'We Are the Kings of Shock Rock' - How GWAR's Blothar the Berserker Would Define the Band's Legacy

At 40 years in, GWAR's Blothar the Berserker made a definitive statement to Full Metal Jackie about the band's legacy.

"We are kings of shock rock, even though a lot of people don't seem to recognize that," shared the band's leader.

The comment came in the midst of a discussion about the opportunity that GWAR provides for those involved.

"There's nothing off limits in GWAR," shared Blothar, who added in his own unique way, "It is a fun gig because you get to do a lot. You get to act, you get to perform, you get to be a musician. You get to develop hemorrhoids from long days on the road driving. I think that probably the best. I don't know."

He adds, "I have always loved GWAR's albums. That's the lifeblood of this band. I think that this EP gets right back to it. I had a friend, a journalist, who said GWAR's quietly been making great records for years. And it's true."

The latest record from GWAR is The Return of Gor Gor and Blothar gives Jackie the lowdown of what it means to have a now fully grown Gor Gor back in the fold and inspiring new music. He also shares a bit about how the band chooses new members and the difficulty of finding other bands to tour with.

Blothar also shares his love of comics and what public media has meant to him over the years. Check out more of the chat below.

It's Full Metal Jackie. So excited this week to welcome the one, the only, Blothar the Berserker of GWAR with us on the show. The band obviously out there supporting their latest, The Return of Gor Gor. Blothar. Gor Gor has had a long, strange history with GWAR. Why was now the right time to bring this crack addicted dinosaur back into the fold? And where does the band stand with Gor Gor these days? Friend or foe?

Well if you look at the earliest picture of GWAR, the earliest photograph, there's Gor Gor right there. He's always been around, our pet dinosaur from the beginning. And we figured on our 40th anniversary, it was the best time that we could possibly bring him back. So we did.

What is GWAR 40 years later without Gor Gor? So that's what we did.

GWAR, "Lot Lizard"

With songs such as "Tyrant King," "Lot Lizard" and "The Great Circus Train Disaster," it certainly appears that Gor Gor is not only back, he's fully grown and wreaking havoc. What does a fully grown Gorgor mean for the world at large?

Well, one thing it means is there's going to be a lot more scat just scattered around because he produces a lot of waste. But no, Gor Gor, he's a tyrant lizard. That's basically when you watch King Kong and you see the, the tribesmen like worshiping him and bringing something for him to eat, usually a woman tied to a stick.

That's what Gor Gor likes. He likes that thing. Girl kebabs.

Girl kebabs?

Yes. He eats people. He's not a good dog. He is a bad dog.

Blothar, let's talk about the tour. GWAR, Helmet, Dwarves and Blood Vulture. While it's great to have fans, Is it the wisest thing to ask the ladies to dress as brides when coming to the show?

Of course, of course. Absolutely. If we want to memorialize, it's all part of our plan to have the world's biggest divorce. That's what we're looking for. We want to pay a lot of alibody.

GWAR have seen band members come and go over the years. Grodius Maximus was the latest to come on board in 2024. As someone who has seen a lot over the years, is there any sort of initiation or tests that Grody has had to go through before being invited into the group?

Well, not really a test before being invited. I mean, GWAR gets new members the way you get cats. You take out the garbage and there's some pathetic, straggling little mewling creature that winds up coming in the house and using the bathroom on the floor. That's how we get members.

But he has endured significant razzing and a period of hazing where ... yes, his life will never be the same.

GWAR have been rocking for 40 years now, but I can't imagine it's easy to find bands to tour with. What has been your favorite tour pairing over the years and what was perhaps the strangest act you've ever been asked to play with?

Well, you're absolutely right. That's how we wind up with a dwarf and a blood vulture is that nobody else wants to be around us. We've gone through a lot of bands over the years. I think probably our favorite, back in the day we loved to play with the Butthole Surfers.

But, of course, who doesn't love to play with a butthole surfer?

