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.
King Queen
GWAR Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That everywhere I fucking go
People writhe with piles of corpses,
Rotting on there down below.
And they all beg forgiveness.
And so you know I will give them this.
Oh!
Living in the future now,
I feel like I'm dying even though I'm living in the past.
And this immortal coil
You know that it will always last.
And now I think I'll have to sing about the death and horror that I bring:
Gay apparel I put it on, put it on
Sucking the marrow.
And as you die I sing this song.
Oh! How shocking, how dare you.
Dare to die before I'm through.
Supposed I'll have to resurrect you
And bathe your bowels in boiling spew.
Now its time, almost time.
Now its time to...
I'm gazing at you broken bones.
I feel lost and so forlorn.
Another death, another mess,
Another shroud that I have worn.
Another box that I begin,
Another grave you'll soon be in.
I concentrate the lovely hate.
But you're looking kinda thin.
King Queen, King Queen, its so obscene. [x2]
Infinite ruin!
Life falls down.
Look at me spewing.
You begged me to come to this town.
When your clubs crushed and you friends are dead,
Then you'll remember just-a what I said:
I'm the qeeniest being that there ever has been.
Dare you tempt the wrath?
The wrath of old King Queen?
Now it's time, almost time.
Now it's time to die!
When your clubs crushed and your friends are dead,
Then you'll remember just-a what I said: [x2]
I'm the queenliest being that there ever has been [x3]
Dare you tempt the wrath?
The wrath of old King Queen?
Crush you like bug - Smash steel and stone.
Obliterate, dominate.
Call this planet home.
King Queen. King Queen. [x3]
The lyrics to Gwar's song King Queen are filled with violent and gruesome imagery that reveal the lead singer's twisted, sadistic personality. The song begins with the singer boasting about his power over others, as he observes piles of corpses that people are begging him to forgive. The singer revels in his domination and control, as he contemplates the immortal coil of death and destruction that will always last. He sings about donning "gay apparel" and sucking the marrow of his victims, all while they die and he sings about their horror and demise.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes more and more deranged, expressing his delight in the destruction and violence that he brings. He threatens to resurrect his victims, bathing their bowels in boiling spew, and explores the pleasure he takes in watching their broken bones. He claims to be the "queenliest being" that has ever existed, daring anyone to challenge his wrath.
Throughout the song, the lyrics alternate between disturbing images of death and destruction, and the singer's pride in his power and control. The tone is dark and foreboding, as the audience is left to imagine the horrific scenes that the singer describes.
Line by Line Meaning
One thing that I know:
I have a clear understanding of one fact
That everywhere I fucking go
Wherever I travel, this fact remains the same
People writhe with piles of corpses,
I see people suffering with the burden of dead bodies
Rotting on there down below.
The corpses are decaying and causing a foul odor
And they all beg forgiveness.
The people are pleading for mercy and absolution
And so you know I will give them this.
I will grant them the pardon they seek
Oh!
Expression of excitement or surprise
Living in the future now,
I am in the present but feel like I am in the future
Why know I'm moving much too fast.
I am advancing too quickly
I feel like I'm dying even though I'm living in the past.
I am experiencing physical decline although my mind is stuck in the past
And this immortal coil
The never-ending cycle of life and death
You know that it will always last.
It will continue indefinitely
And now I think I'll have to sing about the death and horror that I bring:
I must now address the death and terror that my actions bring forth
Gay apparel I put it on, put it on
I dress extravagantly, donning colorful clothes
Sucking the marrow.
I derive pleasure from the pain and suffering of others
And as you die I sing this song.
As you meet your demise, I am singing this tune
Oh! How shocking, how dare you.
I am bewildered and outraged by your audacity
Dare to die before I'm through.
You are dying prematurely, interrupting my plans
Supposed I'll have to resurrect you
I may need to revive you to fully carry out my intentions
And bathe your bowels in boiling spew.
I will submerge your intestines in hot liquid waste
Now its time, almost time.
It is nearly time to carry out my final act
I'm gazing at you broken bones.
I am staring at your fractured skeletal structure
I feel lost and so forlorn.
I am feeling despondent and dejected
Another death, another mess,
Another fatality to add to my trail of chaos
Another shroud that I have worn.
Another burial garment that I have donned
Another box that I begin,
Another casket that I have prepared
Another grave you'll soon be in.
You will be interred in yet another tomb soon
I concentrate the lovely hate.
I focus my beautiful animosity
But you're looking kinda thin.
You appear to have lost weight
King Queen, King Queen, its so obscene. [x2]
King and Queen, ruling with depravity
Infinite ruin!
Endless destruction
Life falls down.
Life declines and crumbles
Look at me spewing.
Watch me eject violence and malice
You begged me to come to this town.
You actually invited me to your locality
When your clubs crushed and you friends are dead,
When your social clubs are destroyed and companions are deceased
Then you'll remember just-a what I said:
You will recall what I have uttered
I'm the qeeniest being that there ever has been.
I am the most regal and dominant creature imaginable
Dare you tempt the wrath?
Do you have the courage to defy my rage?
The wrath of old King Queen?
The fury of the esteemed King Queen?
Now it's time, almost time.
It is nearly time to execute my plan
Now it's time to die!
It is now time for you to meet your end
Crush you like bug - Smash steel and stone.
I will annihilate you as I would a small insect or sturdy object
Obliterate, dominate.
I will vanquish and overpower
Call this planet home.
I assert my claim over this world
When your clubs crushed and your friends are dead,
When your social clubs are destroyed and companions are deceased
Then you'll remember just-a what I said: [x2]
You will recall what I had stated previously
I'm the queenliest being that there ever has been [x3]
I am the most noble and dominant creature to have ever lived
Dare you tempt the wrath?
Do you have the courage to defy my fury?
The wrath of old King Queen?
The fury of the esteemed King Queen?
King Queen. King Queen. [x3]
Title of the song referring to dominant rulership
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GWAR GWAR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind