I've always been interested in bands and musicians who wear masks, costumes or elaborate makeup. Namely, why do they do it... is it just for more memorable stage presence, is it for shock value or is there a story behind those masks? Do the outfits have some deeper meaning, do they represent characters with names and backstories or is it just for shits and giggles?
The answer, unsurprisingly, is all of the above and then some, so I decided to make a video where I go through some of the more striking performers and their reasons for hiding their identity and/or assuming an alternate one.



Of course I couldn't possibly cover them all so, if you think I missed someone worthy of mention and if you know the story behind their alter egos, or even if you just have something to add about the bands I did mention, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject.
Do you love it? Do you hate it? Do you think it adds to the depth and mystique of a band and it's music? Do you view it simply as a gimmick? Or maybe you think it's a totally separate thing that has nothing to do with the actual music of a band?

Kiss as one of the most iconic masked bands gave various explanations for their stage personas over the years. This one, so comically explained in movie "Role models" being the most popular

The truth is: They haven't just made stage presence with costumes and makeup. They invented characters, as alter egos, that are today still highly marketable as anything from comic characters to Hello Kitty with Kiss makeup lunch boxes Smart dudes, smart I say

Does corpse paint count? I would guess not since it's characteristic for the whole genre and not a single band in particular. Either way I've always found it to be awesome as fuck if done right...



...or the funniest/lamest/most cringe worthy thing if not done right...

I always liked what Marilyn Manson did with his band. They may not have masks like Slipknot or iconic makeup like Kiss but they have alter egos/stage names that are instantly recognizable... Nobody knows who the fuck Brian Hugh Warner is but everybody knows Marilyn Manson

For those of you who don't know (I know I didn't for a really long time), that's not his real name. It's a combination of Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson. In fact every member of the band has a stage name that is a combination of the name of a popular female sex symbol (mostly actresses and singers) and the last name of a serial killer.
So beside Marilyn himself you had:
Daisy Berkowitz (Daisy Duke from Dukes of Hazzard + David Berkowitz, the infamous "Son of Sam")
Olivia Newton Bundy (Olivia Newton John + Ted Bundy)
Madonna Wayne Gacy (Madonna + John Wayne Gacy, A.K.A. Pogo the Killer Clown)
Twiggy Ramirez (Twiggy, the british supermodel + Richard Ramirez A.K.A. Night Stalker)
Since the band changed lineups a lot, there are more but these might be the most recognizable

Huh... I knew that Marilyn Manson was a combo of Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson but I didn't know that the whole band has names like that.
Madonna Wayne Gacy sounds hilarious, I'm picturing a fat Madonna with a clown face painted on and it still somehow looks better than what Madonna actually looks like these days!

That Buckethead dude that was mentioned in the video has an insane "backstory"!
CHeck it out here: bucketheadland.com/story/

TL:DR version: He was raised by chickens on a farm... he is possibly Colonel Sanders son... he wears a mask because the chickens scratched his face off... he now travels around singing about the horrors happening to chickens in factories around the world... WTF?!?!

We'll what about GWAR? The best monsters out there, from the late 80s Sadly, their singer died a couple of years back, and now they have some really viking looking chick for a "frontman".

Wow! Is Gwar really that old?!? I only heard about them relatively recently and even then I thought they were just copying Lordi.
I guess that long a career makes them the original masked menace... a title I always thought belonged to Slipknot

I must admit I was also surprised. I knew they were older than Lordi and that Lordi were the ones ripping Gwar off but I had no idea they were active since fucking 1984! I also didn't know about the lineup change... apparently they already fired that new female singer
Her stage name was Vulvatron, she shot blood out of her tits and they kicked her out of the band for drinking too much... Are they insane!?! Could there be a more badass chick?!? I think I'm in love

lol

I think the first masked band were The Residents. And they still exist today. Started in early 1970s and no one ever discovered their identity. That's the real spirit