ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke with Mike Derks and Matt Maguire of the band Gwar. The two mentioned the ongoing story that the band has created and the way the web has modified issues. The movie will likely be launched digitally, on DVD and Blu-ray, and thru video-on-demand on October 25.
“The powerful story of the most iconic heavy metal/art collective/monster band in the universe, as told by the humans who have fought to keep it alive for over thirty years,” reads the doc’s synopsis. “The feature documentary includes interviews with members of Gwar, both past and present, as well as other artists, including Weird Al Yankovic, Thomas Lennon, Alex Winter, Bam Margera, and Ethan Embry, also including never before seen footage of legendary Gwar frontman Dave Brockie.”
Tyler Treese: What impressed you the most about working with Scott Barber and the way he captured the complete band’s historical past and really feel all through the documentary?
Mike Derks: Scott was nice. It was such a monumental process to attempt to take this band that’s been round for over three many years, going on 4 now, and discover a thread and a story to the complete factor. And he made it attention-grabbing to individuals who don’t know who we’re [or] what we’re about. He did an excellent job of really distilling it down and telling a cohesive story out of this large mess of what actually is a forged that might have been a whole lot.
He did one thing we by no means may have both, as a result of he’s an outsider in 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 instructed the story in a approach that we couldn’t have, being too near it.
Matt, you needed to work your approach up in 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 youngster, so I’ve identified loads of these guys most of my life. It was an expertise as a result of it was studying do … as a result of it’s not likely a standard band, you recognize, we’re, we’re, we’re undoubtedly extra of an artwork collective than a band at some factors. So it’s actually troublesome to attempt to say, “Hey, you’re going to try to move all your stuff into this club.” And they’re so used to guys simply establishing their cabs. They don’t have to maneuver or make house for an enormous monster to return in and do a present.
So it’s undoubtedly a singular expertise. As far as attending to a place the place there are extra obligations and stuff, I discovered lots 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 since the 80s, however they’re additionally down for no matter you guys do? Whether 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 bought so many branches and each time we exit on the street, we add to the mythos and the storyline will get longer and longer. Having the comics and the motion pictures and issues like which have allowed us to inform all these different tales, however it’s extra like a comic book e-book historical past, you recognize? We have these characters and there are such a lot of tales we are able to inform with them and so many issues we are able to do by the songs and thru the movies and the comics and all of it.
Matt Maguire: It’s loads of stuff you simply couldn’t presumably do on stage. You can’t convey the scope of this story fully on stage. So it’s essential to have that avenue with comics and films and different issues like that.
You guys do lots on stage and Matt, you even have celeb executions generally, all through the ages. I noticed an excellent video of you guys killing Hitler. Who at present is on the chopping block by way of a star executions?
Matt Maguire: Well, it’s largely politicians at the second. We have Putin, we’ve bought Biden, and we’ve pulled Trump again into it. So we’ve bought these three in the present present. Yeah, we all the time are sport for folks in the highlight and particularly individuals who the crowd desires to see taken down a notch or two, or at the very least convey gentle to.
The approach I heard of the band the first time was by Beavis and Butt-Head. I had the Sega Genesis sport and the complete sport 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. Can you converse to what that meant at the time?
Mike Derks: Yeah, I imply that was one among our first nationwide [things] the place folks have been listening to about us. Before that, we have been in fanzines and that sort of tradition, however getting the recognition of a present that was being proven —
Matt Maguire: It was worldwide. I keep in mind going to Europe and folks realizing us from Beavis and Butt-Head. It was loopy. [It was a] essential time and essential factor to have had occur. Mike Judge being a fan of ours, to only be like, “okay, we’re going to make Beavis and Butt-Head‘s favorite band Gwar.” That was very fortunate for the band for sure.
Mike Derks: For a band that doesn’t get songs on the radio, that was sort of like our hit single at the time.
Matt Maguire: Yeah.
Matt, I used to be curious, you talked about Mike Judge being a fan. What kind of celebrities have shocked you over the years by revealing that they’re Gwar followers?
Matt Maguire: Watching the documentary, I didn’t know Thomas Lennon was a fan. It would make sense, however I imply, you don’t know except you meet him or speak to him. It’s humorous to see how many individuals find out about us, as a result of loads of instances it’s like, “oh yeah, I’ve been doing it for a while, but I really don’t think we have gotten to the household name.”
Mike, I used to be curious what your response was when Phallus in Wonderland was nominated for Grammy? Obviously you’re taking your artwork significantly, 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 in opposition to. Being up in opposition to 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 business. It was entertaining that they might 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 got the web and also you’re capable of attain out to followers straight? How has that modified over the years?
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 totally different. It’s sort of a double-edged sword. You get extra suggestions instantly and faster than you’ll ever in the previous. 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 person was watching. I’m very lucky that we’ve fan base and we bought lots of people who’re into Gwar and we respect them.
In the similar sense, you get the haters, the those who wish to take you down a notch or no matter. I by no means actually paid consideration to any of that crap, however it’s a tremendous factor to have this platform as a result of, yeah, Gwar’s — for lack of a greater phrase — mission assertion loads of instances is to stay it to the man and be like, “we don’t need to sit 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’s best to be capable to converse your thoughts or converse your piece and folks ought to be capable to take heed to you and do this sort of stuff. That’s why Gwar is generally 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.
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