We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Byron Bassett a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Byron, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
If I had to narrow down a lifetime of making art to a single project that has been the most meaningful project..It would have to he the creation of the character Humongous Fungus of Urungus, honorary Scumdog of the Universe and my alter ego/artistic outlet.
Back in 2011 I had the opportunity to meet one of my heroes, Dave Brockie aka Oderus Urungus the lead singer of the intergalactic metal band GWAR! This was a rather dark point in my life and career as an independent artist. Dave Brockie changed my life that weekend in Brooklyn NYC.
We were there for the CRACK A THON, a display of a the art of GWAR and comedy from Oderus. That weekend Dave took myself and a close friend off to the side and discussed many topics on some very personal levels. To keep it brief.. the next day we ran into Dave at a bodega and he invited us back to the MF Gallery and asked me to bring my portfolio of art. We spent the afternoon discussing art, life, music and so much more. During that time Dave Brockie explained to me that he could hear the URUNGUS in my blood and he said I was a lost member of their tribe. He made me an Honorary Scumdog of the Universe and gave me some advice on developing the character.
Unfortunately, a few years later the world lost the brilliant artist and wildman Dave Brockie. In his absence I decided to take his advice and use the pain and anger I felt in his absence as fuel for the battle to come. I contacted the band, and I got their permission to unveil the new fan character at the upcoming GWAR BQ 2016. The guys said they would honor Dave’s wishes and I was given permission to become the first person to dawn the name of the Urungus clan since Oderus left the planet.
To my surprise, the Bohabs (Gwar fans) were very accepting of this new character and I even won the costume contest that year. I never thought it would go this far.. or bring so much joy to so many people’s lives including my own. For the last decade I have focused my artistic visions on creating a whole new world of lore, characters, props, videos, skits, comics, magazines, live shows on YouTube, performing wwith the band GWELL-O, and live appearances.
Looking back..I have lived an entire lifetime of madness in 10 years and I am still pushing forward making new content and continuing to do what Dave Brockie wanted me to do.
For the last six years I have done a weekly live news show called The Humongous Shitt Show LIVE. Despite my anxiety I have dedicated myself to this character, the amazing fans, and this world we have built.
Humongous Fungus of Urungus is my crowning achievement but I couldn’t have done any of this without the foundation of failures and successes that I stand upon. It has been one of the most complicated and interesting projects I have ever taken on. I have had to learn the art of sculpting, casting and molding, editing video, editing audio, writing scripts, comic book development, puppeteering, improv acting, and more.
It is through these struggles that i have learned to understand the process of failure, success, and learning from your mistakes. Humongous is my favorite part of my lifetime of art because through him I can truly be free to inspire those around me. That is the driving force for me as an artist, to inspire others to TRULY LIVE AND LOVE LIFE!
Byron, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I was born into a family of teachers and artists in a small farm town in Maine. As a child I was always making some kind of art. As I grew older I found myself in a constant battle with myself in regards to art. I was able to recreate comic book artwork from other artist but there was always a monkey on my back. It wasn’t until my late teens that I realized I was not in a competition with my fellow artists. My father; Donald Bassett, who is still an incredible artist and my biggest inspiration helped me to realize that I had been my own worst critic.
At this point in my life I began to make my own art and break free from my mental chains holding me back. I had finally found my path in life.. unfortunately life had other plans for me and I soon feel into a live of addiction and stupidity. It was a hard pill to swallow, my art was put to the side.. Eventually, I found myself sobering up, and I quit putting my art aside to make bad choices. I learned from my mistakes and vowed to make art to help people and help myself.
This path I found myself on lead me to this point and I couldn’t imagine NOT going through those struggles. They have helped me find the strength to speak to others about their addictions and in turn help them find themselves. The show must go on!
When I first stepped into the world of being a character in the Gwar universe, I couldn’t have imagined what the future would hold for me and the many fans along the way. It is an honor to have been a part of these people’s lives and to be an inspiration for them in life, and in their art. Sharing the stage with Curt Doble, Cyko Destructo of Gwell-O has taught me so much. As brothers we battle upon the stage, it is truly an honor. I think Dave would be proud of us Gwarriors.
I take pride in my work and the fact I have been able to work with artists from around the world. I couldn’t do it without these amazing people. Together we have built something that we can all be proud of.
