Gwar Guitarist Cory Smoot has died.
November 4, 2011 4:25 AM Subscribe
Guitarist with cult metal band Gwar, Cory Smoot – otherwise known as Flattus Maximus – has been found dead.
Beavis and Butt-head are not going to take this well.
posted by GavinR at 4:55 AM on November 4, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by GavinR at 4:55 AM on November 4, 2011 [3 favorites]
\m/
posted by The Michael The at 5:09 AM on November 4, 2011
posted by The Michael The at 5:09 AM on November 4, 2011
\m/
I caught a gatorade bottle he tossed to the crowd in Boston 2005 after an evening of getting spunked on, bled on, and pummeled by the Biledriver. His band Mens Rea opened. Good show. It's going to be tough to fill his shoes.
posted by Renoroc at 5:30 AM on November 4, 2011
I caught a gatorade bottle he tossed to the crowd in Boston 2005 after an evening of getting spunked on, bled on, and pummeled by the Biledriver. His band Mens Rea opened. Good show. It's going to be tough to fill his shoes.
posted by Renoroc at 5:30 AM on November 4, 2011
\m/ >.< \m/
posted by brundlefly at 5:31 AM on November 4, 2011 [11 favorites]
posted by brundlefly at 5:31 AM on November 4, 2011 [11 favorites]
I was there when Gwar cancelled Christmas.
posted by sourwookie at 5:42 AM on November 4, 2011
posted by sourwookie at 5:42 AM on November 4, 2011
May the Cuttlefish of Cthulu hold him safely in its heart.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 5:43 AM on November 4, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 5:43 AM on November 4, 2011 [4 favorites]
Sad. Way to young. I got to see Gwar once and it was something I'll never forget.
\m/
posted by Sailormom at 6:01 AM on November 4, 2011
\m/
posted by Sailormom at 6:01 AM on November 4, 2011
He was also in another Richmond metal outfit named Mensrea. Check it out.
Gene Wilder reacts to having mens rea.
posted by NoMich at 6:03 AM on November 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
Gene Wilder reacts to having mens rea.
posted by NoMich at 6:03 AM on November 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
Spilling a little stage blood and fake bodily fluids on the curb...
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 6:06 AM on November 4, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 6:06 AM on November 4, 2011 [2 favorites]
♩
posted by Smart Dalek at 6:19 AM on November 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Smart Dalek at 6:19 AM on November 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
I grew up in Richmond, and I was in high school when Gwar was founded and began to make a name for themselves locally, and then nationally. For those of us who played in garage bands back then, they were proof that maybe, somehow, it could happen for us as well, and we loved them for it. They weren't just a band. They were a Richmond band.
Many were the stories I heard as a teenager about those guys walking to gigs in full costume, much to the shock of locals who had no idea what was going on. Like Alice Cooper before them, and (I guess) Marilyn Manson after, Gwar was (and is) fun, if for nothing else then their ability to make teenagers say to one another, "Holy crap! Can you believe what they just did?" and to make our parents wonder if maybe they should have sprung for private school after all.
Rock on.
posted by 4ster at 6:40 AM on November 4, 2011 [6 favorites]
Many were the stories I heard as a teenager about those guys walking to gigs in full costume, much to the shock of locals who had no idea what was going on. Like Alice Cooper before them, and (I guess) Marilyn Manson after, Gwar was (and is) fun, if for nothing else then their ability to make teenagers say to one another, "Holy crap! Can you believe what they just did?" and to make our parents wonder if maybe they should have sprung for private school after all.
Rock on.
posted by 4ster at 6:40 AM on November 4, 2011 [6 favorites]
4ster: are you still in Richmond? Do you remember a late '90s/early aughts band named Dragstrip Syndicate?
posted by NoMich at 6:49 AM on November 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by NoMich at 6:49 AM on November 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
NoMich: I'm near Charlottesville. I don't remember Dragstrip Syndicate. My friends and I did, however, spend much time at Newgate Prison, and we listened to a lot of IMU.
posted by 4ster at 6:51 AM on November 4, 2011
posted by 4ster at 6:51 AM on November 4, 2011
.
posted by badger_flammable at 6:52 AM on November 4, 2011
posted by badger_flammable at 6:52 AM on November 4, 2011
It's going to be tough to fill his shoes.
with what?
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 7:05 AM on November 4, 2011 [4 favorites]
with what?
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 7:05 AM on November 4, 2011 [4 favorites]
Beavis and Butt-head are not going to take this well.
...die did he die did he die did he die did he die did he... *smack!*
He did die and that's never good when you're just 30-something. I hope he didn't die after swallowing something he didn't want to carry across the border. Draconian drug laws make people do crazy things with and for drugs.
posted by pracowity at 7:21 AM on November 4, 2011
...die did he die did he die did he die did he die did he... *smack!*
He did die and that's never good when you're just 30-something. I hope he didn't die after swallowing something he didn't want to carry across the border. Draconian drug laws make people do crazy things with and for drugs.
posted by pracowity at 7:21 AM on November 4, 2011
One of the best shows I've ever been to was a quadruple bill with REO Speedealer, Murphy's Law, The Misfits, and GWAR. So loud, so much fun.
posted by word_virus at 7:30 AM on November 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by word_virus at 7:30 AM on November 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
This sucks. Gwar was such a guilty pleasure. I've seen them several times, but none more memorable than a New Years Eve show double bill with Impotent Sea Snakes. Good times...he will be missed.
