Masks? Those guys are just ugly!
In all honesty, though, its about theater, and it didn't actually start with metal.
David Bowie was one of the first rock pioneers to explore makeup to create distinct and distinguished on-stage personae. Shortly thereafter, KISS was one of the first hardrock or metal bands to conceal their identity, largely inspired by Japanese theater forms.
Other hard rock/metal bands- Alice Cooper, GWAR, Mushroomhead, Marilyn Manson, King Diamond, Wes Borland and so forth- have continued to experiment with masks & makeup to varying degrees.
In many cases, the persona influences the music and stage show. In some cases, its just about hiding identity. Even though most of us could identify a couple members of KISS, and Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson aren't going to be able to hide out, I doubt anyone in the general public has any idea what the guys from Mushroomhead, GWAR, and Slipknot look like...except for that guy who is also in Stone Sour, of course.
Think about the appeal of that- being able to make music as a career and still being able to go to your local Starbucks whenever you want.
Like many other camera-shy celebs, Eddy Vedder (Pearl Jam) has been struggling with that for years. If only he'd worn a mask...
In all honesty, though, its about theater, and it didn't actually start with metal.
David Bowie was one of the first rock pioneers to explore makeup to create distinct and distinguished on-stage personae. Shortly thereafter, KISS was one of the first hardrock or metal bands to conceal their identity, largely inspired by Japanese theater forms.
Other hard rock/metal bands- Alice Cooper, GWAR, Mushroomhead, Marilyn Manson, King Diamond, Wes Borland and so forth- have continued to experiment with masks & makeup to varying degrees.
In many cases, the persona influences the music and stage show. In some cases, its just about hiding identity. Even though most of us could identify a couple members of KISS, and Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson aren't going to be able to hide out, I doubt anyone in the general public has any idea what the guys from Mushroomhead, GWAR, and Slipknot look like...except for that guy who is also in Stone Sour, of course.
Think about the appeal of that- being able to make music as a career and still being able to go to your local Starbucks whenever you want.
Like many other camera-shy celebs, Eddy Vedder (Pearl Jam) has been struggling with that for years. If only he'd worn a mask...
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