13 Bands That Think It’s Always Halloween
For many, face paint, costumes and outrageous personas only surface on All Hallows’ Eve. These bands, however, keep up the gambit year-round for their fans – no matter the effort. Rolling Stone selects of some of the most haunting and unforgettable.
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George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic
When the anything-goes bandleader George Clinton implored his musicians to "come as you are," they took him at his word: longtime bassist Bootsy Collins is famous for his outlandish outfits, and the late Gary Shider earned his nickname as "The Diaperman."
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The Village People
The good-time disco group took its stage appearance from the gay community's love of men in uniform – construction worker, cop, Native American, leather fetishist.
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Buckethead
The guitar virtuoso is known for his unique look, wearing a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket on his head and a facemask inspired, he has said, by Michael Myers in Halloween 4.
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Genesis with Peter Gabriel
Amazingly, members of Genesis have said they were not under the influence of any particular narcotic during their early years as a wildly theatrical stage act.
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The Aquabats
This ska and New Wave band from California have adopted on onstage persona as average-sized superheroes.
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Empire of the Sun
This wildly costumed Australian band was in a bind when its signature swordfish masks were stolen.
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Slipknot
The hardcore metal band took to wearing anonymous serial-killer-style masks so they could "crawl inside" their music.
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Devo
These conceptual punks arrived in matching HazMat suits and reached the height of their fame in the early MTV era wearing flowerpots on their heads.
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Gwar
In addition to their grotesque comic book costumes, Gwar spice up their shows with parodies of celebrities and politicians.
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Insane Clown Posse
They're "wicked clowns": "Fuck keepin' it real – we just keep it entertaining."
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Daft Punk
The French duo claim their outfits are no joke – they became robots after a studio explosion.
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Kiss
And the granddaddies of them all . . .