“I’d go all that way and then get stuck out there and then they’d jab me with something”: Stephen Carpenter blames pandemic anxiety for why he doesn’t tour internationally with Deftones
Two years ago, Deftones’ Stephen Carpenter vowed to never tour internationally again. The decision came as somewhat of a shock at the time. And it became more shocking when fans concluded the reasoning might be linked to Carpenter’s anti-vax stance.
The news was shared on Facebook, Carpenter stating: “I have decided to remain playing domestically for now. With everything going on in the world, I’m just not ready to leave home and leave the country yet.”
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While his announcement seemed innocent enough, fans quickly realised why he might be afraid to tour overseas: the guitarist is against vaccination.
On the Tin Foil Hat with Sam Tripoli podcast back in 2020, Carpenter claimed there has “never been one single vaccine that’s ever worked.” Alongside calling vaccinations “poisons,” he also claimed that Covid-19 was “something the body creates” because “you are not capable of catching a virus from somebody.”
He also mocked mask wearers, labelling them “suckers.” Bear in mind, on the same podcast he admitted that he was “absolutely” a flat-Earther.
Carpenter also appeared on Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta‘s The Jasta Show in 2021 sharing some more of his beliefs. The podcast episode has since been deleted, but ThePRP‘s coverage remains.
Apparently, Carpenter discussed how he doesn’t believe in nuclear weapons or outer space. He also insinuated 9/11 was faked, likening footage of the World Trade Center being hit to faked UFO footage.
Bandmate Chino Moreno previously stated that Carpenter’s beliefs have been “tough” to come to terms with. Speaking on the Peer Pleasure podcast, Moreno said: “It was actually tough for a minute, because obviously I’ve been friends with him since I was 10 years old… the weed probably has a ‘lil bit to do with his conspiracies.”
“I’ll listen for two minutes and then I just can’t,” he continues. “‘Cause he’ll just go off into no man’s land.”
Earlier this year, Carpenter’s Sol Invicto bandmate, Richie Londres, tried to clear the air. Taking aim at a “clickbait” Metal Injection article, Londres condemned anyone painting Carpenter as a mere conspiracy theorist without acknowledging his mental state.
According to Londres’ Facebook post, the reluctance to travel stems from the 2015 Eagles Of Death Metal concert attack in France. 90 people lost their lives in the Bataclan attack, with 200 wounded. Deftones were set to kick off a run of dates at the venue the following day.
“Let’s all be inclusive but it’s open season on mental health, is that it?” Londres writes. “Consider how narrowly avoiding death… might affect you? Consider the last 4 years we’ve all been through, how that might effect your choices today? Considered the effect of losing your best friend to a car accident? Consider Boeing?”
The anxiety and trauma is understandable. In a recent interview with Rock Feed, Carpenter has expanded on his anxieties. “Every single one of us wrangles with getting on a plane in some way,” he says. “For me, that anxiety [started] right around the time of the pandemic.”
Carpenter insists “I had already just made the decision” to stop touring overseas before the pandemic. Then, the idea felt even more scary.
Suddenly, lockdowns were possible. If a lockdown was put in place while abroad, Carpenter would be totally isolated from his family. “At minimum, in this country, I could walk myself home if I had to… it might take a long time, but I’m gonna get there,” he explains.
However, it seems like some conspiratory beliefs still linger in his mind. “If I go all that way and then get stuck out there and then they want to jab me with something…” he says. “I was like, ‘there’s no way I’m going to do that… I mean, that’s crazy.”
He insists the decision isn’t easy. “It’s a bummer,” he says. “Obviously I want to go out there and I want to perform… it’s not easy… But I’m very grateful that we have our friend Lance [Jackman, guitarist], who steps in.”
The post “I’d go all that way and then get stuck out there and then they’d jab me with something”: Stephen Carpenter blames pandemic anxiety for why he doesn’t tour internationally with Deftones appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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