And given what we've seen happen in public recently, would GWAR ever consider a kiss cam at their shows?

Oh, a kiss cam. Absolutely. I think we should have just a poop cam. I don't know. That would be gross, wouldn't it? You know, a lot of pooping.

Is there a lot of public pooping that happens at your shows?

I don't know. The truth of the matter is that GWAR is the outside cat of bands now. We really don't belong indoors because we're gonna make a mess and stink up the place. But I think that a kiss cam would be a great, I don't know, Gwar fans kissing on a big screen?

Blothar, I have to give credit where it's due. Many thanks to you for standing up for public media. I had no idea you were so tight with Fred Rogers. How big was public media for you when GWAR arrived to learn of our culture and customs? And despite the vote for budget cuts, are there still things we can do to help out public media?

Of course you can give money. You can answer those pledge drives. They're more important than ever. And public media is important.

Without public media, I wouldn't know ... I watched Bobby Blotzer of Ratt on a show called Rock School back in the day take on Ginger Baker. Ginger Baker? Do you know how moody and cranky Ginger Baker is? Well, somehow they got that crack addicted, womanizing weirdo to play drums with Bobby Blotzer. It was great.

Only the power of PBS can do that. Not only that, but some of the WGBH in Boston, some of the best programming you've ever seen.

Of course it's all gone now because I don't know, somebody didn't like it and it had me.

Along with this Return of Gor Gor collection, we've also got a corresponding comic. How vital is the comic in telling the story and what are your thoughts on how it all turned out? Is the comic true to your experiences?

Absolutely. Gore has always been about comics. Our very first appearance in public was at a comic book convention at Dragon Con in Atlanta in 1985. Always the band has had people in the band who make underground comics. That's been a vital part of what GWAR is for a very long time. So it always makes sense for us to do comics. We love it.

This particular narrative, it does a good job of advancing. With a comic, you can include art that tells the story and gives the feeling of an experience even more than just the lyrics and the music. I love it.

Plus, when I was a kid, there's nothing I loved more than those [comics]. I had Frankenstein, a version of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It was a comic, but then you play a record and you would hear the spooky music and then you'd hear it acted out and you'd hear a ding and then you turn the page. I love that stuff.

As a musician, I feel like GWAR has to be a wonderful gift, going above and beyond where the creative side is encouraged. Is there anything that's been off limits for GWAR? And do you have something within the presentation and storytelling that's been unique to an idea you came up with that you feel has turned out just brilliant?

What a wonderful question. There's nothing off limits in GWAR.

And absolutely, you're right. It is a fun gig because you get to do a lot. You get to act, you get to perform, you get to be a musician. You get to develop hemorrhoids from long days on the road driving. I think that probably the best. I don't know.

I have always loved GWAR's albums. That's the lifeblood of this band. I think that this EP gets right back to it. I had a friend, a journalist, who said GWAR's quietly been making great records for years. And it's true.

We are kings of shock rock, even though a lot of people don't seem to recognize that.

I think it is the time for GWAR to be recognized. 40 years. Happy 40th, by the way. That's amazing.

Well, thank you. Lordy, lordy, look who's 40th —ugly old GWAR.

Blothar the Berserker of GWAR. We've got The Return of Gor Got as well as the tour. Good luck with all things to come and good luck with the continuing domination of our planet.

Oh, yeah. Thank you, Jackie.

And hey, we gotta shout out the one and only Oderus Urungus of GWAR, who we miss very, very much. You might remember he used to do a weekly segment on this show called the Madness Minute. It was completely unhinged in the best way and I kept an archive of it up on the site. Go to fullmetaljackieradio.com and look under media. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Our thanks to GWAR's Blothar the Berserker for the interview. The Return of Gor Gor and the corresponding comic are available now, with their tour set to kick off in October after their appearance at the Aftershock Festival. Stay up to date with GWAR through their website, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok accounts. Find out where you can hear Full Metal Jackie's weekend radio show here.