When music meets scenic arts: This is Gwar.

over 1 year ago (Edited)

Movie poster from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12104436/

When I browse my facebook I always get ads from alternative streaming platforms that I don't have any account with, one of them is Shudder. Shudder is a streaming platform that usually have a large horror movies content, I am willing to check it in the future, but since I have my budget a little bit tied now, I guess that Netflix, Disney+ and Prime are enough. However, one of these days I found the ad from this documentary about Gwar band

Despite being a general rock band, including metal and punk rock. I have never dived in Gwar. I heard their music only once or twice but never got much of my attention. I remember seeing them in Beavis and Butthead's MTV show several times. What I remember is just their grotesque costumes and music that never hit me. But I got curious about this documentary movie after watching the trailer so I decided to look for it.

I learned a lot about this documentary and showed me more about this band that I didn't know. So Gwar is more than a band, it is almost a theatre. The origin of the band is mostly a sci-fi theatre, the co-creator of the band isn't from a musical background, they were art students from a Virginia University. The first plan was to do a sci-fi movie, but he met a punk rock band leader and decided to fusion theatre and music. So they created a band formed by space barbarians and in every show of the band there are some acts with lots of blood, urine, and semen (of course fake) dumped in the audience, and the band members are always fighting some other actors that are on stage.

GWAR music clip at Beavis and Butthead's MTV show

Watching the documentary showed me that their show could be one of the best shows to be watched lived , if you are ok in getting out from the concert totally wet from fake blood,urine or semen. It isn't mentioned in the documentary or anywhere else, but I guess that this band influenced a lot the band Slipknot, which made much more success than Gwar, but they use horror masks and their concert is almost like a theatre, not with a story like Gwar but you have multiple band members doing extra things in the stage.

The documentary also shows some bad things that always happens with rock bands, fights between members; suddenly tragedies like member's deaths and drug problems. But still, I learned a lot about them and how somehow they are different from the other bands. I recommend a lot about this documentary not because of its music quality or for music fans only, but as an art appreciator. Below you can find the trailer of the documentary and let me know your thoughts.