During a performance at Brooklyn Steel in late March, Car Seat Headrest’s Will Toledo showed the world a side of himself that few outside of a small community had seen. He wore his fur suit on stage, offering the public debut of his furry alter-ego, Mortis Jackrabbit. Now, the band has given an interview to Brooklyn Magazine where they spoke about this revealing moment and how CSH’s music has always had roots in the furry community.
“I wanted more furries in the crowd,” Toledo recalled of that March night. “It was very impromptu. 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.”
Drummer Andrew Katz added, “A lot of Car Seat’s music is furry adjacent 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.”
Furries are people who enjoy anthropomorphized animals. Only 30% of those who consider themselves furries report wearing a fur suit — they can be pricey — and while the media has tended to focus on swinger parties and fetishists, nearly half of male furries, and the vast majority of women, said that sexual content played little to no part in their desire to join the community.
Although Toledo has pulled his Jackrabbit out of his hat, don’t expect to see much of the fursona going forward. “[Brooklyn Steel] was a good show because it was the only time I wore Mortis,” Toledo said. “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.”
Car Seat Headrest have a few performances booked for this fall, including an appearance at When We Were Young. Tickets are available here.
