Chuck Varga, a founding member of GWAR best known to fans as the Sexecutioner, is currently undergoing treatment for cancer. In response to the diagnosis, the band and its extended community have organized a nationwide blood donation campaign in his honor.
Fans are being asked to locate a local blood bank to either register as donors or give blood in his name. As an incentive and thank you, participants will receive a free, exclusive t-shirt designed by Chuck Varga. The initiative aims to provide supporters with a direct way to aid lifesaving efforts while honoring the musician and artist.
Chuck Varga co-founded GWAR and Slave Pit Studios in the mid-1980s. Performing as the intergalactic Sexecutioner, his on-stage role centered around “making sure the blood goes in all the right places.” Beyond contributing vocals, he was instrumental in creating the group’s elaborate costumes and special effects.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly nearly a decade ago about the physical nature of his character’s suit, he explained: “I describe it as a full-body stunt mat. It gives me special powers. I have fallen off stage five feet onto a concrete floor and bounced like a Super Ball.”
GWAR issued the following statement:
“Chuck Varga is an American sculptor, set designer and Rockstar best known as a founding member of the theatrical shock-rock band GWAR and creator of the character Sexecutioner. Varga (b. 1958, Virginia) is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans sculpture, scenic painting, special effects, comic art, and performance.”
“After studying at Virginia Commonwealth University in the early 1980s, he co-founded Slave Pit Studios in Richmond, Virginia, where he helped develop GWAR, an art-driven, costume-heavy rock project that grew out of a group of college artists and musicians experimenting with film, comics, and performance.”
“Within GWAR, Varga created and performed the character Sexecutioner, contributing to eight major touring productions, a gold record and over a thousand shows across the United States and Europe, while also co-authoring two feature-length films, including the Grammy-nominated ‘Phallus in Wonderland,’ and designing costumes, sets, props, and comic-book narratives for the band’s extended universe.”
“Varga describes himself as ‘one part performer, one part designer and one part sculptor,’ reflecting an x-rated aesthetic that merges pulp science fiction, underground comics, and dark humor into large-scale, ‘eye-popping’ practical effects, sculptures and live performances.”
“In 1997 Chuck left the band to work on Broadway, Film and Television in NYC. He would occasionally perform with the band and finally retired on Halloween Scumdog Reunion 2021. Along the way he befriended the likes of Joe Coleman and Robert Williams and many other outsider artists.”
“Varga met his soon to be wife Bambi the Mermaid at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. It was love at first sight and the two were married there in 2017. He merged his absurdist theatre with her Neo-burlesque performances and became a staple at the legendary not-for-profit arts organization Coney Island USA where he reigned as resident Neptune.”
“Varga divides his time between fine art and underground theater projects, continuing to evolve the blend of spectacle, satire, and handcrafted fantasy that defined his GWAR years with a delightfully unwholesome splash of Neo-burlesque charm.”
