Ex-GWAR Guitarist Brent Purgason Says Band Members Paid Just Above Poverty Level

This past Monday, news broke that GWAR guitarist Brent Purgason, who’d played as Pustulus Maximus since 2012, was leaving the band on good terms. It was an unexpected turn of events that fans understandably were shocked to find out.

And while his statements regarding his departure have been pleasant and supportive of his now former bandmates, a little nugget of information sprouted up in the comments of his Facebook post on the matter. As it turns out, it doesn’t pay to be a Scumdog of the Universe.

After one person openly wondered why Purgason was leaving, another referenced rumors that the members of the band “clear about $40k/year.” Admittedly, that’s a decent paycheck for someone fresh out of college, maybe — but not for a grown ass man with adult obligations and bills. No wonder he opted to leave, right?

If only that were the case, sadly. According to a comment made by the man himself, Purgason suggested that members of the band make “more like half of that unfortunately,” referencing the previously suggested $40,000 per year.

Now, I’m not one to judge how much someone makes — nor am I saying that’s why Purgason left the band — but damn. If that’s an accurate amount and he’s estimating band members make closer to $20,000 a year, that’s kinda crazy.

We all know it’s hard to be a musician these days, what with venue merch cuts, increased touring costs, and a whole slew of other systemic issues that leave our favorite performers having to hold the bag. But to learn that a band like GWAR, that’s been around since 1984 and has a huge following that constantly buys their crazy ass merch on the regular, can’t pay a decent wage to the guys actually making the music, that’s just wild.

Keep in mind that the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the 2022 poverty threshold for a single person under 65 years of age last year was $15,230. If that same person is in a two-person household without any children, they’re considered living in poverty if the combined income is $19,690. Add a kid to the mix and that amount is $19,597.

All of that is to say that if you’re a member of GWAR, you have a kid and you’re the sole bread winner, then you’re living under the poverty line. Now, I’m not going to assume everyone’s living situations, nor will I say that all these guys are broke and living in squalor — different members could have different deals, their significant others are likely working as well, so things could be okay.

Knowing what Purgason suggested, it’s a wonder musicians continue to do what they do even though the money’s not there. They all deserve a ton of respect and thanks for that…

(Thanks to Jensen Bohren for the tip.)