Creating My Musical Character:

So, our on stage persona needs to align with our concept of being a band of wasteland drifters 40 years after a nuclear holocaust. I kinda felt it should be close to the cover of Black Sabbath's 'Mob Rules.'

black-sabbath-mob-rules-kill-ozzy-album-cover-Greg-Hildebrandt.jpg


I chose this as my inspiration, less the backpack of course - I am not quite finished with this costume yet:

Rags.jpg

Now the off-stage persona I created with a blend of musical influences...

The hood from BOC:

Burnin%27_for_You_BOC.jpg


The full coverage mask concept pays homage to Quiet Riot's album cover:

Quiet_Riot_Metal_Health.jpg


And the jacket draws influence from Phil Lynott and Gary Moore:

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And so, the completed off-stage look is this:

Concept.jpg
 
Robert Herndon said:
"People don’t want to see the guy next door on stage; they want to see a being from another planet.” – Lemmy
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Lemmy drank a lot of Jack Daniels, too.

Despite his own statement, he didn’t dress all that unusual, himself. Maybe he was a little more showy than the normal man on the street, but certainly not a “from another planet” look.
 
Robert Herndon said:
I came up with a cool idea today. I still have an old police hat - what we used to call a bus driver hat. I figured I could paint it black and paint the gold band and buttond copper, then put a radioactive symbol button in place of the hat badge....instant steampunk radiation patrol something or other...
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Playing in where near the Long Beach area? I'll come and see you!
 
smitty_p said:
Lemmy drank a lot of Jack Daniels, too.

Despite his own statement, he didn’t dress all that unusual, himself. Maybe he was a little more showy than the normal man on the street, but certainly not a “from another planet” look.
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That's very true...perhaps it was just his opinion???
 
smitty_p said:
Or, it was the Jack Daniels talking.
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Could very well be, but I think I see his point. A lot of bands here - made up of older dudes - just stop trying to be interesting. You see them playing in Hawaiian shirts, shorts and flip flops.

I then compare that stage presence to Kiss or Slipknot...and I kinda see Lemmy's point.
 
Robert Herndon said:
Could very well be, but I think I see his point. A lot of bands here - made up of older dudes - just stop trying to be interesting. You see them playing in Hawaiian shirts, shorts and flip flops.

I then compare that stage presence to Kiss or Slipknot...and I kinda see Lemmy's point.
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I see his point, too. And to some extent I agree.

However, bands like KISS and Slipknot are so far to the other end of the spectrum that bands who attempt something similar risk coming off as copy-cats who are trying to “out-ostentatious” their predecessors.

Personally, I’ve never cared for masked bands, be it bands like Slipknot, Buckethead, or otherwise. That’s just me, though. You have to pursue things how best it seems to you.

The only makeup bands I’ve taken with any degree of seriousness are Alice Cooper and KISS. Others just come off as variations of the theme. It’s like kids who copy answers from the answer key but try to change just enough of the words to avoid looking like they’re cheating.

Even some of the ‘80s hair bands who dabbled in makeup, like Motley Crue, later shed that look and gravitated more toward a showy biker look.
 
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smitty_p said:
I see his point, too. And to some extent I agree.

However, bands like KISS and Slipknot are so far to the other end of the spectrum that bands who attempt something similar risk coming off as copy-cats who are trying to “out-ostentatious” their predecessors.

Personally, I’ve never cared for masked bands, be it bands like Slipknot, Buckethead, or otherwise. That’s just me, though. You have to pursue things how best it seems to you.

The only makeup bands I’ve taken seriously are Alice Cooper and KISS. Others just come off as variations of the theme. It’s like kids who copy answers from the answer key but try to change just enough of the words to avoid looking like they’re cheating.

Even some of the ‘80s hair bands who dabbled in makeup, like Motley Crue, later shed that look and gravitated more toward a showy biker look.
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Good observations there. When I created this character, it was for several reasons. My love of mystery, acting and the theatre had a lot to do with it, but I have other reasons too.

First of all - there is an interesting allure to the concealed identity of a person.

Secondly, unlike my bandmates, I just never looked "cool," so this affords me some anonymity and creativity.

My character can be more outlandish than I ever could be...
 
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Robert Herndon said:
Good observations there. When I created this character, it was for several reasons. My love of mystery, acting and the theatre had a lot to do with it, but I have other reasons too.

First of all - there is an interesting allure to the concealed identity of a person.

Secondly, unlike my bandmates, I just never looked "cool," so this affords me some anonymity and creativity.

My character can be more outlandish than I ever could be...
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Understood. I do get where you’re coming from.
 
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