5 Guitarists You Didn’t Know Were Vegan

While for many vegans, along with activism comes spreading awareness – there are those who keep it something of a private part of their lives. Sure, they’re open to talking about it, but they don’t put their veganism as front and center as say Morrissey.

Today we’re going to celebrate five talented guitarists who decide to live a cruelty free lifestyle, courtesy of our friends at our favorite website for guitarists (with news, reviews, interviews and more), KillerGuitarRigs.com.

Weird Al Yankovic

Just about everyone knows Weird Al’s famous cover of Michael Jackson’s 80s hit “Beat It” – but if it’s an animal product, Al won’t “Eat It”.

While Al was a vegetarian for many years after a friend gave him a copy of John Robbins famous “Diet for a New America” book, he has gone “all the way” in the last few years and gone full vegan. It seems to be easier for Al as he said that being on the road as a vegetarian used to mean existing on “applesauce or toast”, but with the proliferation of vegan restaurants and even vegan options, going full vegan was finally viable.

That being said, even when he was “just” vegetarian, Al mainly lived as a vegan – other than cheating the occasional slice of cheese pizza.

Thom Yorke

Radiohead singer Thom Yorke was one of the many people who had something of an awakening after hearing Morrissey sing the anthemic “Meat Is Murder”, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that he went full vegan.

As recently as 2013, Yorke told Esquire magazine “If you’re going to be a vegetarian, you really do have to like lentils. Otherwise you’re f**ked.” – which as we all know is quite outdated.

Luckily, these days there are so many vegan options, there really is no reason not to be vegan, as Yorke has found.

Jared Leto

Hard to know if Leto is known better for being an actor or being the guitarist and singer in 30 Seconds To Mars these days, but at a recent award ceremony, Leto took time out to thank “the people who make vegan butter!”

Now closing in on 50 years of age, Leto explains that his vegan diet is what has kept him going through long tours and long nights on set making movies like Dallas Buyers Club and Suicide Squad.

“If you travel long-haul a lot or don’t sleep much, [your body’s] not going to last very long, that’s for sure. I’m pretty healthy so I think that helps a lot. I’ve been that way for a long time. Twenty solid years of eating vegetarian/vegan and taking care of myself. That probably helps the preservation process.”

Jason Mraz

Mraz is best known for his 2008 smash hit single I’m Yours, but in 2011 he realized how much better he could feel on a pure vegan diet.

Writing on his blog at the time, Mraz said he was “stronger, fitter, healthier and more productive” – a nod to a song by another vegan on this list, Radiohead’s song “Fitter, Happier, More Productive” from Ok Computer.

“I ride longer distances on my bike, can do more pull-ups than ever, and my brain seems to have a larger capacity for new projects, problem-solving, songwriting, and fielding random questions,” Mraz wrote in his blog.

After going Vegan, Mraz went on to have huge success with his album Love Is A Four Letter Word, including topping the charts with single “I Won’t Give Up” – could that be down to his vegan diet? Who’s to say!

Tim McIlrath

Rise Against have always been a band that is unafraid to shy away from political causes, but for as long as they’ve been a band, animal rights have been one of the key of issues to which they dedicate their music.

In fact, one of the band’s early videos, “Ready To Fall”, used footage of animal cruelty to make plain to their fans the reality of eating animal products.

McIlrath explained, “Images depicting animal suffering are being criminalized for a pretty simple reason; they are powerful and compelling. I’m a big believer in the fact that the animal industry relies on a lack of transparency to keep operating the way it does. Not everyone is moved by slaughterhouse footage, but a lot of people are. “Ready To Fall” was our homage to the footage that changed our lives, and also our way of sort of hijacking mainstream music culture to get this stuff out to the people we knew would be checking the video out.“

Conclusion

There’s never been a better time to go vegan, as cruelty free products are available in more and more stores, from Impossible Burgers to Truth Belts – the choice has never been easier!