A death in the world of metal is never easy to hear about, especially when its such a hugely impactful guy. Devastating news came down this morning that Dave Brockie of GWAR has died. Better known as his irascible alter-ego Oderus Urungus, we were hoping this was some kind of twisted hoax, which Dave would have loved, but his manager confirmed the sad truth with a message this morning.
Jack Flanagan, manager of GWAR has issued an official statement:
“It is with a saddened heart, that I confirm my dear friend Dave Brockie, artist, musician, and lead singer of GWAR passed away at approximately 6:50 PM EST Sunday March 23,2014. His body was found Sunday by his band mate at his home in Richmond, VA. Richmond authorities have confirmed his death and next of kin has been notified. A full autopsy will be performed. He was 50 years old, born August 30, 1963.
My main focus right now is to look after my band mates and his family. More information regarding his death shall be released as the details are confirmed.”
Dave was not just a guy in a costume making jokes about sex, mass genocide and drugs; he was a legend across two or three musical sub-genres depending on whom you talk two. GWAR’s musical output can be said to be “GWAR music”, a style unto their own. Not only was he a great punk rocker with roots in the 80s DC hardcore scene, he helped turn GWAR into a metal institution for twenty-five plus years. A renaissance man via the medium of having a band, Dave was a brilliant fine artist, talented writer, hilarious satirist, visual artist, and social commentator. More than all that, he was an approachable anti-rockstar in an age of self-important tools. Dave was known to friends and fans alike for his generosity and humility.
For those of us in the music journalism world Dave was a joy to cover. He was an effusive interview, always glad to spin out tangents and wax on topics for hours. Concert photographers will tell you about the fear of getting your camera ruined by the GWAR waterworks, but the exhilaration of shooting one of their live shows.
Lastly, the worst part of this story is not just that he died, but he had so much left to give us all, and we will never know the entirety of it. Dave’s wish was for GWAR to someday go on without him, although that’s tough to imagine. One comforting notion is that he was in a very happy place in his life, as he told Ghost Cult in an interview, just a few months ago:
“No matter what kind of shit life takes on your fucking head there is the strength within you to some how not only just carry but to actually turn it into a positive.”
Our condolences go out to his friends, family, bandmates, and fans.
R.I.P. Dave
Fuck You Death!
Hug a Bohab today.