Slipknot Featured on BBC Program About Artists in Masks

It’s comforting to know that Slipknot are still lunatics. And I’m not talking about jumping off of stage risers or destroying hotel rooms, I’m talking about personal ethos and the things they think in their private moments. The band does unstable better than anyone.

Case in point, BBC 2 is featuring the band on an episode of Artsnight, their arts and culture show. The subject is Artists In Masks, on which Slipknot are obviously weathered experts. It includes and unmasked interview with Corey Taylor and Shawn Crahan, which you can see below. To give you a taste of what’s being covered, though, here’s Taylor:

“The mask, for me, has always been that physical representation of the person inside me who just never had a voice. It allows me to be me. I mean, that’s what it’s all about. You talk about that representation of the person on the inside. I’m showing you more than I’ve ever revealed.

“Everyone who wears a mask, embrace it, because you’re not being somebody else; you’re being yourself. And the closer you can get to that middle, to getting to know that honesty, is better for everybody, because then you can actually be yourself.”

This is what I mean. You can call Slipknot a bunch of nu-metal douches or whatever, but imagine you came home one day and your son, or girlfriend, or roommate was wearing a mask, and when you asked about it they gave you that answer. Immediately, you’re a little worried, or at the least put off. If they go on to get arrested for doing something unspeakable, you’ll think, Well, he/she got really into a fucking mask lately. So, I’m pleased there’s still a metal band out there which is basically a gang of Michael Myerses.

You can watch the interview below. The episode airs tonight at 11pm on BBC 2, so if you’ve got a premium cable package, look into it.