GWAR, Me, and the On-rushing Grip of Death: Part 50
Fifty episodes! How did that happen? A look back at the year that was and what GWAR has endured to get to this point.
Come on out to the Cory Smoot Memorial Show II at the National! Support the Smoot Family Fund and celebrate the life of one of Richmond’s most amazing musicians. HAIL SMOOTY!
— ∮∮∮ —
It’s hard to believe that it has been four months since we lost Cory that cold morning in North Dakota. What was undoubtedly the worst day of my life has in my memory become a dull smudge of pain that all-too-frequently flares up into a not-so-dull one. Yeah, it still sucks, and it always will, and I can only imagine how much worse it is for Jaime. But there are good things happening and I am going to concentrate on that stuff.
The Smoot Family Fund now has its own FB page–check it out! I’d like this site to be a place where Cory’s friends, family, and fans can go to read stories, look at photos and hear the music of the man himself…maybe his daughter will use it one day to show off how cool her Dad was to her friends. People can upload their own photos and memories of our beloved Smooty as well. There are a lot of Flattus tattoos out there.
I just want to thank everybody involved for all the support. It’s been unreal, and very humbling. I am looking forward to getting out there and wrapping up the tour we started with Cory but couldn’t finish with him. Give everybody a chance to say goodbye Flattus and Cory one last time. They’ll both be there, in spirit.

Check out this page from my original tour diary, circa 1988. This was the original lap top, called a “notebook.” It couldn’t play movies, and you couldn’t use it to lie about yourself on the internet, but it had a few advantages over today’s classroom standard: it never ran out of batteries, had instant file retrieval, and only cost 1.99!
Holy shit! We are turning 50 today. 50 episodes spewed out semi-regularly over what? Two years? I need to turn up the heat on this thing, for fuck’s sake we are only at just now reaching 1989. Looks like it is going to take the rest of my life to finish telling this story.
A couple quick observations and comments as to how we got here…
In the two years since we started this thing a whole bunch has happened. Sometimes it feels weird to be reporting so much on stuff that happened 25 years ago when so much is happening now. But hell, that’s what Twitter is for! And while we are at it, let’s get me up to 15,000 followers!
Looking back over the work so far, I realize the events have in some cases gotten a little confused. I’ve reported on things that are still in the future (like Lee Beato and losing Rocks for instance) and forgotten things that weren’t in the past. I think. But with the help of Bob Gorman and his amazing GWAR timeline, and my stack of old “lap-tops”, I think I have got it under control, and will attempt to sort it out in future episodes.
I am pretty stoked I have stuck with this as long as I have, and happy I have not pissed off too many ex-band mates or girlfriends so far. Maybe I should try harder? Naw…I love all of my GWAR brothers and sisters, old and new…there are far too many sordid stories about me to tell about myself to spend TOO MUCH time humiliating my co-workers. The aim of this work is not to embarrass anyone, it’s to get some laughs, and the best way to do that is keep them at my expense. For some weird reason I often value the friendship and support of people I suspect of despising me. Anybody who hung in there with GWAR hung in there through some insane shit…and I am grateful for anything anyone ever did for GWAR, whether they hate my guts or not. That kind of useless drama doesn’t even enter into my thought process any more. I mean, I can honestly say I wouldn’t hang out with most of the people I work with, and that may be true for you as well. But the idea of GWAR is so awesome that it binds together people of very disparate backgrounds, and forces them to work together to serve the common good…after all these years I still really enjoy that.
Last year really sucked. But for all the meaningless horror of it, despite Kodar getting beaten to death with a baseball bat, or my old buddy Mindbeast finally losing his long fight with cancer, despite the tremendous professional and personal loss we have suffered, somehow, inside my head, I am in a better place than I have been in years, and feel like I finally have full control of my life. Somehow this group of people that I do my best to lead went through just about the toughest thing you CAN go through and not only came through it, but did it with respect, reverence, and class. I can’t say how proud I am of them and how honored I am to continue working with them.
I guess the best thing about my life is that I’m not lying unconscious next to my bed, about to die of a drug overdose. That’s right, at one point in the darkest of my days it had gotten that bad for me. I did so many different drugs that I was high enough to think I should do MORE. The only thing that saved me was the noise I made falling out of bed, alerting my equally fucked-up but not quite as unconscious drug-buddy. Yeah, I probably would have died if they hadn’t been there to call the ambulance. But I am happy to say that even in the midst of my room being filled with EMT’s and cops, even with me shuddering with cold and the effects of the Narcon that was in the process of saving my life, even with me being unable to answer ANY questions about what the fuck was going on, or what I had taken, or ANYTHING really, I still would not consent into letting the attendant cops search my house. In fact I was told later my exact words were:
“All of you cops get the fuck out of my house!”
But that was enough. I started going to NA. And though I am not a 12-stepper, I got a lot of good stuff out of the program, and still go to the occasional meeting. I can’t not enjoy beer, and I love weed. I can party and control myself. Yeah, I know, I know…but the one thing I know is that hard drugs are out of my life and it’s been long enough now that think I made it through my jungle, and met my old self on the other side. The one that wasn’t on his way to an early grave. The one that has to finish this book, and that painting, and a whole new album. This guy. I like him a whole lot better.
We all have triumphed over death. Somehow this group of people that I do my best to lead went through just about the toughest thing you CAN go through and not only came through it but did it but somehow became stronger, better people. We took the hardest shot death has given us yet, but GWAR will live.
