Blues rocker Marcus King and the late Brent Hinds developed a close friendship before the tragic death of the former Mastodon guitarist, who died in a motorcycle accident last August. Known throughout his career for marching to the beat of his own drum, Brent Hinds began working closely with Marcus King in early 2025 after a highly publicized and contentious split from Mastodon. The two musicians collaborated in the studio and eventually hit the road together. One of the late guitarist’s final recorded performances recently surfaced as a guest solo on the Marcus King track “Red Door”.
During a recent appearance on the podcast hosted by Joe Rogan, Marcus King reflected on his deep bond with his fellow musician and explained the chaotic circumstances that forced him to kick Brent Hinds off a 2025 tour. The story appears to refer to a live trek where Marcus toured alongside Fiend Without A Face, the psychobilly group that featured Brent Hinds.
The conversation shifted toward the topic of heavy music when Joe Rogan expressed his appreciation for the alternative metal group Tool, noting that their 1993 track “Prison Sex” is great for weightlifting. When asked if he was familiar with the song, Marcus responded (as transcribed by theprp):
“Tool‘s a band that I never really delved into, but I know Danny Carey [Tool‘s drummer.] And I know them because of my buddy Brent Hinds. Did you ever listen to Mastodon?”
When Joe Rogan admitted that he had not, Marcus promised to share some music before detailing the messy reality of their time together on the road.
“Man, I got to send you some some choice [Mastodon] cuts, but OK. Brent was, he was the f**kin’ man. He just died back in September [Editors note: Brent Hinds died on August 20]. I took him on the road right before that, which was messy. Brent, he and Mastodon kind of had a mutual agreement that he would leave the band. So he was doing his solo thing, and like he’s one of my heroes, you know? And I was like, ‘I’ll take you out. Sure.’ And he just threw it together somehow and then I ended up having to kick him off the tour, which broke my heart, but he kind of forced my hand,” he recalled.
The tipping point for the tour occurred during a bizarre backstage incident. Marcus recalled walking outside to find a tour manager named Angela crying while being consoled by his own tour manager.
“The night in question I walked outside and he had this little tour manager named Angela, and she was crying, and my tour manager was holding her, and she was crying. I was like, ‘F**kin’ a, what happened now?’ She said, ‘I walk into the dressing room and Brent pee on the floor and I said, ‘No, no, you have to stop. So then he pee in his mouth.’ And like I know… So you just have to picture my boy just like pissing, and she’s like, ‘You have to stop.’ And then he’s like, ‘Oh’ [and then pisses right into his own mouth],” he continued.
Marcus later shared the absurd story with Matt Pike of the band Sleep during the funeral for Brent Hinds. According to Marcus King, his fellow musician simply brushed the stunt off as a “party trick”. While Marcus found humor in the situation, he acknowledged that the tour manager was deeply upset and offended, ultimately leading the touring crew to decide that the working arrangement could no longer continue.
“And at his funeral, I told Matt Pike from Sleep, I told him that story, and he was like, ‘Yeah, and?’. He’s like, ‘It’s a party trick.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, no, it’s hilarious. But it really offended her and she got very upset.’ And the whole thing just fell apart and that was what did it. I was ready to fix it, but like his whole band and crew, they were like, ‘It’s not working.'”
Regarding the underlying cause of the erratic behavior, Marcus King pointed to heavy substance use but emphasized his enduring love for his late friend.
“He was just partying a little too much, you know? And I mean, I really loved that dude like a brother, you know? I miss him. Miss him a lot… I mean, he was a true artist, you know? Like he was insane. And you got to have friends that your wife doesn’t particularly love you hanging out with, you know? There’s something about that friend.”
Hinds was a founding member of Mastodon and served as a lead guitarist and vocalist for the band for 25 years. The band’s lineup remained constant for all eight of their studio albums, from 2002’s Remission to 2021’s Hushed and Grim.
In March, the band had announced that they and Hinds had “mutually decided to part ways.” In a statement posted on March 7, Mastodon wrote: “We’re deeply proud of and beyond grateful for the music and history we’ve shared and we wish him nothing but success and happiness in his future endeavors.”
