Maris the Great
Maris the Great is a promotional performance artist based in Denver, Colorado. He refers to himself as "Headbanger and Zombie Fag Extraordinaire"[1] for his outspoken homosexuality, green skin, and preference for edgy, hard-hitting bands. Wearing full zombie regalia, with brightly colored mohawk and over-sized platform boots, he promotes local and national bands through interviews on his website, maristhegreat.com (which receives more than 2000 hits an hour)[2] and in the national publication, Hails and Horns magazine. Each interview ends with the "murder" of the band and explicit photos of their demise. Notable bands that have been "killed" by Maris the Great include Kittie, Comeback Kid, and Throwdown.
History
Maris the Great began working with Denver bands in the early 2000's, to promote a local music scene he felt was under-appreciated. The first murder featured on his web site was local pop-rock band, Rubber Planet, in 200?. Other local musicians followed, with the level of bloodiness escalating as Maris perfected the art of gore and as each band sought to out-do the last. In 2005, Maris expanded to the national scene by killing xxxx based hardcore band, Bury Your Dead, and serving as their personal master of ceremonies on the Ozzfest tour. During his two weeks at Ozzfest, many of the attendees began to refer to him as "The Ozzfest Monster," prompting MTV to include a segment on him in their coverage of the festival. FUSE TV also ran a feature on the brain-eating zombie as did Rue Morgue Magazine. Since he began his "killing spree" in 200?, Maris has killed over 100 local and national acts.
Back Story
Before becoming the leader of the gay undead, Maris the Great was an ordinary homosexual mortal moonlighting as the singer of a dance band called "The Heterosexually Challenged." A lethal bite from a zombie during a romantic tryst changed all that, and Maris soon found himself undead and on a mission. He donned a mohawk, changed his band's name to "The Faggots of Death," and set out to kill any band that threatened his rise to the top of the heavy music heap. Offering bands free promotion through an interview on his website, Maris lured them directly into his huge, clawed hands where they soon found their dreams of stardom snuffed out.
The Faggots of Death
Formed by Maris the Great and lead guitarist Faggoria (Dan Bray) in 20??, The Faggots of Death were created as a live embodiment of Maris' originally fictitious punk band. The current lineup of the band also includes Faggety Ann on rhythm guitar, Miss Hissy Fit on bass guitar, and Penis Colada on drums. They perform occasional live shows, notorious for raunchy, blood-spattered theatrics.[3] In 2009 they released their first studio recording, the EP "Fuck You if You Don't Like Rock and Roll."
Videography
- Bite my Halloweenie, All Aspects Productions (2002) Running Time: 10 minutes
- Thrilled to Death, All Aspects Productions (2002) Running Time: 10 minutes
- Dead as Fuck: The Commodes Get Flushed, All Aspects Productions (2004) Running Time: 30 minutes
- Where the Fuck are They, Shock Brothers Studio (2007) Running Time: 9 minutes[4]
- This is Family, Jean Baptiste Erreca (2008) Includes segment on Maris the Great. Broadcast on Nuit Gay Americaine - Canal+, November 7th 2008
Awards and Honors
Westword — Best Web Site With Bite (2002) [5]
References
- ^ Bond, Laura."The Downfall of Napster is Wussifying the Web". Westword.com. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
- ^ Herrera, Dave. "If Everything Works Out, Maris the Great will Bury Your Dead at Ozzfest". Westword.com. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
- ^ Soda Jerk Presents Maris the Great and the Faggots of Death
- ^ Shock Brothers Studio Videography
- ^ Westword.com Best Of