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GWAR’s MIKE ‘BLÖTHAR THE BERSERKER’ BISHOP: ‘People Don’t Really Realize How Talented DAVE BROCKIE Was’
GWAR vocalist Mike “Blöthar the Berserker” Bishop has praised the late founding member Dave Brockie, saying his creative and comedic talent was greater than many people realise. In a podcast interview, Bishop reflected on Brockie’s death in 2014 and on rejoining GWAR later that year, describing the loss as devastating and recalling the band’s unusual farewell.
Bishop said he had spoken with Brockie only months before receiving the news of his death, and joined others in eulogising him. Hundreds, possibly around a thousand people, attended a Viking funeral using Brockie’s final costume; the fibreglass boat carrying it melted and produced black smoke before the fire brigade arrived. Bishop was teaching and considering other jobs when GWAR’s art director called to ask him to perform at the band’s GWAR-B-Q festival, which led to his return.
In short
- Bishop says Brockie’s talent and creative energy were widely underappreciated.
- He rejoined GWAR in 2014 after being asked to perform at its festival.
- Hundreds attended Brockie’s Viking funeral, where the fibreglass boat melted.
Explained simply
GWAR is an American heavy metal band known for elaborate costumes and stage shows that mix music with grotesque comedy. Dave Brockie, who performed as the character Oderus Urungus, helped found the band and was its lead singer for many years.
Mike Bishop is another longtime GWAR member, known on stage as Blöthar the Berserker. Brockie’s death in 2014 was a major loss for the band, which had built much of its identity around his performance and creative work. After Brockie died, Bishop returned to perform with GWAR, continuing the group with a different frontman.