For the first AV Undercover session in seven years, the A.V. Club invited US heavy metal juggernauts Gwar to the stage. But instead of playing one of their hellfire hits, “If You Want Blood” or “Let Us Slay,” the sci-fi masters took on Ryan Gosling’s Barbie soundtrack hit, “I’m Just Ken,” plastered together with some astonishing new lyrics.
With all its futuristic sound effects, lethally fast metal shredding and reimagined melodies, this version is a vicious polar opposite to the squeaky clean Gosling original that’s racked up countless millions of views across its various YouTube uploads, award show performances and skit covers. In only a matter of months, Gwar’s 100% unique cover has scored over 889K views to date.
For any Music Man readers unaware of Gwar, this comedic metal group has been slaying since the mid-80s, balancing between serious metal skill and the all-out ridiculousness of a devilish pantomime. Like Slipknot on steroids, its members don ultra-extravagant masks transforming them into sci-fi monsters and mythological beasts; a perfectly stupid contrast to the Barbie aesthetic, yet just as over-the-top as the groundbreaking 2023 movie.
Gwar gut the pop song “I’m Just Ken” of its sheen while sticking to its lyrical concept of self-explanation, “Doesn’t seem to matter what we do, we’re still the band that spews too gross, too much for most: f*** you!” The band’s lyrical adaptations are hilarious as they mold the pop hit around their own warlord image, reinventing its tacky harmony under the rare haze of Iron Maiden-meets-intergalactic metal.
During their 40 years of shocking the metal scene, the Richmond-based band Gwar have rolled through an extravagant number of line-up changes. Their current line-up, featured in this viral video, runs as follows: vocalist Mike Bishop, guitarist Mike Derks, drummer Brad Roberts, bassist Casey Orr, and brand new Gwar guitarist, Tommy Meehan.
Brad Roberts’ pink cymbals add a nice Barbie touch to their medieval-meets-alien maelstrom of aesthetics, while Mike Derks picks a Barbie hair-do head up by her hair like a decapitated victim, even toying with a plastic Ken before kicking off their song.
Fans have commented on how this viral metal clip has hit a new level of musicality, not only for the song, but for Gwar itself. Others have called the vid “weirdly comforting,” noticing how “these guys don’t make music for money, they make music because music is awesome.”
If you would like to hear more from this talented band, you can subscribe to their YouTube Channel for more incredible music. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram, or visit their website for further updates.