Imagine coming up with GWAR? Now imagine having to explain to your parents what is taking up most of your time? In a new interview, the band members, speaking out of character, revealed their parents were actually very supportive of their ambitions.
GWAR collaborated with AltPress on an oral history video (view below) and during the video, they were talking about how their parents reacted to their band idea. Here is the excerpt:
MIKE BISHOP (Blothar): My parents were really religious people and very Southern. We’re very, very conservative Christians. But my mother was very supportive. I remember the first time she came to a GWAR show. And her reaction was, “I just think it’s so creative. But why does it have to be so nasty?” She didn’t understand. She thought it was really great that we had all the outfits, and there was a lot of creative energy. They were generally supportive. They were never super-hypercritical. [With] my father, maybe the whole thing was just bullshit to him. It’s like, you know what? I wasn’t playing country music, so I was never going to make any money.
MIKE DERKS (BALSAC): My dad was a psychology professor at William & Mary, who actually specialized in the psychology of humor. My parents would never come to a show. But my dad would use GWAR as source material in his class as an example of chaotic, aggressive humor. He was very proud to say, “Yes, this is my son.” [Laughs.]
BRAD ROBERTS (JIZMAC): I thought my parents were supportive. My mom was just like, “Oh, cool, you’re doing something you love.” And, you know, my dad was always [like], “You’ve got to make money, though.” My mom was just like, “Always keep doing it. You’re having fun. It’s great.” It’s probably really important for all the guys sitting here. They probably had a lot of support from their parents, so that’s why we’re still doing it. You know, if you’d have been really beaten down as a kid, you probably wouldn’t last this long in something like GWAR. It’s the most fun you’ll ever have trying to not work.
See? The lesson here is support your children, and they may end up being GWAR!
