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It takes a special kind of band to obscure their appearance\u2026but if you can do it right, then it moves from being a silly gimmick to an important piece of your identity, image, and brand.\u2026\n\nWhen Kiss came along in the early 70s with their Japanese kabuki-inspired makeup, it wasn\u2019t that far out\u2026they came from New York where there was a glitter scene that had a lot of guys wearing make-up\u2026kiss just took it to an extreme: The Demon, Star Child, Spaceman, and Catman\u2026\n\nIt worked--eventually\u2026Kiss has sold 100 million albums\u2026there was that period after 1983 when they wiped off the greasepaint and showed their faces to everyone, but that\u2019s not what the fans wanted, and they eventually brought it all back\u2026\n\nA more contemporary example is Slipknot\u2026their masks have been an essential part of their identity since the band started up in 1995\u2026it started with the clown wearing a clown mask for the band\u2019s first gig shortly before Halloween that year\u2026the rest of the guys thought it was dumb at first, but then they all joined in\u2026\n\nFans now keep close tabs on each member\u2019s mask, parsing what each new iteration\u2014and they can change or be updated almost yearly\u2014might mean\u2026\n\nThere are other mask-wearing bands: the residents with their eyeball heads\u2026any number of dark metal bands from Scandinavia like Ghost and Lordi\u2026Pussy Riot (largely to keep their identity hidden from the authorities)\u2026then there\u2019s Gwar, who have taken it to a completely different level entirely with their alien costumes\u2026and deadmaus has had his big mouse head for years\u2026there are tons of others, but you get the idea\u2026\n\nThis brings me to Daft Punk\u2026from 1993 until their breakup in February 2021, they acted like robots with elaborate helmets that completely obscured their identity\u2026we knew they were French, and we knew their real names\u2026but beyond that, they were a cool mystery that we played along with\u2026\n\nNow that they\u2019re done, though, it\u2019s time to dig through their history\u2026what the hell was Daft Punk all about?...and why did they matter so much?...here is their requiem\u2026\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices