Shock Rock Icon Makes Bold Statement on Preserving ‘Art and Culture’

Shock Rock Icon Makes Bold Statement on Preserving ‘Art and Culture’ originally appeared on Parade.

You wouldn’t think that GWAR would be fans of PBS and NPR. For forty years, the mob of masked marauders has carved a path of metal mayhem. With members with names like Balzac the Jaws o’ Death and Beefcake the Mighty, they play songs like “Gor-Gor,” “Sick of You,” and “Let Us Slay,” while eviscerating their enemies on-stage. The result is a bloody affair, literally, as they spray the audience with all sorts of bodily fluids.

Not the kind of group you would associate with Elmo, This American Life and Downton Abbey, right? But lead singer, Blöthar the Berserker, implored Americans to come to the aid of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). This private nonprofit oversees funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and PBS.

“Public media is in danger,” said Blöthar (aka Michael Bishop) in a video he posted on July 15, detailing how the Senate advanced President Donald Trump’s request to claw back $1.1 billion in funding it had approved for public media.

The GWAR frontman said that the Senate will now vote on the House-passed Rescissions Act, and if it’s approved, it will have dire consequences.

“It could force rural stations off the air entirely. They won’t be able to pay licensing fees the same way they did for music. This could very well silence the music,” he said. “It’s gonna take away art and culture from the lives of people…who need it and benefit from it.”

The singer spoke of how Fred Rogers testified in front of Congress about how public media was “important in children’s lives” and how he was able to “demonstrate that it makes a difference and that’s important” in the lives of Americans.

Blöthar (who appeared on a February episode of Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!) encouraged fans to visit protectmypublicmedia.org for more information. “Call your senators. Make a difference,” he said. “Do it now because there’s not a lot of time.”

“Rise up, people! In the name of Fred Rogers!” he said. “In the name of Big Bird! And the drunken Lady Elaine Fairchild! Changes to this bill are still possible.”

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Shock Rock Icon Makes Bold Statement on Preserving ‘Art and Culture’ first appeared on Parade on Jul 16, 2025

This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.