Slipknot

VIOLENT MUSIC. It’s an interesting concept: music that displays an “uncontrolled, strong, rough force” or “injurious or destructive force” – using the definition of “violent” in our trusty Webster’s dictionary.

Slipknot should definitely rule this empire. The Iowa-bred group’s music could be the motivational tape for an ax-wielding Jack Nicholson in “The Shining” or an alternate soundtrack behind the ultra-violence of Malcolm McDowell in “A Clockwork Orange.”

Just talking with the band’s lead screamer, 26-year-old Corey Taylor, conveys a sense of the group’s head-butting attitude. “One of the reasons we started doing this, man, is because we were so fed up with just the lame-ass, pulseless bullshit that is out there,” he told POLLSTAR. “I mean, we’ve seen so many of our heroes just go to shit that we’re like, ‘Man, I’m not feeling anything now. So let’s do our own music that just vibes the shit out of us.'”

Slipknot’s music is also vibing its fans, who have pushed total sales of the group’s self-titled debut past the 300,000 mark. But while nationwide tours with OZZfest and Coal Chamber undoubtedly contributed to the album’s growing success, the band takes pride in maintaining its underground status.

“We are a band that is very proud of the fact that kids have found us on their own,” he said. “We’re not splashed all over Satan’s television. We don’t have like big, pull-out, stupid interviews in Rolling Stone or anything. It’s something that was very underground to begin with and people have found us by just word of mouth.”

Music aside, there are many aspects of Slipknot that combine to form one of today’s most unique touring acts.

“First of all,” Taylor pointed out, “you’ve got to realize, if you’ve never been to Iowa that it’s a very different place for the fact that it has the second highest concentration of old people in the country. And growing up in that kind of environment, there’s not a lot of choices to go for. It’s like going to a buffet where everything’s made out of green beans.”

Growing up in the state “had a lot of influence on us,” he admitted. “You develop a real strong personality – at least the survivors do. … Everybody in this band is a complete f*cking individual. And it shows.”

Slipknot’s visual style is a cross between a B-grade slasher flick and the local oil-changing garage: Each member sports red coveralls and dons a different mask, such as a clown’s face or a gas mask. “We got so sick of pretty-boy idiots,” Taylor explained. “We started going, ‘Man, how can these bands be about their hairdos and their latest shirt that they picked up on Santa Monica Boulevard?’ So we were just like, ‘F*ck our faces, man.'”

The idea went beyond the band’s appearance. “We wanted to unify the look … and we were like, ‘You know what? F*ck our names, too. Here’s our number. Deal with it. If you don’t like it, I’m going to give you my bar code, too.'”

Each of Slipknot’s nine members goes by a single digit from 0 through 8, said Taylor, aka 8. The numbers, the visuals and the aggressive sound contribute to defining Slipknot and communicating its outlook on the music industry. “It’s basically what music has turned into; it’s turned into fodder that I wouldn’t give to my worst enemy. I just can’t feel music anymore and that’s very depressing because music used to be, I mean, even the oldest music was about emotion,” he said.

5, samples
7, guitar
8, vocals
3, percussion

Well, fans can find plenty of emotion in the group’s music and its shows. “We used to have saws on each side of the stage and shoot sparks over the crowd,” he said. “We might bring it back later on. And I remember in Dallas on the Coal Chamber tour, it was the last time we threw a keg into the audience.”

Other past concert antics: “When we come up onstage, we’d walk through the crowd and shove everybody out of the way and basically start a riot right off the bat. During the song ‘Tattered & Torn,’ when we used to do it live, the clown would go down into the audience, he’d find the biggest guy possible and just wrestle him to the ground.”

Slipknot launched an eastern U.S. and Canada outing this month and heads to Japan, Australia and Europe during the next two months. “I don’t know if anybody else has bragged about Canadian shows, but Canadian kids, man, are out of their minds. We played in Ontario and I thought the whole place was going to cave in,” Taylor said. “I mean, they were just off the hook. So I can’t even imagine what Japan is going to be like.”

With the group’s fanbase continually growing, Slipknot has a word of warning to other bands. “Here’s the deal: Friend or foe, the double aught is the year of the Knot. And we’re coming for your jugular and if you don’t like it, get the f*ck behind us because if you believe in what we believe in, you’ll be right next to us when we push through and kill the evil demon that is bullshit music.” Kick ass.

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