posted by kjs3 at 7:43 AM on November 4, 2011
posted by kjs3 at 7:43 AM on November 4, 2011
God What a Requiem
posted by inturnaround at 8:11 AM on November 4, 2011
posted by inturnaround at 8:11 AM on November 4, 2011
This is sad. Gwar was such a guilty pleasure. Sadly, I never got to see a live show. Last Christmas, when everyone was passing around videos of kittens under the tree and NINTENDO SIXTY-FOOOOUUURRR!!-type joy on Christmas morning, my friends and I were passing around the Christmas Carols with Gwar video.
posted by xedrik at 8:55 AM on November 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by xedrik at 8:55 AM on November 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
In high school, we used to make annual pilgrimages down to Harpos in Detroit for GWAR's annual Halloween show. Some of the most fun our own band of geeks and freaks had during that period. This is sad :(. Too young.
posted by formless at 9:05 AM on November 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by formless at 9:05 AM on November 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
... so human after all. That's a drag.
Can't say I've ever been to a show or even consciously listened to a song, but if I'd been born fiver years later, I would've right up in front, in the slime zone, having the kind of extreme experience that would've made the rest of my lame life tolerable ... for a while anyway.
posted by philip-random at 9:18 AM on November 4, 2011
Can't say I've ever been to a show or even consciously listened to a song, but if I'd been born fiver years later, I would've right up in front, in the slime zone, having the kind of extreme experience that would've made the rest of my lame life tolerable ... for a while anyway.
posted by philip-random at 9:18 AM on November 4, 2011
GWAR was prominent in my soundtrack of unlaid, maladjusted high school nerd. for those of us who all have a little cornholio in us:
.
(it's a butthole FULL OF BIG RUBBERY BUGS COVERED IN FUCKIN BLOOOOOOD)
posted by beefetish at 9:22 AM on November 4, 2011
.
(it's a butthole FULL OF BIG RUBBERY BUGS COVERED IN FUCKIN BLOOOOOOD)
posted by beefetish at 9:22 AM on November 4, 2011
My two most cherished high-school pictures are of I and the same three friends, after arriving home from Gwar concerts. The parents did a bit of token complaining about us being so proud of being covered in fake blood, fake vomit, and fake other-unmentionables... but the pictures were their idea, so there you are.
.
posted by Pufferish at 12:34 PM on November 4, 2011 [2 favorites]
.
posted by Pufferish at 12:34 PM on November 4, 2011 [2 favorites]
His Karma Productions/Slave Pit sound studio was a local institution, also -- he recorded and/or mastered many albums for VA metal bands.
.
posted by vorfeed at 12:41 PM on November 4, 2011
.
posted by vorfeed at 12:41 PM on November 4, 2011
To clarify, Smoot was just the latest in a string of at least six Flattus Maximuses over the years. He joined GWAR in 2002; would have been approximately seven years old when the band formed.
He was in the band for a decade--the longest serving Flattus Maximus--so I'm not suggesting this is any kind of overinflated "Smashing Pumpkins' touring keyboardist" situation.
Just don't be alarmed if you see Flattus Maximus on stage in the future, is what I'm saying.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:48 PM on November 4, 2011 [3 favorites]
He was in the band for a decade--the longest serving Flattus Maximus--so I'm not suggesting this is any kind of overinflated "Smashing Pumpkins' touring keyboardist" situation.
Just don't be alarmed if you see Flattus Maximus on stage in the future, is what I'm saying.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:48 PM on November 4, 2011 [3 favorites]
nthing what Sys Rq said, this thread is reading less like an obit for Cory and more like an obit for Gwar.
It's definitely tragic, and Cory was insanely good, but Gwar won't suddenly cease to be. They're canceling some dates to recoup, recover, and out of respect and mourning, but they'll be back.
It's a shame he went out so young. Spill some slave blood in his honor.
posted by revmitcz at 3:02 PM on November 4, 2011
It's definitely tragic, and Cory was insanely good, but Gwar won't suddenly cease to be. They're canceling some dates to recoup, recover, and out of respect and mourning, but they'll be back.
It's a shame he went out so young. Spill some slave blood in his honor.
posted by revmitcz at 3:02 PM on November 4, 2011
Spill some slave blood in his honor.
To craigslist!
posted by codswallop at 6:24 PM on November 4, 2011
To craigslist!
posted by codswallop at 6:24 PM on November 4, 2011
A friend's report from last night's show in Edmonton:
"Well as the band put it....he took off to his home planet without their permission and is up there killing things and fucking them lol and they are pissed off. also when the singer got out his giant foam penis and demanded a moment of silence saying all he wanted to hear was the sound of his urine splashing off our faces haha. They dealt with it the way youd expect gwar to deal with it."
posted by yellowbinder at 9:20 AM on November 5, 2011 [3 favorites]
"Well as the band put it....he took off to his home planet without their permission and is up there killing things and fucking them lol and they are pissed off. also when the singer got out his giant foam penis and demanded a moment of silence saying all he wanted to hear was the sound of his urine splashing off our faces haha. They dealt with it the way youd expect gwar to deal with it."
posted by yellowbinder at 9:20 AM on November 5, 2011 [3 favorites]
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