythology.
GWAR, though by no means a small-time band, have not enjoyed as much mainstream recognition as many other bands. Around the time of their second album (Scumdogs of the Universe), they enjoyed a fair deal of success, due in part to Beavis and Butt-head. After that, however, GWAR's popularity waned and they were even featured on the VH1 program "Where Are They Now." Though not at the peak of their popularity, GWAR was recently invited to play on the Sounds of the Underground tour, which was very well received.
Gwar were, at one time, banned from performing in their home city of Richmond, Virginia due to their raucous stage performances. During that time they would appear in their home town under the pseudonym Rawg and play sans costumes. The ban was later lifted and the band can now play in Richmond again in full gory attire. GWAR was banned earlier in North Carolina for obscenity reasons (Brockie was arrested for wearing his "Cuttlefish of Cthulu" prosthetic penis; this incident was the inspiration for GWAR's America Must Be Destroyed album). Band members and associates often have cookouts at their house, dubbed "Gwar-BQ's." The video for "Saddam a Go-Go" from This Toilet Earth appeared in the hit movie Empire Records. Gwar was/is primarily a band of former art students, and this is reflected in the obscure references made in some of their songs. Gwar fans are known as Bohabs or Scumdogs.
The origin and meaning of the band's name has been left intentionally vague by its members, although the most widely accepted explanation (though false and denied by the band members) is that GWAR is an acronym for "God What an Awful Racket!" One rumor states that the name may have come from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' graphic novel Watchmen, in which a poster reads, "Pink Triangle LIVE at the Gay Women Against Rape Benefit Concert." Other unsubstantiated rumors state that GWAR! is the sound monsters make in old horror movies, or that a fan at a club yelled "You should call your band..." and vomited before he could finish, making a sound close to the word GWAR. A final possibility, and the most viable as of yet, coming from sources close to the band suggests strongly that the name comes from the answer David Brockie gave to Hunter Jackson when asked what the band should be called. David Brockie simply responded with a mostly unintelligble word and isolated a single sound out of the rubble therefore creating GWAR.
On Sunday March 23, 2014, Brockie was found dead in his apartment by a band member. According to police, Brockie was found deceased and sitting upright in a chair.
Gwar's management confirmed the reports of Brockie's death on the official Gwar website at 4am on March 24, 2014. In an official statement released later that day, Gwar's manager Jack Flanagan said "It is with a saddened heart, that I confirm my dear friend Dave Brockie, artist, musician, and lead singer of GWAR passed away at approximately 6:50 PM EST Sunday March 23, 2014. His body was found Sunday by his band mate at his home in Richmond, VA. Richmond authorities have confirmed his death and next of kin has been notified. A full autopsy will be performed. He was 50 years old, born August 30, 1963. My main focus right now is to look after my band mates and his family. More information regarding his death shall be released as the details are confirmed." News of Brockie's death spread quickly with many of his fellow musical peers and bandmates responding through social media.
Mike Bishop, former member of Gwar, was one of the first to confirm Brockie's death. Bishop said "Dave was one of the funniest, smartest, most creative and energetic persons I've known. He was brash sometimes, always crass, irreverent, he was hilarious in every way. But he was also deeply intelligent and interested in life, history, politics and art. His penchant for scatological humors belied a lucid wit. He was a criminally underrated lyricist and hard rock vocalist, one of the best, ever! A great front man, a great painter, writer, he was also a hell of a bass guitarist. I loved him. He was capable of great empathy and had a real sense of justice.”
The Virginia State Medical Examiner's Office confirmed that Dave Brockie's death was caused by an accidental heroin overdose on Tuesday, June 3 2014.
After the death of Dave Brockie, the character of Oderus Urungus was given a Viking funeral at the 2014 Gwar-B-Q, held at Hadad's Lake park. Concurrently, Michael Bishop formally rejoined Gwar and assumed lead vocal duties in the persona of Blöthar the Berserker. The band resumed touring, and on October 20, 2017 released the first album
sans founding members, The Blood Of Gods.
Child
GWAR Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jumping up and down in the crowd she got a face full of blow
She caught the sperm in her mouth
And then she put it down south
She didn't understand
That a burrowing beast would plop out in the pan
She's having a child and she thinks it's such a clever stunt
What she's really gonna get is a claw in the cunt
That's when I started to fuck in her mouth
She didn't understand
That I'm a happy dappy Sammy Davis Jr. man
You want to get out of your life?
Well go fuck a rock star!
Then you can quit your job at the crummy fucking titty bar
You'll be lying on your back next to the wall with your legs in the air
Crowd of fucking doc's coming on like they really don't care
She took that fistful of sperm and crammed it right up her womb
So she could lie with her legs in the air in the hospital room
But there's one thing that the little girl don't understand
That I don't have a dime and I don't give a damn
The song "Child" by GWAR is an explicit and graphic song that speaks about the consequences of casual sex and the impact it can have on people's lives. The lyrics suggest that the singer has had intercourse with a woman he does not know intimately and gets her pregnant. The woman, who is unaware of the consequences of her actions, believes that having the child is a clever stunt, but is unaware of what she is getting into. The song portrays the woman as naive and confused, leading to the idea that she does not fully comprehend the gravity of the situation.
The singer also seems to have no concern for the woman's wellbeing, and instead, he takes advantage of her by having sex with her mouth. He seems to be dismissive of his actions and the fact that he has fathered a child, and instead, he focuses on his own happiness and sexual fulfillment. His lack of empathy and respect for the woman is evident in the song, and he presents himself as someone who does not care about others.
The song's explicit language and graphic imagery are meant to shock and provoke a reaction from the listener. It is meant to be satirical and critical of the casual sex culture and the lack of responsibility that some people have. The song reflects the punk and metal culture of the time and aptly portrays the promiscuous and self-centered attitudes of some individuals.
Line by Line Meaning
Having a child with a person I don't even know
Giving birth to a child with someone unknown
Jumping up and down in the crowd she got a face full of blow
Partying hard and getting high at concerts
She caught the sperm in her mouth
Performing oral sex on the singer and swallowing his semen
And then she put it down south
Intentionally ingesting sperm to get pregnant
She didn't understand
That a burrowing beast would plop out in the pan
Not realizing that childbirth would be violent and painful
She's having a child and she thinks it's such a clever stunt
Believing that getting pregnant is something to be proud of
What she's really gonna get is a claw in the cunt
Experiencing extreme pain during childbirth
Things went south
That's when I started to fuck in her mouth
Having sex with her during a difficult situation
She didn't understand
That I'm a happy dappy Sammy Davis Jr. man
Misunderstanding the singer's personality
You want to get out of your life?
Well go fuck a rock star!
Suggesting that having sex with a celebrity is a way to escape reality
Then you can quit your job at the crummy fucking titty bar
Imagining a better life without having to work at a strip club
You'll be lying on your back next to the wall with your legs in the air
Describing a humiliating medical exam during pregnancy
Crowd of fucking doc's coming on like they really don't care
Doctors handling pregnancy as if it were routine
She took that fistful of sperm and crammed it right up her womb
Forcefully trying to get pregnant
So she could lie with her legs in the air in the hospital room
Imagining a glamorous hospital birth
But there's one thing that the little girl don't understand
That I don't have a dime and I don't give a damn
The singer doesn't care about the child and doesn't have any money to take care of it
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARTIN BRAMMER, TIM LAWS, MARK OWEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind