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Slipknot crept into mainstream renown like burglars.
The Grammys nodded, but the VMAs didnt blink until 2008.
You gravitated because you related.
Slipknots third album, 2003sVol.
Despite the crucible of upheaval and loss that forged them,HopeandGrayboth debuted at No.
The bands following stuck.
This week, Slipknot begins a new chapter with its sixth album,We Are Not Your Kind.
A Liars Funeral offsets its acoustic-guitar and piano melodies with guttural growls throughout the chorus.
June marked the 20th anniversary of the release ofSlipknot.
Back then, did you see this thing lasting that long?
We were like, Were gonna do one and done.
Were gonna Sex Pistols it and say fuck it.
And then we gave in to selfishness and decided to keep going.
I wasnt sure that this could be sustained for that long.
Im pleasantly surprised that I was wrong.
Like Ive said in the past, nobodys more surprised by our success than we are.
You do the work, you get paid.
We split merch equally.
We split live equally.
We do everything equally.
And if were all working toward the same thing, then it just all makes sense.
Were always taking care of each other.
So we take care of each other.
Obviously, losing Paul, we had to have somebody step in there.
Parting ways with Joey was tough, but Jay [Weinberg] more than adequately has fucking done that.
The less I say about Chris, the better, lets put it that way.
But the creative core of the band is still there.
You get two of the best guitar players in the world, Jim and Mick.
And one of the most creative minds ever with Clown.
So it was never a matter of this wasnt gonna happen.
Is there anything you would do differently, in retrospect, over the past 20 years?Oh man.
Theres so many fucking things, but its all from my standpoint.
As far as the band goes, though, I think it had to be this way.
Obviously, I would want Paul back.
So its almost bittersweet.
But from a professional point of view, musically, no.
I think we had to take those steps to get here.
Listening to this album more and more feels like the natural progression from an album likeIowaandVol.
Its got the creativity and exploration ofVol 3., and yet its got the abandon and ferocity ofIowa.
Its harsh but catchy.
This band, as frenetic as the tension can be sometimes, is actually very collaborative as well.
As weve gotten older, that collaboration has actually gotten easier.
The communications been easier, at least from my standpoint.
I am usually a very stubborn person when it comes to going with what Im feeling first.
I know the chorus from Nero Forte was something that I was stuck on.
Everything else was written and exactly what I wanted it to be, lyrically and attack-wise and energy-wise.
I just couldnt find that hook.
So I give Clown a lot of credit for that.
If not for anything, then just for the fucking love of music.
And that whatsWe Are Not Your Kindis.
Its noble to stand up and say, Lets do something else.Thats the thing.
Everything is dialed to ten right now.
Thats how they control us, by keeping us fractured and compartmentalized.
And yet were playing right into the fucking politicians pockets.
How do you stay positive in that climate?
Youve written a lot about depression.
I found myself again in a time where I was so fucking lost.
I didnt really know who I was.
Im actually a pretty fucking cool person.
Im reconnecting with friends, people who had been extricated from my life.
Another reason that Im a lot happier is my family right now, from my fiancee to my kids.
I rediscovered the life that I had been wanting in the first place, and its been great.
So its taken time.
There was a lot of damage that was done, but Im getting there.
[Laughs]
Yeah, you had Stone Sour going before Slipknot.Absolutely.
After my spinal surgery, I had to take a lot of time off.
I gained a lot of weight.
I was out of shape.
Adding that to the depression didnt do me any fucking favors.
And then the surgeries on my knees definitely set me a little bit back.
As long as the spirits there, youre still gonna put on a good show.
But am I 27 anymore?
Fuck no, and Im so glad Im not, because Id probably fucking kill myself out there.
At the same time, its not the same band.
Its not the same audience.
Its not the same message.
Im not trying to set myself on fire anymore.
Im not trying to fucking kill myself anywhere.
Its a different time, but its the same fire.
You learn, over time, how to take care of yourself.
I mean,look at the fucking Stones.
Those guys are in their 70s.
If I could be half of that, Ill be all right.
You quit smoking afterThe Gray Chapter, right?Yeah.
[Stone Sours]Hydrogradwas actually the first album I made without smoking.
But this is the first Slipknot album.
Am I imagining things, or did it open up your range?It absolutely did.
It seems like youre using your upper register more.Its crazy.
Im getting a lot of my range back.
I used to have a really high range.
Even though I quit drinking, continuing to smoke the way I did fucked it all up.
It destroyed my lung capacity.
But Ive gone about five years without smoking now, and you might definitely feel the difference.
I get pissed now because Im like, Fuck, I wish Id done this 10 years ago.
Like, whats it gonna sound like in five more years?
Honestly, its one of the things that keeps me from even touching cigarettes anymore.
I can consistently sing longer and harder than I could, even when I was younger.
Its definitely kept the tonality and the strength in my voice.
So I keep telling singers, Dude, do yourself a fucking favor.
Get rid of that shit because the difference is fucking night and day.
Hows this tour treating you so far?The audiences have been fucking packed and screaming their tits off.
Our band is playing killer.
The funny thing is thats just the tip of the iceberg.
Everyone from SoundCloud rappers to a couple of country artists … Ed Sheeran.
The fans get it, and thats why youre still where you are.
Knowing that you inspired them to do something bigger than themselves, thats the whole point of this band.
