Car Seat Headrest’s Will Toledo has opened up about performing in a new suit as his furry alter-ego Mortis Jackrabbit earlier this year.
- READ MORE: Car Seat Headrest – ‘Making A Door Less Open’ review: as confounding as its knowing title suggests
In March, the frontman performed in a new fur suit for the first time at New York’s Brooklyn Steel, because he “wanted more furries in the crowd”.
Furries are a community of people who enjoy wearing elaborate animal costumes. They enjoy making friends with other furries, attending conventions, making art and sometimes sex is part of the equation, but not always.
Speaking in a new interview with Brooklyn Magazine, Toledo spoke about his decision to don the suit on the band’s Masquerade Tour and opened up about his love for the furry community.
“It was very impromptu,” he said of his Brooklyn Steel performance. “My friend tried finding someone else to wear the suit but he couldn’t find anybody. So at the last minute, I asked him to bring it and I wore as much of it as I could.”
Toledo added that the show was particularly good “because it was the only time I wore Mortis”.
“The costume has been sitting with a friend since I went to a furry convention in February. I haven’t been able to transport the suit back because I’ve been traveling all over,” he said.
The band’s drummer Andrew Katz chimed in, explaining that a lot of Car Seat Headrest’s music is “furry adjacent”. He said the reason is because “when Will started, it was for that community of people.. so obviously a lot of the fans are furries and the rest know he’s a furry.”
Car Seat Headrest released their latest album, ‘Making A Door Less Open’, in 2020. In a four-star review, NME‘s Rhys Buchanan wrote: “Toledo’s band have pulled into new areas with sophistication. Will this collection alienate meat-and-potatoes fans, as that knowing album title suggests? Perhaps – but it’s unlikely the band will care.”
The review added: “Far from experiencing growing pains, Car Seat seem to have had a lot of fun here.”