After all of that, I don’t feel much like writing the next episode. That’s a lot of heavy shit and now I feel all mushy inside. But don’t worry! The next episode will be chock full of the asinine depravity and idiotic antics you have come to expect out of me. We’ll be back in two weeks with: life after tour, the cover of Flipside and our first national TV appearance, Black Donna, Mind Control Monthly, inappropriate gifting, and our quest to find a musical home for our next album, which would history would know as…
“The Scumdogs of the Universe”
ALL THIS AND MORE IN THE NEXT THRILLING EPISODE OF
“GWAR, Me, and the On-Rushing Grip of Death”
HAIL SMOOTY!
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Notice: Comments that are not conducive to an interesting and thoughtful conversation may be removed at the editor’s discretion.
I have such a major artist crush on Dave Brockie! I completely relate to finally meeting up with your former self after slaying the addiction beast.
is this the dave brockie horn dog page? im in! no really i cant say enough about gwar ive been obessesed since the 80’s and the passion never fades. you guys are hardworking talented motherfuckers :))
Thanks for sharing, come back in two weeks….it works if you work it.
I’m not a 12 stepper myself but I can relate to slaying the addiction and enjoy reading and hearing other peoples stories about it.
That was very moving and real from someone who I always thought of a fictional character. Your a good writer, artist and song writer and singing performer. We the fans would like a book about your life in GWAR.
P.S. cya Friday march 16th
I would just like to Thank you guys for a wonderful 25 years. I remember my first GWAR show like it was yesterday, but it was really 1995 and you guys were at the Racine Civic Center. Woohoo, you had the management staff so baked out with all the spew and goo. I still have the little training bra that my husband found on the steps for a souvenir. Speaking of my husband Ron, was a fierce GWAR fan and caught most all of your shows here in the Dairy State. I was at the OCT 28th show @ the Rave. It was great to feel Ron’s presence there. He passed away in August from Lung Cancer. I have purchased my tickets for the upcoming show @ the Majestic Theatre in Madison on March 26th. i don’t know if you do meet and greet and such but I was hoping to ask a favor of you, to sign the T-shirt that I wore @ the Oct. show as I am planning on making a quilt with it being the center piece. I am so sorry for the tragedy of losing Cory. God Bless, Kat
I don’t despise you Dave…I loathe you.
stop making me cry.24 years of me boo-hooing.how do you put up with me?cuz you’re my favorite person in the world and you have to.now get crackin to the part when we met!!
great to hear you are taking better care of yourself.. i have noticed a significant change in you since the first of my years attending your shows so many years ago… you can really see it on stage too. your singing and stage presence is at it’s best.oderus can have the crack while you stay healthy and strong.
your buddy,
muddy
Man, I remember that hot, smoky show in Reno in ’07. The generator blew up and all the bands had to do while they waited was drink beer.
I drove to see Lordi’s head on a stick and got to see Oderus puke on the stage. Not surprisingly under the horrid conditions that night. Believe me, I know the feeling, and you were in the middle of a performance.
For some of us, it takes us until our 40’s to learn that our true loves are weed and beer.
Wonderfully written and easy to relate to, more power to those who don’t do drugs, a little beer and herb never hurt no body.
Good writing Dave. Keep it up man
Dave, seriously, you need to put this stuff to paper and publish it. You could probably publish it independently on Slave Pit Inc. The stories are amazing and the photos are awesome, all you really need to do is go back and make fix some grammatical problems and maybe expand on some stories. Basically use these as rough drafts
Damn Dave… talk about hitting home. Ever since that first day, almost 20 years ago, coming home from elementary school and my older bro & friends watching Phallus.. when I was first introduced to the spectacle of GWAH. Not knowing that moment would change my life forever. I’ve always felt a connection with you guys, that just grew and grew into an “obsession?” over the years. Saw my first GWAR show on COC tour like 97-98, havent missed a show in Tampa since, usually traveling to see even more!! Same with DBX, when all of us FL scum got their first REAL dose of Dave, up close and in person. Further sealing our destiny as true scum soldiers. Met you many times over the years and were nothing but awesome. (can’t say same for brad roberts, hah)
Last time we chatted, outside jannus on the $leazy tour, you had mentioned having a particular “party foul” that woke you up… guessing this story is what you were talking about. Living in FL, pill capital of the fucking world.. it has hit down here like the fucking plague, myself and friends included. Knew their was a reason (besides the obvious) gwar is my fav band. I’ve always felt a connection but this just drives it home, big time. Reading these stories over the past 2 years, it’s scary how much the same shit goes on everywhere. We can all relate in some way, but damn, sometimes can’t believe how much.
Dave, just know you’re not alone in the good fight buddy. I’m currently in a very similar situation that it sounds like you are in or coming out of. This gives me, ummm… hope? for lack of a better word. Ok, I’m rambling and this didnt come out anything like I wanted it to. I’ll try again some other time, haha. Need a gravity bong hit.
Either way.. see you on 4/17 in orlando, since no tampa show this tour.. for the first time EVER!?!? HAIL FLATTUS!!!!
To Kathryn O’Brien-Hoege – it’s usually pretty easy to meet the band members after the show. Just wait for them near the tour bus for about an hour or so, and most of them will gladly sign autographs and hang out and chat with the fans.
Maaaan, this is really hard to read now. Dave, you’re a fucking asshole!