Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter made headlines last year when he advocated flat-earth, anti-vax, and COVID-truther conspiracy theories. In a new interview, singer Chino Moreno addressed his bandmate’s beliefs, explaining they likely stem from a combination of paranoia and smoking weed.
While speaking with the conspiracy theory podcast Tin Foil Hat with Sam Tripoli in late 2020, Carpenter declared, “The simplest terms for my perspective with flat Earth is simply, I know we’re not on a spinning, flying space ball. Now, what it actually is and all that, and to what depths it goes to, that’s all still to be discovered.”
Regarding vaccines, the guitarist commented, “[There’s] never been one single vaccine that’s ever worked ever. All poisons, you can never get it out of your body, [your] body has no means to expel it, it’s stuck in you forever and you just suffer with whatever it becomes.”
Perhaps his most controversial statement addressed COVID-19 and mask wearing: “I’m grateful for COVID, for teaching me the actual germ theory, and that is the virus is something the body creates. You are not capable of catching a virus from somebody. … [Anyone who] wears the mask, they already know it’s worthless. You know they all got their little favorite little logo matching their outfits. It’s like clown show. Please stop, you’re embarrassing yourself.”
In a new interview with The Peer Pleasure Podcast (as transcribed by ThePRP), Moreno was asked about Carpenter’s beliefs, responding, “I’m surprised he’s not more of a meme… I think there may be a couple. But, it was actually tough for a minute, because obviously I’ve been friends with him since I was 10-years-old. And you know he wasn’t always this way.”
