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On the hill along Confederate Ave in Hollywood Cemetery visitors will find a flat stone large enough for a full-size depiction of a man. The face is peaceful, and the man is wearing fantasy armor with a savage sword laid over the body.
This cenotaph is for Dave Brockie, frontman and founding member of the heavy metal band GWAR. As the character Oderus Urungus, Brockie spent his life traveling the world and performing as a space monster until he overdosed on heroin in 2014. The stone was unveiled in 2019, showing Brockie at rest wearing his Oderus armor. (Many of the band's elaborate costumes and set dressings are made at GWAR's studio in downtown Richmond.)
Brockie's ashes were placed inside an Oderus costume and given a Viking funeral on a lake just outside of Richmond. After Brockie's death, the Oderus character was retired and the band continues to tour and record to this day. Brockie's legacy is further preserved at the GWARbar, which opened in 2014 shortly before his death.
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Know Before You Go
Enter through the main gates of the cemetery, make a right at the bottom of the hill, then facing Confederate Avenue make an immediate right into the small dirt parking lot. There is a small area with shrubs, trees at the entrance to the lot. With your back towards the bricked walk as to face the big hill Brockie is up towards the top of the hill near a white obelisk. One of my posted pictures has Brockie's grave circled.
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Published
August 20, 2021
