ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke with Mike Derks and Matt Maguire of the band Gwar. The 2 mentioned the continuing story that the band has created and the way the web has modified issues. The movie can be launched digitally, on DVD and Blu-ray, and thru video-on-demand on October 25.
“The highly effective story of probably the most iconic heavy metallic/artwork collective/monster band within the universe, as advised by the people who’ve fought to maintain it alive for over thirty years,” reads the doc’s synopsis. “The characteristic documentary consists of interviews with members of Gwar, each previous and current, in addition to different artists, together with Bizarre Al Yankovic, Thomas Lennon, Alex Winter, Bam Margera, and Ethan Embry, additionally together with by no means earlier than seen footage of legendary Gwar frontman Dave Brockie.”
Tyler Treese: What impressed you probably the most about working with Scott Barber and the way he captured the entire band’s historical past and really feel all through the documentary?
Mike Derks: Scott was nice. It was such a monumental job to attempt to take this band that’s been round for over three many years, occurring 4 now, and discover a thread and a story to the entire thing. And he made it attention-grabbing to individuals who don’t know who we’re [or] what we’re about. He did an important job of truly distilling it down and telling a cohesive story out of this huge mess of what actually is a solid that might have been tons of.
He did one thing we by no means may have both, as a result of he’s an outsider within the sense that he’s not a part of the band, however he’s an insider in that he’s a fan. He loves the work and he simply advised the story in a means that we couldn’t have, being too near it.
Matt, you needed to work your means up within the band. So this documentary is a glance again at these early years. How was it, paying your dues after which changing into an even bigger member?
Matt Maguire: It was undoubtedly an expertise. The band began after I was in highschool, so I met a few of these guys, like Hunter and Don, after I was a young person, so I’ve recognized lots of these guys most of my life. It was an expertise as a result of it was studying methods to do … as a result of it’s probably not a standard band, you understand, we’re, we’re, we’re undoubtedly extra of an artwork collective than a band at some factors. So it’s actually tough to attempt to say, “Hey, you’re going to attempt to transfer all of your stuff into this membership.” And so they’re so used to guys simply establishing their cabs. They don’t have to maneuver or make house for a large monster to return in and do a present.
So it’s undoubtedly a singular expertise. So far as attending to a place the place there are extra obligations and stuff, I discovered so much from my predecessors and I undoubtedly attempt to apply all that stuff that I’ve discovered from a few of their errors or a few of the issues that we’ve discovered from doing this for 30 some odd years at this level. It’s nonetheless a tremendous journey.
Mike, the group simply had a graphic novel come out. What has it meant that not solely have your followers supported and adopted the band for the reason that 80s, however they’re additionally down for no matter you guys do? Whether or not it’s loopy movies or comics, how a lot does that assist of the artwork collective imply to you?
Mike Derks: I imply, it’s bizarre. We’re not a band. Even from that aspect of it, of the efficiency, it’s a theatrical efficiency that’s gone on for over three many years. We’ve been telling this one story that’s acquired so many branches and each time we exit on the highway, we add to the mythos and the storyline will get longer and longer. Having the comics and the films and issues like which have allowed us to inform all these different tales, but it surely’s extra like a comic book guide historical past, you understand? We’ve these characters and there are such a lot of tales we will inform with them and so many issues we will do by means of the songs and thru the movies and the comics and all of it.
Matt Maguire: It’s lots of stuff you simply couldn’t presumably do on stage. You possibly can’t convey the scope of this story fully on stage. So it’s good to have that avenue with comics and films and different issues like that.
You guys do so much on stage and Matt, you even have celeb executions typically, all through the ages. I noticed an important video of you guys killing Hitler. Who at the moment is on the chopping block when it comes to a celeb executions?
Matt Maguire: Effectively, it’s largely politicians in the intervening time. We’ve Putin, we’ve acquired Biden, and we’ve pulled Trump again into it. So we’ve acquired these three within the present present. Yeah, we all the time are recreation for folks within the highlight and particularly individuals who the group desires to see taken down a notch or two, or a minimum of deliver mild to.
The way in which I heard of the band the primary time was by means of Beavis and Butt-Head. I had the Sega Genesis recreation and the entire recreation was about going to a Gwar live performance. So I used to be curious, Mike, of the significance of the Beavis and Butt-head co-sign and MTV actually getting behind the band. Are you able to converse to what that meant on the time?
Mike Derks: Yeah, I imply that was one among our first nationwide [things] the place folks have been listening to about us. Earlier than that, we have been in fanzines and that sort of tradition, however getting the popularity of a present that was being proven —
Matt Maguire: It was worldwide. I bear in mind going to Europe and folks figuring out us from Beavis and Butt-Head. It was loopy. [It was a] essential time and essential factor to have had occur. Mike Choose being a fan of ours, to only be like, “okay, we’re going to make Beavis and Butt-Head‘s favourite band Gwar.” That was very lucky for the band for certain.
Mike Derks: For a band that doesn’t get songs on the radio, that was sort of like our hit single on the time.
Matt Maguire: Yeah.
Matt, I used to be curious, you talked about Mike Choose being a fan. What kind of celebrities have stunned you over time by means of revealing that they’re Gwar followers?
Matt Maguire: Watching the documentary, I didn’t know Thomas Lennon was a fan. It will make sense, however I imply, you don’t know until you meet him or discuss to him. It’s humorous to see how many individuals find out about us, as a result of lots of instances it’s like, “oh yeah, I’ve been doing it for some time, however I actually don’t suppose we now have gotten to the family title.”
Mike, I used to be curious what your response was when Phallus in Wonderland was nominated for Grammy? Clearly you’re taking your artwork severely, however to be nominated at that stage with all these very conventional acts, that needed to be very surreal.
Mike Derks: It was undoubtedly unusual to see who we have been up towards. Being up towards Annie Lennox …
Matt Maguire: And M.C. Hammer!
Mike Derks: Yeah, M.C. Hammer. We by no means have actually appeared to suit into the music trade. It was entertaining that they’d give us that nod.
Matt, censorship has all the time been a significant theme in your artwork and the stuff you’ve confronted over time. How unbelievable is it now that you’ve the web and also you’re in a position to attain out to followers immediately? How has that modified over time?
Matt Maguire: You’re extra accessible to your followers now than you have been earlier than. Like what Dirks was saying earlier, you’d be in fanzines and having Beavis and Butt-Head publicity helped, however now with the web, you get to be accessible to your followers each single day, each single night time. That’s undoubtedly completely different. It’s sort of a double-edged sword. You get extra suggestions instantly and faster than you’ll ever prior to now. Me personally, I’ve by no means been beholden to it. I all the time say I’d be doing Gwar or one thing like Gwar if no one was watching. I’m very lucky that we now have a great fan base and we acquired lots of people who’re into Gwar and we respect them.
In the identical sense, you get the haters, the folks that wish to take you down a notch or no matter. I by no means actually paid consideration to any of that crap, but it surely’s a tremendous factor to have this platform as a result of, yeah, Gwar’s — for lack of a greater phrase — mission assertion lots of instances is to stay it to the person and be like, “we don’t want to sit down right here and conform or sit there and have these social constructs, like get in line,” all that sort of crap. So it’s extra like we wish folks to really feel like, yeah, it is best to be capable of converse your thoughts or converse your piece and folks ought to be capable of hearken to you and try this sort of stuff. That’s why Gwar is usually biased about what they do on stage and the way they strategy politically, theologically, all that sort of stuff. So we attempt to maintain it very throughout the board.
