can do because that is what we do . We ’ re trying to raise people ’ s awareness , and we ’ ve always done that . And in the war of hearts and minds , the fact that we offer somebody a good time , and catharsis , really opens the door . And it ’ s very problematic now because the world has changed — in many ways for the better , in some ways not — but back in the day , we had a song ,
the song that you ’ re talking about , “ Have You Seen Me ,” and it has a line in it where Oderous would say ‘ faggot ,’ and of course ‘ full of maggots ,’ and declare himself gay . And certainly , the truth of the matter is , Oderous ’ s human thrall was very supportive of LGBTQ rights . But what that was about was , you manage to get a roomful of young , aggressive straight males who normally would never think about something like this in a serious way , and yet they ’ re singing those lyrics , they ’ re following along with him . And it was apparent that he wasn ’ t saying ‘ Gays are bad people ,’ or ‘ This is gross ,’ or ‘ You should do violence against them .’ It was clear that he was identifying with them . And if you can get people to follow along with that , I do think that it ’ s a way of opening minds . And certainly , that ’ s what GWAR has done for a long , long time .
IE : And The New Darkness is instructive , as well , via the “ Venom of the Platypus ” song . Because — and it ’ s a little-known fact — the platypus actually has incredibly toxic venom in its claws . BLOTHAR : That ’ s right ! The venom of the platypus ! Who would have known ? We were looking for this sort of totemistic symbol of just
the oddity of nature , right , for maybe why GWAR sides with animals against humans . And what better figure for that than the platypus , which is just absurd — it ’ s a living avant-garde creature , a mammal that lays eggs , that looks like a duck and beaver mixed . And to boot , it has his horrible poison , and the poison that it has is ** extremely nasty , and apparently , even morphine doesn ’ t touch it — if you get a platypus sting , you are done . And we had picked the platypus also because their babies are called puggles , which is so absurdly cute . So now the Puggle is a character in the graphic novel that shows up in that song , “ Venom of the Platypus .” Appearing June 7 at The Forge , Joliet
Tom Lanham
newreleases June 3
Andrew Bird Inside Problems Angel Olsen Big Time Drive-By Truckers Welcome 2 Club XIII GWAR The New Dark Ages Horsegirl Versions Of Modern Performance Post Malone Twelve Carat Toothache
June 10
Billy Howerdel What Normal Was Carrie Underwood Denim & Rhinestones Grace Ives Janky Star Joyce Manor 40 oz . To Fresno Kelly Lee Owens LP . 8 Vance Joy In Our Own Sweet Time
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Jack Johnson Meet The Moonlight Lupe Fiasco Drill Music In Zion Porcupine Tree CLOSURE / CONTINUATION Regina Spektor Home , Before And After Soccer Mommy Sometimes , Forever Zola Jesus Arkhon
Andrew Bird
Colin Peterik
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10 illinoisentertainer . com june 2022