CLEARWATER, Fla. — Local metalhead Rickey Ray Reynolds asked officers if he could change into his favorite Morbid Angel t-shirt before his mugshot was taken after being arrested for public intoxication, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest late Saturday night, police records report.
“It’s not every day you get a professional photo taken that’s going to be plastered all over the newspapers. Every time I was arrested before this I was either shirtless or my shirt got shredded in the scuffle,” said Reynolds, brushing out his long hair in the cramped police station’s booking area. “This time I am going to make it count. I want to showcase my real self and make sure my mugshot screams ‘metal’ and not some poser that got arrested for tax evasion or some shit. After all, how often do you get a chance to immortalize yourself in the pages of history with your favorite band shirt?!”
Sargent Rick Copeland, Reynolds’ arresting officer, remarked on the peculiar request.
“Honestly, I’ve never seen someone so excited about getting their mugshot and I live in Florida,” Copeland said after driving Reynolds to his apartment to retrieve the shirt. “He kept talking about how Morbid Angel might see the photo and be impressed. We actually indulged him because this was his third strike, so he won’t be getting another mugshot taken for quite some time. But now he’s taking forever because he can’t decide between his ‘Blessed Are the Sick’ album shirt or his ‘American Heretic’ Tour shirt.”
Dr. Ellen Fairfax, a fashion expert and connoisseur of personal expression, weighed in on the importance of incorporating personality into one’s attire.
“It’s crucial to infuse your fashion choices with your personality, especially when others will be scrutinizing the outcome – no matter how dire the situation,” Dr. Fairfax explained. “Everyone remembers David Bowie’s glamorously chic mugshot from 1976, no one even remembers why he was arrested. Reynolds’ decision to rock a Morbid Angel shirt in his mugshot is a bold statement. In the realm of personal branding, even a mugshot can be an opportunity to express yourself.”
As of press time, Reynolds had managed to sneak his beloved Morbid Angel shirt into prison and now wears it under his orange coveralls.