On July 15th, President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” moved forward after Vice President J.D. Vance broke a 50-50 tie with a deciding vote. This bill cuts funding for public media, including National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). GWAR frontman Blothar the Berserker is speaking out by issuing a PSA asking fans and the public at large to “rise up.”
This bill cuts $9 billion in government spending, including $1.1 billion in PRE-APPROVED funds for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
So, Blothar did what any interplanetary warrior would do: took to social media to raise awareness and ask people to help fight. While the rockstar was dressed in his typically elaborate stage costume, meant to make him look like a monster, he dropped the trademark sarcasm to deliver the sobering information. He explains that the cuts to pre-approved funding could shut down many rural public radio stations due to the lack of funding.
“This could very well silence the music,” Blothar explains.
Blothar & Public Media
He goes on to remind viewers of all of the amazing programming public media has produced. Like “Sesame Street” and making frequent references to the beloved Fred Rogers of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” Rogers also spoke in front of Congress several times to defend public broadcasting.
“It’s gonna take away art and culture from the lives of people, or at least access to that,” he pleads. “Rise up people! In the name of Fred Rogers, in the name of Big Bird, and the drunken Lady Elaine Fairchild, changes to this bill are still possible. Now is the time to urge your senator to remove the proposal that targets public media from the package of this ‘big beautiful bill.’ I urge you to go to protectmypublicmedia.org and get some information on how you can urge congress to save public media. Call your senators. Make a difference. Do it now because there’s not a lot of time!”
While GWAR has never hidden their disdain for Trump, this isn’t about that. This is about taking art and communication away from people in remote areas that need it the most. Not to mention what it will take from larger communities.
No society has ever benefited from losing artistic expression and freedom of speech.
You can hear Blothar’s full PSA below:
