{"id":2031351,"date":"2025-09-18T10:57:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T10:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2031351"},"modified":"2025-09-18T10:57:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T10:57:20","slug":"let-there-be-gwar-exhibit-celebrates-40-years-of-metals-bloodiest-band","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/let-there-be-gwar-exhibit-celebrates-40-years-of-metals-bloodiest-band\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Let There Be GWAR’ exhibit celebrates 40 years of metal’s bloodiest band"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It\u2019s not often where you find a provocative band whose handcrafted performance art is just as vital to its legacy as its music. Such is the case for GWAR, who celebrated their 40-year anniversary with a comprehensive multimedia exhibit that opened last week at L.A. gallery Beyond the Streets. <\/p>\n

\u201cLet There Be GWAR\u201d showcases the Grammy-nominated band\u2019s elaborate sci-fi artistry through its numerous costumes, props, comics, live performances at clubs and pivotal moments on television. Materials such as foam, latex, fiberglass and a variety of metals and plastics have gone into their colorful creations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe story of GWAR is complex but in the end it\u2019s a group of like-minded weirdos making art,\u201d Bob Gorman, an integral craftsman in the band\u2019s artist collective, told The Times. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur mythos emerged from comic books and gaming culture and it has a narrative. Each band member has a character; they are part of our zeitgeist.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Clay models of severed heads in the GWAR exhibit.<\/p>\n

(David Butow \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

As the band\u2019s archivist, Gorman was able to retain the original artwork, costume designs and even milk bottles from the band\u2019s early days, which can be seen throughout the exhibit.<\/p>\n

\u201cEarly on, I decided to be our historian, so through the years, I have saved things and put them aside for an opportunity such as this retrospective. This exhibit gets very detailed, yet stays broad enough for anyone to enjoy without getting into the weeds.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to being the exhibit curators, Gorman and Beyond the Streets founder Roger Gastman co-authored \u201cLet There Be GWAR,\u201d a coffee table book which recently launched into its third printing, and is now available at the gallery\u2019s merch store, along with other limited-edition items.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a collector and a curator of subculture, GWAR has always been with me \u2014 everything from the music and T-shirts, to live shows and videos. At their core, they are an artist collective that has been making everything by hand for 40 years. Nothing they do is outsourced or bought at Spirit Halloween. The craftsmanship and care are incredible. It\u2019s time that we celebrate GWAR for the artists they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gastman described the gallery presentation as something a fan would want to \u201ckeep coming back and discover new details\u201d each time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been living with the exhibit for months, and each day I see new things. With many full-size dressed mannequins, original drawings, paintings, comics, sculptures, fan art, photos, flyers, news clippings, and video, it\u2019s truly unreal.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Rubber <\/picture>\n
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Rubber suit of a demon next to a TV in the GWAR exhibit.<\/p>\n

(David Butow \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

One important facet the curators wanted to honor in the exhibit is all of the past and present members of GWAR.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was vital for us to do, especially including those who have passed away,\u201d acknowledged Gastman. \u201cLead singer Dave Brockie\u2014 who performed as Oderus Urungus \u2014 was GWAR\u2019s fearless leader for almost 30 years who has passed on, and including his artwork to showcase his legacy, craftsmanship and humor was important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fans who have watched GWAR\u2019s documentary, \u201cThis Is GWAR,\u201d<\/u><\/a> were aware of the issues between Brockie and his fellow founding member, Hunter Jackson; that friction was also incorporated within the exhibit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe display of Dave and Hunter\u2019s art next to each other is such a great way to show the collision of ideas that gave rise to GWAR,\u201d noted original former bassist, Mike Bishop, who now is the lead vocalist.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat art and those two men were so important in my life. Like big brothers, each brilliant, problematic and hilarious in their own way. To me, it just reminds me of the beginning of my life as an adult and an artist. Learning how to be in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bishop was thrilled that, during the gallery\u2019s opening weekend, Metallica\u2019s bass player, Robert Trujillo, Fall Out Boy\u2019s Pete Wentz and Devo\u2019s Mark Mothersbaugh all stopped by.<\/p>\n

\u201cMark Mothersbaugh was a huge influence on GWAR. More than KISS and Alice Cooper, Devo is a punk band and that\u2019s where we come from, that\u2019s where we get our juice. They were a concept band and never gave that up, and that was really cool. One thing we emulated, their constant awareness of their visual image.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Bob <\/picture>\n
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Bob Gorman, one of the artists that created material for the band GWAR\u2019s stage decoration, adjusts items on display.<\/p>\n

(David Butow \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Super fan Anthony Mejia, a stay-at-home dad, drove two hours from Rancho Cucamonga to attend opening night at the gallery, where current and legacy members of the band performed a half-hour acoustic set.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe band has been the soundtrack to my life and has given me so many great times through their music, art, humor and wild stage antics.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGWAR was the first group where I instantly felt like I fit in,\u201d he acknowledged.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up and being into nerdy things like comic books, video games, Magic the Gathering and sci-fi\/horror movies wasn\u2019t the easiest way to make friends. I instantly felt a connection and I knew I found a group of artists that understood me and would welcome me as one of their own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mejia loved seeing how the exhibit touches on the band\u2019s early punk days, when the band lived and rehearsed in an abandoned dairy building in Richmond, Va.<\/p>\n

Upon seeing the display of one of the tanks and air compressors that GWAR uses to spray gallons of fake blood onto the audience, documentary filmmaker Eric Pritchard fondly remembers the GWAR show he saw in Los Angeles back in the early \u201990s.<\/p>\n

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\"Figurines <\/picture>\n
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Figurines and tour posters of GWAR in the exhibit.<\/p>\n

(David Butow \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

\u201cTheir outrageous onstage presence was like pure metal theatrics on steroids, but ironically, their music was technically really good and catchy and not as chaotic as they appeared. If you weren\u2019t in the know, you could look at it as ridiculous, but it\u2019s pure camp, and their fan base truly gets it. It\u2019s why they\u2019ve been around for over 40 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pritchard also admires their DIY aesthetic in creating an assortment of subversive props.<\/p>\n

\u201cI liked the way they leaned into the horror genre with all the blood and gore; that really fed the fans who craved that kind of entertainment. They were also so inclusive and made their audience part of the show \u2014 you didn\u2019t just go to watch them, you were part of it. It was an experience, like \u2018The Rocky Horror Picture Show.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Let There Be GWAR <\/i> runs through Nov.<\/i> at Beyond the Streets (434 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles<\/i>).<\/i><\/p>\n

On Oct.<\/i> 24<\/i>, you can catch the band perform on the Shudder Channel during an episode of \u201c<\/i>The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs<\/u><\/i><\/b><\/a>\u2019\u201d \u201c<\/i>Splatterween\u201d<\/i> <\/b>series.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.latimes.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s not often where you find a provocative band whose handcrafted performance art is just as vital to its legacy as its music. Such is the case for GWAR, who celebrated their 40-year anniversary with a comprehensive multimedia exhibit that opened last week at L.A. gallery Beyond the Streets. \u201cLet There Be GWAR\u201d showcases the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2031352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2031351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Let-There-Be-GWAR-exhibit-celebrates-40-years-of-metals.com2F3d2Fd52F6ba81e614ab18daafee6930a.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2031351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031351\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2031352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2031351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2031351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2031351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}