We’ll never forget seeing GWAR and the Misfits (with Marky Ramone) play a Halloween show at Roseland Ballroom sometime in the late ’90s. After the spectacle of splatter, we ordered a burger at McDonald’s and were surprised by the cashier’s look of bewilderment. Apparently, our face was still bright red from the fake blood shed by the victims of Oderus Urungus (everyone from Marilyn Manson to JonBenet Ramsey to Elvis were fed to his toilet bowl).
We can’t say we were ever, um, die-hard fans of the Scumdogs of the Universe and their face-ripping antics, but their grotesque, outrageous stage show was memorable enough that we were saddened to hear of the death of frontman Dave Brockie. Though Oderus was an alien that was billions of years old, Brockie was only human and died at the age of 50 in his Richmond, Va. home.
If you, like Beavis & Butthead, were a fan, take a moment to watch one of GWAR’s early shows at the East Village’s legendary Pyramid Club, in January of 1989. Jump to the 13 minute mark to watch a hippie meet his end just a block from Tompkins Square Park.