RIP Oderus Ungerus & Lorenzo Semple Jr.

Sad week regarding a couple odd creators.

First was the news of GWAR’s lead singer being found dead earlier. Haven’t heard any follow up about the foul play suspicion. Oderus nee Dave Brockie gave me many years of laughter and entertainment through his band; he was the only founding member remaining. I got turned on to the exaggerated Metal act in 1990 by my friend Sheila’s younger brother Paul. On their debut album, the band resembled Warhammer minis soaked in blood but the music was more parody than serious. Gotta’ remember, Metal was peaking thanks to hair bands, Metallica going mainstream, and its core audience having to grow up and get real day jobs. I got to see Dave and the gang perform in Milwaukee with Killing Joke opening, major mismatch. I had a great time thanks to the stage show involving fake blood, a meat grinder, a re-enactment of a game show and other silliness. My current girlfriend’s nephew went with me. When got home, a roommate asked me how the show was, I said, “GWAR is just a modernized Kiss.” Oh the stink eye I received from the nephew since I had attacked a sacred Metal icon, never mind that Kiss was originally a Glam act.

GWAR held another special place in my heart three years later. They were the first Austin show I saw at Liberty Lunch. This time they were their own opener called the X-Cops. Oderus mocked their recent “hit” on MTV and refused to finish it. The stage show was even grosser; it focused on Michael Jackson’s horrible secrets getting out while revealing he was an alien all along.

It’s sad Dave passed away. I recently bought the new album. Is it any good? Let’s say GWAR is and always will be, an acquired taste.

The other sadness was Lorenzo Semple. He was the man responsible for adapting Batman for TV in the Sixties. Besides writing the pilot along with the first few episodes, Lorenzo set up the show’s bible for other writers to follow, namely how Batman was a comedy done with a straight face.

Other than Batman, he was involved with famous movies like The Parallax View, Three Days of the Condor, Never Say Never Again (he gets a pass here) and Flash Gordon.

Thanks for the cool stuff gentlemen!

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