GWAR Delivers Special Take On 'Barbie' Movie's 'I'm Just Ken' Hit Song

Intergalactic shock rock legends GWAR made a record-breaking sixth appearance at the AV Club studios, again showcasing their unique take on a hit song far outside their usual realm. The return of AV Club's "Undercover" series, after a seven-year hiatus, is a testament to the unparalleled "genius" of GWAR, who have no equal when it comes to reinterpreting songs.

On this visit, GWAR played with dolls, taking on the American icon Barbie, as they covered the hit song "I'm Just Ken" from the "Barbie" movie soundtrack. Of course, GWAR made it all their own. Watch the video for "We're Just GWAR" below.

"I couldn't think of a better way to bring back AV 'Undercover' than with the band responsible for one of my favorite episodes," says Paste Media president Josh Jackson. "GWAR once again knocked it out of the park, completely making a song from the 'Barbie' movie all its own."

GWAR vocalist Blöthar The Berserker states: "We've been fans of Ryan Gosling since the 'Mickey Mouse Club' days, and like most terrifying intergalactic heavy metal superstars, we simply adore musical theater. This just made sense."

Previous visits to the AV Club have seen GWAR showcase their versatility by taking on unexpected hits such as "Carry On, Wayward Son", "Get Out of My Dreams, Get Into My Car", "West End Girls", "She Bop" and "If You Want Blood". Each performance was a unique interpretation that only the lords and masters of GWAR could deliver.

GWAR will embark on "The Stoned Age Tour" this fall in support of their most recent album, "The New Dark Ages". The trek will launch on October 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada at House Of Blues and then wrap up the tour on November 20 in Nashville, Tennessee at the Brooklyn Bowl. The tour features support from black metal royalty DARK FUNERAL and hardcore noise machine SQUID PISSER along with CANCER BATS picking up select dates.

GWAR recently announced the reissue of the band's landmark masterpiece album "Hell-O!", with 2024 being the LP's 36th anniversary. The new release will be blood-spattered clear vinyl and includes expanded artwork featuring never-before-seen photos from the time, including the original album release show in Richmond.

"Hell-O! (36th Anniversary Edition)" will be available in physical form only with limited runs of both CD and vinyl. It is due out September 13 on the band's own label, Pit Records.

To help celebrate this momentous release, the iconic heavy metal collective is also reprinting the "GWAR Must Die" t-shirts made oh-so-famous back in their original pillaging days by human rabble everywhere.

As some of you may know, Blöthar The Berserker once inhabited the earthly form of GWAR's original bass player Beefcake The Mighty. Blöthar The Berserker stated about this momentous occasion: "It was the '80s. I was so young and scared. I will always remember wandering around the seedy sex arcades of Times Square, pants around my ankles, tears in my eyes…little did I know, I was working on the most important record in the history of shock rock. We were polishing a turd for the ages…we wanted to call it 'Beat The Meatles', but the record company said no…and 'Hell-O' was born."

GWAR released a tenth-anniversary edition of its "Battle Maximus" album last September via Pit Records. This new version is completely remixed and remastered, and features the final recorded vocal performance of Oderus Urungus on the previously unreleased and never-before-heard song "Tammy, Queen Of Dirt".

GWAR's latest album, "The New Dark Ages", was released in June 2022 on CD/digital and was made available on vinyl and cassette in September 2022 via GWAR's own Pit Records.

"The New Dark Ages" chronicles GWAR's adventures in the Duoverse, where the band rediscovers old powers such as Blöthar's terrifying Berserker Mode, and encounter new allies, such as the murderous maven known as The Cutter. Along the way, they battle the living monuments of a lost cause and armies of undead soldiers who rise again to fight a new civil war.

The album concept is tied to a companion graphic novel "GWAR In The Duoverse Of Absurdity", which was also released in June 2022 by Z2 Comics. In the graphic novel, the bandmembers are sucked off into an alternate universe to do battle with their evil twins and the specter of rogue technology.

Dave Brockie, who fronted GWAR under the name Oderus Urungus, was found dead in his home in Richmond, Virginia in March 2014. According to Virginia's State Medical Examiner's Office, he died from acute heroin toxicity by accidental means.

Brockie was last remaining original member of GWAR, which was founded 40 years ago. He was 50 years old.

The satirical metal band earned a following for its macabre, over-the-top costumes, offensive lyrics and graphic, gore-soaked shows, in which the bandmembers performed as the descendants of alien warriors who arrived on Earth to enslave and slaughter the human race.