The story of the iconic Scumdogs of the Universe known as GWAR is captured in their new documentary This Is GWAR, set for a physical and VOD release on October 25th. In anticipation, Consequence is premiering an exclusive clip taken from the Blu-Ray and DVD bonus material.
In the clip, comedic actor and writer Thomas Lennon (who plays in a Smiths cover band), “Weird Al” Yankovic, and Darkest Hour’s Mike Schleibaum each express how astonishingly complicated it is to pull together a live show — let alone a GWAR show.
“Bands have to work hard,” Schleibaum stated in the interview. “But GWAR takes it on themselves to take it to a level of misery that almost no one is prepared to go.”
Meanwhile, “Weird Al” shared his own experiences with performing in a fat suit and remembered how “freeing” it was to perform stripped-down shows during his 2017 “Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour.”
He jokingly suggested that GWAR could benefit from taking a similar approach at some point. “Maybe GWAR should do that,” Yankovic laughed. “Hey, we’re GWAR. Just wanna play some of our tunes, just kind of hang out with you guys for a while.”
This Is GWAR was directed by Scott Barber with Tommy Avallone and Josh Goldbloom producing. It includes interviews with GWAR band members past and present along with commentary from Alex Winter, Bam Margera, Ethan Embry, and unseen footage of late founder Dave Brockie (aka Oderus Urungus). Initially premiering at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, the documentary then became available on the horror-centric streaming platform Shudder.
The physical formats come packed with bonus features, including behind-the-scenes footage from a GWAR show; GWAR on Empire Records (as told by Ethan Embry); the documentary short The Legend of GWAR: The Story of the Scumdogs of the Universe; the last interview with Brockie; and GWAR from the Outside: Bonus Interviews. Also included are a Slave Pit walkthrough with Michael Bishop (Blothar the Berserker), a commentary track from Bob Gorman (Bonesnapper) and Mike Derks (Balsac the Jaws of Death), and Four Pillars of GWAR, a brief deep dive into the origin of GWAR focusing on Hunter Jackson, Dave Brockie, Chuck Varga, and Don Drakulich.
You can pre-order This Is GWAR here. For a full GWAR experience, check out the band’s own Bud of Gods CBD Products. The band is also in the midst of a North American tour, with tickets available here.
