Labelled as an "icon of the alt-metal world", and a "reluctant pin-up boy", Patton reacted strangely to his fame. According to a 2002 article from "East Bay Express": "Patton's undeniably striking, with piercing Italian good looks and that inexplicable aura shared by first crushes, high-profile criminals, and celebrities ... And he's definitely, well, a little weird." The newspaper singled out his "straight-up devilish grin" and opined that Patton "seems to always be wrestling with some sort of suppressed "Guido"" through his different fashion styles through the years. In 2003, "The Age" noted he has a "jittery, high-pitched lilt" when interviewed, deemed him "opinionated" as well as prone to swearing and laughing heartily. Writer D.B. Fishman compared his career and image with those of actor and author Crispin Glover.