The longest-tenured Beefcake The Mighty, Mike Bishop, served as GWAR‘s primary mouthpiece as Blothar when the band returned to the live stage yesterday (Saturday, August 16) at this year’s edition of GWAR‘s annual GWAR-B-Q festival at Hadad’s Lake in Richmond, Virginia. Also appearing on the bill were BODY COUNT (featuring rapper and actor Ice-T), HATEBREED, MISFITS, GOATWHORE and several others.
Fan-filmed video footage of GWAR‘s entire set can be seen below.
The life of GWAR‘s lead singer and mastermind Dave Brockie was celebrated with a special memorial event this past Friday night (August 15) at Hadad’s Lake. Fans, friends — including former DEAD KENNEDYS frontman Jello Biafra and LAMB OF GOD‘s Randy Blythe — and family members had the opportunity to pay their respects, as they drunkenly toasted with a GWAR Beer in one hand, while wearing the commemorative Dave Brockie Fund vomit stained t-shirt as Oderus Urungus (Brockie‘s stage name) was set ablaze in a Viking Funeral Pyre on the lake.
Brockie died in March of an accidental heroin overdose. He was found unresponsive by his roommate in his North Richmond home. Responding police investigators found evidence of heroin use, but the cause of death wasn’t finalized until toxicology tests were completed. He was 50 years old.
Brockie is the second member of GWAR to die within the past three years. Guitarist Cory Smoot, who played the character Flattus Maximus, died of a heart attack on the band’s tour bus in November 2011 at the age of 34.
Brockie was the last remaining original member of GWAR, which was founded 30 years ago.
The satirical metal band earned a following for its macabre, over-the-top costumes, offensive lyrics and graphic, gore-soaked shows, in which the band members performed as the descendants of alien warriors who arrived on Earth to enslave and slaughter the human race.
GWAR released its 13th album, “Battle Maximus”, last year.
Source: Blabbermouth
