Apr 4
Orville Peck Offers a Face Peek and Announces New Tour
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 3 MIN.
It's been a busy week for openly gay - but famously masked - country singer Orville Peck, who announced a new tour and an upcoming collaboration with country legend Willie Nelson... and, perhaps more thrillingly, took to Instagram with a photo that seemed, at first glance, to reveal part of his face.
Absent his famous fringed mask, Peck's bearded jaw and full lips could clearly be seen, while his partially-visible right eye peered from under the brim of his hat. The effect was revealing while still preserving the South Africa-born musician's air of mystery, but that was largely because, upon close inspection, it can be seen that what might at first be taken for the hat's shadow on his face is actually a mask after all.
Rather than the usual fringed mask, however, Peck wore a flesh-toned mask that helped give the illusion that the singer had unmasked himself.
That wasn't the only intriguing thing about the photo, which also showed Peck leaning against a pickup truck, dressed in a sleeveless denim shirt with matching blue jeans and an exposed midriff that was visibly lean and ripped.
"What did you think all them saddles and boots was about?" Peck, 36, teased in the caption.
The post included a second snap, this one showing Peck sitting on the pickup's tailgate and swinging his boot-shod feet. His large biceps stood out more clearly in the second shot, and his hands - bare in the first photo - were now swallowed by a pair of large brown work gloves.
More of Peck's face was left uncovered by the hat, making the flesh-toned mask easier to discern.
Even so, fans were ecstatic.
"this feels illegal i feel dangerous and reckless," one person posted, while another compared the images to "seeing a Victorian ankle".
Cheered a third, "Everyone look he's naked!!! 😍"
The photos, posted on March 31, appeared just a couple of days ahead of a Rolling Stone report that revealed the star's plans for a major tour which, RS detailed, will commence "on May 28 in North Carolina, before making stops in Atlanta, Columbus, Chicago, Toronto, St. Louis, and Los Angeles.
"He'll bring numerous other artists on the road with him," RS went on to note, "including The War and Treaty, Gold Star, and Nikki Lane."
Peck had stepped back from touring for a time "to focus on myself," he told the music magazine, "and even though it was a difficult decision at the time, I'm so happy I did.
"I feel healthier and happier than I've ever felt in my life," Peck went on to say, "and I cannot wait to get back on the road."
If that phrase sounds familiar, it might be because Peck and Willie Nelson - for whom the song "On the Road Again" was a major hit - are slated to work together "on a cover of Ned Sublette's queer-coded track, 'Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other'," RS relayed, before recalling that "Nelson previously covered it in 2006."
"It was his initial idea for us to do the song together," Peck told RS, "and I will forever be grateful for his support.
"As an artist who has sometimes felt excluded from the Country music industry, once Willie Nelson wants to work with you, there's really nothing the country world can say after that," Peck added.
As for being in the legend's presence, Peck said, "You'd think he would make you starstruck because he is such a legend, but he just emanates joy."
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
