Balsac the Jaws of Death
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| Balsac the Jaws of Death | |
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 Balsac the Jaws of Death live on Stage in Edmonton
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Chris Bopst (1985-1987) Steve Douglas (1987-1988) Mike Derks (1988-present) |
| Genre(s) | Thrash metal Hardcore punk Shock rock |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist |
| Years active | 1985-present |
| Label(s) | Metal Blade Records DRT Entertainment Slave Pit Inc. |
| Associated acts | GWAR Dave Brockie Experience X-Cops |
| Website | GWAR official site |
Balsac the Jaws of Death is the guitarist in the rock band GWAR. He appears as a humanoid creature with a face resembling a bear-trap. BalSac is usually portrayed wielding a giant battleaxe.
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[edit] GWAR Mythos
According to GWAR Mythos, Balsac hails from the planet Ennui. His age is rumoured to be pi x 10^21,000,000. His weight is 12 tons when fully dressed, and 98 pounds in a towel. His height is described as "taller than Oderus." Balsac "writes songs by scratching his scrotum with his guitar and prefers quadriplegics over blondes. Invented V.D. and has a bear-trap for a face." He is generally depicted as the most intelligent of the principal characters (verified by oracle Scroda Moon), and is generally respected as such by other characters. He is also depicted as the member with the most serious drinking problem - drawings of him often feature a goblet in his hand, and he claimed to be immune to the effects of the Jagermonsta because he was "already drunk."
[edit] Place In Band
At GWAR's genesis, Balsac played bass. However, early in the band's history, Balsac became the guitar player. He has occasionally been featured as a vocalist. Balsac's vocals can be heard on the song "Mary Anne" off the album We Kill Everything. His (Derks') first GWAR song was "Black and Huge," and the first song featuring him on vocals was "The Needle." "The Needle" was never released on a Metal Blade album, but it was a Slave Pit Single, and was re-recorded as "Escape From The Mooselodge" on We Kill Everything, featuring Oderus Urungus on vocals. "Black and Huge" was originally recorded after Hell-O was released in the United States.
Balsac was originally played by Chris Bopst, and at that time, Balsac was the band's bassist. It was Bopst who gave Balsac The Jaws of Death his full name. However, by the time Hell-O had been released, Beefcake and Balsac switched roles and Steve Douglas had replaced Bopst. Douglas played the character until soon after Hell-O was released when he passed the torch to Michael Derks. With the exception of a few gigs in Europe in 1991 (where Balsac was played by Barry Ward), Derks has carried the title since. On a side note, Derks also runs the GWAR mailing list and has performed in Gwar spin-off bands X-Cops, RAWG, and the Dave Brockie eXperience.
According to the timeline of Slave Pit, Inc., Michael Derks joined the band in 1988, making him the second longest (after Dave Brockie) serving member of GWAR. The character is one of the two longest-serving, having been in every single incarnation of GWAR.
Balsac the Jaws of Death appears on more album covers than any other member of GWAR, having appeared on all but America Must Be Destroyed, We Kill Everything, Slaves Going Single and You're All Worthless and Weak . The GWAR logo on the cover of Beyond Hell reveals a reflection of the bear-trap head (the only character image on an otherwise white cover).
[edit] Guitars Used
Derks currently plays ESP Guitars and Krank amplifiers. He seems to prefer guitars similar in shape to the Gibson Explorer (for a brief time, he actually played one) - most photographs are seen of him playing ESP or Jackson's equivalent. He currently has a custom signature variant of the ESP EX series. In the video to "Immortal Corrupter," he is seen playing a yellow-to-black Washburn Dimebag Darrell 333 guitar with red lightning bolts. Only two people had this paint job - Derks and Dimebag Darrell himself. Derks' guitar was stolen after the August 16, 2002 Dave Brockie eXperience concert. It was never recovered. He also owned (it was sold on eBay in 2005) a Steinberger P-series guitar, an instrument he seemed to like (though few of his fans thought it was a real guitar). He also played Fernandes guitars for a time in 1997-9. He has played through Fatboy, Crate, Marshall, and Mesa Boogie amplifiers in the past, occasionally using them.
[edit] External links
- GWAR Official Website
- Japanese Official Website
- Balsac the Jaws of Death with GWAR - Picture Gallery
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