Respect for the dead?
Should GWAR really be playing on? One day after guitarist dies on tour bus, bandplans to perform
GWAR, the bandPhoto by Andy Tullis
Cory Smoot of GWARPhoto via Bloody Disgusting.com
GWAR guitarist Cory Smoot was found dead Thursday on the band's tour bus just after the Minneapolis stop on a six-week tour for Lust in Space.
The head-banging metal band — known as much for their elaborate costumes as their music — was crossing the Canadian border for a show in Edmonton, Alberta, when Smoot was found Thursday morning.
Front man David Brockle, known under the stage name Oderus Urungus (Smoot was Flattus Maximus) released a statement saying: "It is with a sense of profound loss and tragedy that the members of Gwar must announce the passing of their longtime guitarist and beloved friend Cory Smoot. […] At this point we are just dealing with the loss of our dear friend and brother, one of the most talented guitar players in metal today."
"There is no word as to the cause of death and the members of GWAR are completely shocked and devastated that this has occurred," Brockle said.
The stage manager at Minneapolis' First Avenue club, where the band had performed hours before, said there was nothing unusual about the group's 1:45 a.m. departure. "They're actually not the kind of guys known as partiers; they're really solid guys," Conrad Sverkerson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Despite the unexpected loss, the band plans to play its scheduled Friday night gig in Edmonton.
Smoot, who was 34, had been with the Virginia based band, which was founded in 1984, since 2002.
