If you’ve ever been to a Gwar show, you already know subtlety isn’t exactly part of the package.
For decades, theatrical metal institution Gwar has built its reputation on fake blood, grotesque spectacle and publicly dismantling just about everyone imaginable onstage: Politicians, celebrities, public figures, nobody has traditionally been off limits.
Which is why frontman Blöthar The Berserker says he was surprised by how differently people reacted after the band’s now infamous theatrical Donald Trump execution at Riot Fest last year (below).
Speaking in a new interview with Rocking With Jam Man, Blöthar (real name Michael Bishop), argued that the performance itself wasn’t a departure from what GWAR has always done.
“People acted as if Gwar had changed, but Gwar didn’t change. The world fricking changed. The way people felt about politics changed. The way people felt about comedy and humour changed.”
The stunt in question featured the band theatrically disembowelling a costumed caricature of Trump during their set, something that quickly sparked criticism online and calls from some commentators for the band to face consequences.
Full interview
According to Bishop, controversy around exaggerated stage violence and political figures isn’t remotely new territory for Gwar (Per Loudersound).
“For years Gwar would do whatever the f*** we wanted. We would kill politicians from both sides of the aisle. We would kill famous people. We never had any backlash.”
Blöthar also pointed to previous stage routines involving public figures across the political spectrum and argued the public response changed significantly once political identity became more central to how people engage with entertainment.
At the same time, he acknowledged the reaction escalated beyond criticism, with the band previously revealing they received threats following the performance.
Whether people see it as satire, provocation or simply part of GWAR’s long-running mythology, the band doesn’t appear interested in changing course.
After more than four decades of alien gore, excessive theatrics and offending basically everybody at one point or another, GWAR seem content doing what they’ve always done, even if audiences respond differently now.
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