It’s never easy for a band to replace a longtime singer—even if

It’s never easy for a band to replace a longtime singer—even if your band dresses in elaborate latex costumes while cartoonishly murdering audience members, as is the case for GWAR. Going strong for over three decades, the Richmond, Virginia thrash metal outfit suffered a loss when singer Dave Brockie, aka Oderus Urungus, passed away in March. Its latest tour finds the group searching for Oderus, who has gone missing, and features a new pair of co-lead singers, Blothar and Vulvatron. The members of GWAR don’t chat with the press outside of character, but drummer Jizmak Da Gusha did volunteer a few details about their recent Seattle stop.

SW

:

This tour is dedicated to finding out what happened to Oderus Urungus. Are there any particular places in Seattle you guys will be looking?

Jizmak Da Gusha: Every city in America has its own section of town where the drugs are prevalent. So we try there, and then, of course, where the hookers might be.

Have you uncovered any clues yet? I know you’ve searched much of the country already.

He’s not in the southwest part of the country. Maybe he’s in the Northwest. I’m not even sure where I am right now, but I know it’s filthy and it smells, so it must be California.

Has Ebola hindered your travels at all?

We put it out into the market, but it doesn’t seem to be working quickly enough. We were hoping it would kill more of you before we actually got to Seattle. That’s a shame. We were hoping to find heaps of bodies as we rolled into town.

Do you like Seattle? Do you have coffee or grunge or rain on your home planet?

I would like to take the Space Needle and ram it up someone’s ass! We’ve been ransacking Seattle for years. That grunge, though, that stuff almost ruined GWAR. Thank God it’s gone.

Recreational marijuana is legal here. I know you guys like crack, but how do you feel about weed?

It doesn’t do anything for GWAR. GWAR is busy in their minds, busy in their day, busy trying to ransack this mudball planet, and that stuff just slows you down.

What about politics? Oderus used to be the interplanetary correspondent for FOX News. Did GWAR support anyone in the recent elections?

I’ll decline to comment on any candidate for any office because they’re all worthless. They’re all criminals, they’re all liars, and they all hurt other people to get where they are, which is why GWAR actually likes politicians, because they’re evil and they will stop at nothing to get what they want! If they weren’t human, they might have made good scumdogs.

U

nlike some of your bandmates, you don’t get to gush blood on the audience since you’re busy behind the drums. Does this make you sad?

My bloodlust ended eons ago on my home planet of The Wide World of Sports. I like beating on things more. I beat the skins, I beat people. When you hit a human being, it makes a sound—and that sound is music to my ears.

music@seattleweekly.com

GWAR With Decapitated, American Sharks. The Showbox, 1700 First Ave. S., 628-3151, showboxpresents.com. $20 adv./$25 DOS. 8 p.m. Wed., Nov. 12.