Shocking, especially in light of the fact GWAR performed Halloween night at the House of Blues in Chicago:
After
a restless night spent hurtling through the desolate Canadian
wilderness, I crawled from my bunk on the tour bus to face reality,
grudgingly aware that the the dark dream that gripped us would not fade
with the day. We have lost a brother, a husband, a son, and one of the
most talented musicians that ever slung an ax. Cory Smoot, longtime lead
guitar player for the band GWAR, has passed at the age of 34.
As
the singer of GWAR and one of his best friends, I feel it is my duty to
try and answer some of the questions that surround his tragic and
untimely death. I know the sense of loss and pain is far greater in
scope than in the insulated environment of a band on tour, and I will do
my best to provide what clarity and comfort I can.
The
most glaring question is how? And unfortunately that is the hardest
question to answer. The truth will not be known until the medical
officials have finished their work. All I can do is relate what we saw
with our own eyes.
The last time I saw Cory was after our show in Minneapolis on Wednesday night. It was a great show at First Avenue in Minneapolis, one
of our favorite places to play. Cory was happy. He was excited about
the band and especially the new studio he was building in the Slave Pit
back in Richmond. He was deeply in love with his wife, Jamie, and was busily planning
their family and future in the beautiful home they had. As usual, after
some autographs and banter, I was probably the first person in their
bunk as we got ready for a big drive into Canada, and Cory and the rest of the guys were not far behind. As I fell into
the slumber that only playing GWAR shows can induce, everything seemed
right in the world.
We
found Cory the next morning as we collected passports for a border
crossing. He was in his bunk, unresponsive, and it quickly was clear
that he was dead. It was without a doubt the most horrible moment of my
life. That's all I can say about it.
Within
moments everybody was off the bus, standing in a wind-swept parking lot
in the middle of nowhere, trying to come to grips with the shock of it.
First the ambulance arrived, and then the police, but there was nothing
that could be done other than fully investigate the scene and remove
Cory with care and respect.
We
are completely devastated and shocked beyond belief. One night we had
our friend and colleague, happy and healthy in the middle of our best
tour in years- and the next morning, so suddenly, he was gone. Never
have I seen starker proof of the fragility of life.
Cory
will be transported home to Richmond over the next few days, and an
announcement regarding services will be made soon. We ask everyone to
respect the families wish for privacy, and especially to keep his wife,
Jamie, in your thoughts and prayers.
As
we work our way through these difficult days the question is -- what
will GWAR do? After a lot of consideration, we have decided to carry on
with the tour. Although the great temptation would be to return home,
curl into a fetal position, and mourn, we can't do that. First off, Cory
wouldn't want that. He would want us to go on and would be pissed if we
didn't. Plus we know the fans don't want us to quit. They are going to
want a chance to come to grips with their loss, and there is no better
place to do that than at a GWAR show. Though it's hard to believe, I
think we all would feel a lot worse if we stopped. For better or worse
we have to see this through.
That doesn't mean that Cory will make his final journey without us. When the arrangements have been finalized, Cory's best friend and GWAR's music tech Dave "Gibby" Gibson, and myself will
return home to attend the services and pay the proper respects to our
comrade.
Out
of respect to Cory, we have officially retired the character of Flattus
Maximus. Flattus has decided to return to his beloved "Planet Home",
and will never return to this mudball planet again. And this is a sadder
place for that.
Just
the other day I heard Cory tell a story about how some 20 years ago he
was fourteen years old, at his first GWAR show, grabbing at the rubber
feet of our then- current Flattus, and how blown away he was at the fact
that now HE was the one getting his feet pulled by the same kid that he
used to be. Cory was always in awe of the patterns of life and went
through it with a wide-eyed amazement that translated through his
playing. I've never known anyone who could pick up literally any
instrument and rock it the first time he touched it, and more than that
make it look easy. Behind that rubber monster outfit, and sometimes even
obscured by it, was one of the most talented and beautiful people I
have ever known. I know everyone who's life was touched by Cory truly
loved him, as do we, his bandmates and brothers.
There
should be some kind of announcement soon regarding services, etc. It
would be great to have a memorial show at some point soon, where some of
the bands that Cory worked with could come together and show their love
for this truly amazing man who left us all too soon and will be sorely
missed by many, many people.
Dave Brockie, Nov. 4, 2011
