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Deftones’ Chino Moreno on Stephen Carpenter’s flat-Earth belief: “I’m surprised he’s not more of a meme”

Carpenter also stated that the COVID-19 pandemic is ‘mental trickery’ and that no vaccine has ever worked.

Stephen Carpenter

Image: Miikka Skaffari / Getty

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Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno has discussed his bandmate Stephen Carpenter’s controversial and conspiratorial views. Last year, Carpenter discussed on a podcast his view that the Earth isn’t a sphere, among other conspiracy theories such as vaccine scepticism and COVID-19 being “overblown.”

Speaking on an episode of the Peer Pleasure podcast, Moreno was asked about Carpenter’s more out-there beliefs, to which he replied flatly: “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…”

Moreno attributed at least some of Carpenter’s views to his marijuana use, saying: “The weed probably has a ‘lil bit to do with his conspiracies and this and that… sitting at home, just looking on whatever sites he looks at. Probably doesn’t help being smoked out.”

Despite the rather drastic differences in (literal) worldviews, Moreno explained that his friendship with Carpenter is strong. However, he does occasionally have to listen to some “tangents.”

“When we’re together it’s like we don’t even talk about any of that stuff. We play music, we laugh, we have a blast playing music. Still friends the way we were when we were kids. But it’s not like I haven’t heard him go on his tangents before… I’ll listen for two minutes and then I just can’t. ‘Cause he’ll just go off into no man’s land.”

“It’s kinda tough because obviously, I want to support him – I feel like everybody should have their opinion on certain things here and there, whatever. I’m not one to say that he’s got to think this way or whatever. I think it’s a little outlandish, some of his views on the world, the planet itself… But I fucking love him, man.

“He’s really, really sincere. And he’s smart – which is crazy. He’s very loving, he’s probably one of the most generous people that I’ve ever known in my whole life,” Moreno added.

Carpenter’s views garnered attention from around the globe, as it has been quite a while since the Earth was proven to be a sphere. His assertion that there has “never been one single vaccine that’s ever worked ever” also drew criticism, particularly because he stated that fact in the midst of a global pandemic.

He later apologised for the way he stated his views, stating that he only wanted to “inspire” people to take an “alternative perspective.” However, he did not address the ethical and scientific implications of asserting that vaccines don’t work and that the planet is flat.

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