Mad Max: Fury Road has some epic scenes in it. One of the best has to be the one when that crazy flamethrower guitarist in a red onesie strapped to the front of a racing vehicle is belting out wrathful tunes.
Little do many folks know that his official name is The Doof Warrior (or the Coma-Doof Warrior), courtesy of his post-apocalyptic musician status and potentially his Brisbane-born creator George Miller’s Aussie background.
This tortured maniac has a dark history. Straight from the Mad Max Fandom page, the story goes like this: Coma was a child musical prodigy who learnt from his musician mother. At some point, the family were attacked. Days later, someone dropped her severed head onto his lap. Not long after, War Boys leader Immortan Joe took him (and his insane guitar skills) in and the rest is history.
Oh yeah, and the mask he wears is his dead mother’s face sliced off and re-fashioned. What a universe, hey!
Curiously, the ‘Doof Warrior’ and his ‘Doof Wagon’ have no obvious relation to actual doofs, aside from having connections to both music and the fact that the character’s creator is Australian.
Also, the Doof Warrior himself doesn’t play the kind of music you’d typically hear at a doof. In the 2015 film, the Doof Warrior is played by New Zealand-Australian musician iOTA, whose records could best be described as a mix of alternative and rock.
Not exactly psy, trance or techno.
They say writers sneakily insert personal references into their own creations.
Could the creator of the Mad Max universe George Miller be a secret veteran doofer in disguise? We’d say so.
If you know the answer, do write in…we’re dying to know.
By the way, reliving the Doof Warrior’s awesomeness is highly recommended. You can do that here.
