This story is taken from the fall 2025 issue of VICE magazine, THE BE QUIET AND DRIVE ISSUE, a Deftones special. We’ve sold out our copies, the only ones left are in stores—perhaps there’s one near you? Secure yourself the next 4 issues by subscribing.
Deftones are loved because of the ancient curse which dictates that every teenager must be sad, angry, and horny, both constantly and all at the same time. Their music meets the needs of this type of person perfectly, and after more than 30 years as a band, the formula is only getting more potent: The theory has now been proven true for four different generations of teens.
As such, many people—from keg-sucking Gen X bookworms allowing themselves a rare moment of sincerity before the Soviet bombs drop to today’s Twitch stream psychos stick and poking each other for playground clout—have decided to get a Deftones-related tattoo upon their skin. While fans of lesser bands are forced to make do with lyrics and album titles (boring), Deftones have something way more magical up their sleeve: For 30 years, the White Pony silhouette has been out there moving through the distressing noise and darkness of the world, guiding people towards each other, a conversation-starting emblem that has surely sparked tens of thousands of marriages, lifelong friendships, enmities, fuck parties, and whatever else humans get up to.
In the summer of 2025, VICE went to the band’s big outdoor mega concert in Crystal Palace, South London to meet those people and ask them about the pictures on their bodies.
Danielle, 39 & Grace, 31
D: I was at this house party. A band was playing in the conservatory and people were crowd surfing, it was insanely sweaty.
G: I was walking through to the kitchen to get some cans, and Danielle was like, “Is that the White Pony tattoo?!”
D: We realized we had the same White Pony tattoo in exactly the same place. We stayed up till the sun rose talking about Shrek, became inseparable immediately, and went to Las Vegas. The rest is history.
Jade, 20
“I didn’t really like school, everyone classified me as ‘the emo girl.’ I wanted this tattoo for years and got it as soon as I turned 18. I just love the music so much. I wanted to show that on my body. Chino’s voice…”
DREAMY!
Mo, 39
M: “I got the tattoo a week ago. I’m a tattoo artist and I had a cancellation in the morning, so I thought I’d just tattoo myself. There’s an outsider element to Deftones. It wasn’t the cool thing to listen to where I grew up, in Glasgow. But still, you feel something in it.”
VICE: Do you feel there’s any significance to it being a white pony?
M: I’m not sure. Doesn’t it mean cocaine or something?
Joe, 29
“I once had to rent a pig for a photo shoot to promote Busted’s reunion tour. Years before that, I’d heard their singer Charlie Simpson talking about how much he loved White Pony on the radio. I ran into him shortly after I got this tattoo. I had a few pints and went over and said, ‘I once had to book a pig for you and you got me into my favorite album ever,’ and showed him my arm. He said it was the best opener to a conversation he’d ever heard!”
Will, 19
VICE: So what got you into Deftones, Will?
W: The Matrix!
Jess, 18
J: I got mine for my 18th birthday!
Scully AKA ‘Ciaran,’ 25
“When people see my tattoo they’ll try to start up a conversation. It’s usually in a pub smoking area and they’re just happy to speak about Deftones for like 15 minutes. If you like Deftones, you really, really like Deftones, you know? I can’t think of any other band that makes you feel like you’re levitating.”
ZAC, 29
Why do people love Deftones so much?
“ASMR-coded perverts, I reckon!”
This story is taken from the fall 2025 issue of VICE magazine, THE BE QUIET AND DRIVE ISSUE, a Deftones special. We’ve sold out our copies, the only ones left are in stores—perhaps there’s one near you? Secure yourself the next 4 issues by subscribing.
The post My Little Pony: Deftones Fan Tattoos appeared first on VICE.
