Written in Partnership with Nora Butler
It’s not every day that you are walking down the street and see someone with a giant goat mask on, but recently people in both Los Angeles and all the way in Nashville have been spotting Chezney McGoat. No, that is not Tim McGraw or Kenney Chesney, that’s Chezney McGoat, a self-described “6 foot 3 inch, banjo-playing, unique dressing country singer” who has been catching everyone’s attention.
Chezney, who hides his identity via a giant goat mask, has been teasing social media followers about his upcoming new music, which has people wondering if the man behind the mask is actually a big country artist just having some fun via hidden identity like Dierks Bentley and the Hot Country Knights recently did/formed.
Whatever the case, Chezney has been promoting fun, love and inclusion with his “Whatever Floats Your Goat” motto and extravagant outfit choices.
In addition to his charm, when we caught up with Chezney for some comments, he told us under his mask that he is partnering up with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and is working with them on some items related to goats and educating people about the harms done to actual goats when it comes to cashmere, goat milk and goat yoga.
A recent PETA Asia investigation found that workers violently pin down goats, bend their legs, and pull their hair out with sharp metal combs, leaving the animals with bloody cuts, for which they receive no pain relief or veterinary care. What’s more is that this investigation that caught Chezney’s attention reported that when goats are deemed no longer “profitable,” workers slit their throats in full view of other animals—and some of the animals continue to move for minutes while they bleed out. Their bodies are sold for cheap meat. In addition, cashmere production is a significant contributor to soil degradation, as goats must consume 10% of their bodyweight in food each day, which prevents grass from regrowing. Because of degraded grasslands, 65% of Mongolia has already become a desert, causing some of the world’s worst dust storms and heavy air pollution. This article that Chezney directed us to in Science Magazine goes into more detail, and is just truly heartbreaking.
Los Angeles has had some wild personalities in the past, but never a Goat… With a human Goat leading the charge to bring awareness to help actual Goats, and with the anticipation of some country music on the horizon, we can’t wait to see what Mr. McGoat releases next, or to catch up just south of us at Stagecoach Music Festival in the near future.
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