From working with different voice actors in my films, skits, movies and on my show to commissioning different artists for projecs, working with performers such as GWELL-O, Green Jello, GWAR, Fifth Freedom, Salvo, Miss Cherry Delight, and participating in the Coney Island Mermaid Parade with Chuck Varga, Bambi the Mermaid, Joe Coleman, and many others. I really enjoyed doing interviews with amazing artists and the occasional Japanese stuntman/movie monster, it has been an amazing career. We can’t forget all of the failures and the near disasters! These unsuccessful projects are just as important as the successes if you learn from them! Believe me there have been plenty of failures, and I am proud of all of them.
As an artist I would hope that my work will outlive my physical form, I just want my lifetime of art to inspire the future generations who will surely face similar challenges on their path in life. Live, learn from your mistakes, and celebrate your successes as you prepare for the next phase of your artistic journey.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Several things come to mind but I would have to say there are two examples that are a good examples.
When I first started working on production of costumes and props I had a rather small budget. My first costume was built for 17$ in roughly 9 days. I had to complete the costume before we drove thirteen hours to Virginia to attend the Gwar BQ. I managed to source enough free parts to create my Humongous 1.0 costume and after a week of 17 hour days sculpting and carving foam with a razor blade and a pair of scissors..I had achieved my goal. Humongous Fungus of Urungus was finally ready to be brought to life.
A few years later I put the advice that was passed down to me by Chuck Varga (The Sexecutioner a founding member of GWAR), Slavis Davis Bradley (Gwar Slave), and Matt Maguire (SawBorg Destructo of GWAR Gwar Slave) to good use. I start the process of teaching myself how to make foam latex props!
I was always a flat artist..I preferred paper, canvas and the occasional clay sculpture. Making weapons, dinosaur skulls, bones, full costumes and masks was a dream of mine as a child but it always seemed far fetched, an unachievable goal.. or so I thought. I am still learning and working on developing more skills as I travel down this path.
The second example is a bit more technical and far more frustrating. About 6 years ago I decided to stop paying someone to edit my videos. I was going broke fast and the editor I had working for me was not able to provide the quality I wanted to put forth into the world.
I took a big risk and I approached my manager about taking on this monster of a task. Thanks to Jon Sparks aka Poser Maximus for helping me fulfill this life long dream. As a child I always wanted to make funny skits and make dumb movies. I felt the itch to learn something new and I soon found myself asking a close friend of mine who had graduated from film school for advice. Corey Dalpe, aka Punky Bruiser set up my new laptop and found me some video and editing software. He was unfamiliar with the video editing program I had decided to use so he couldn’t offer advice on that particular program, but he has always been there for me as a fellow editor and his advice has been a great addition to the foundation of a new skill set. Thank you Corey!
My first real project was a full length film called ‘MY NINJA.’ It was a parody dubbed over movie made from over a dozen different kung fu/martial arts movies as well as scenes I filmed with puppets, as well as an appearance from a movie director and actor I know in Canada. It was an incredible learning experience and 6 years later, I am still editing all of my videos for YouTube and I have made another full lenght film that was done with green screens, hand made props, and stars puppets (with the occasional appearance by myself)
I could have continued paying for a product that I was unhappy with, or I could have found another editor. I feel the best decision was to do the work myself and put out the product that I wanted to represent my work. Through this process I continued the evolution of my skills. My best friend in Japan, Yurina Nozumi always says people have drawers, this is where they keep their skills. If you have many drawers, you have a vast array of skills at your fingertips. Yurina is an amazing artist with many drawers. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with her as an artist.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist for me personally is knowing that I am able to not only inspire people but I’m also able to make their life a little better in some way. The creation of Art can be a healing process for the Artist as well as the patron. One of the most unique aspects of being an artist is to hear other people’s perspectives on the artwork that you have created. Even if someone knows the story behind the piece of artwork they may feel a personal connection to it that draws them even closer to the artist.
Every now and then I get messages from fans who thank me for helping them through hard times. Whether they are watching my show or looking at my art that has helped them in some way and when they messaged me it reminds me of the times that I have messaged people thanking them for their art or their music that has helped get me through the hard times and has helped change my life for the better. It’s a wonderful feeling when it all comes full circle and I prefer to keep the circle going by creating more and sharing it with the world freely.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byron_bassett_art?igsh=NWZhMDR3d3htMzM1
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@humongous420?si=Q6OVwaHJqHKvIElD
Image Credits
Rolling Stone Magazine