GWAR will be honoring their late co-founder and leader Dave Brockie, aka Oderus Urungus on August 30 in the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. The ceremony will begin at 2:00pm ET with an unveiling of his memorial marker in which “all are invited to the unveiling” according to an official release. There will also be a free party the next day, August 31, at GWARbar in Richmond, featuring GWAR cover band RAWG, to which all are invited. This year would mark Brockie’s 56th birthday, however his life was cut short due to a tragic heroin overdose in 2014.
In a press release, the band shares, “We thank the many people who donated time and money to make this a reality. We hope the marker will provide a long-needed place for Brockie’s friends, family, and fans to pay their respects to this wonderful and deeply talented human being, and of course, to Dave’s famous creation: Oderus Urungus, who will always be remembered as one of the greatest frontmen in rock and roll history.”
Brockie portrayed Oderus Urungus, an intergalactic humanoid barbarian with devil horns and a meaty-looking face, and carried a long sword named “Unt Lick” and a cuttlefish around his loins. According to the character’s backstory, Oderus Urungus is 50 billion years old, and was assembled on a planet called Scumdogia in “Syntho Womb 5” after pieces of his moldy war frame were found scattered throughout the galaxy. His only true companion was his cuttlefish, though lost for a short period it returned to its true resting place, strategically placed over his loins. According to interviews, Oderus’s father was a supercomputer, and his mother was a petri dish. During a reading of Goodnight Moon, Oderus revealed that he was born into a gladiatorial arena, during which time he was given a sword, and battled an onslaught of “slowtards” who were trying to rape him.
GWAR announced their 2019 fall “Use Your Collusion” tour starting at the NorVa in Norfolk, Virginia on September 12, and concluding at the iconic Vogue in Indianapolis on November 5th. GWAR will be playing two festival sets; the first at Riot Fest in Chicago, and the second at Louder Than Life in Louisville, Kentucky. Fellow thrash metal groups Sacred Reich and Toxic Holocaust along with Detroit rock band Against The Grain will be opening up for GWAR throughout this fall tour.
Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna