Corey Taylor on His New Slipknot Mask: “I Wanted It To Feel Like It Was Something That Was Created In Someone’s Basement”
Are you tired of reading about Slipknot yet? I sure hope not, because we’ve still got more than two months to go before the band’s new album is out. So buckle in!
The latest: speaking to Kerrang! about his new mask, which was unveiled last week along with the band’s new single “Unsainted,” Corey spoke about how he feels he’s been made into a villain recently — a reaction to his fans rejecting his online persona, I suppose? — and how that inspired the design of his new mask with acclaimed special effects artist Tom Savini. Says the Great One:
“I’m reminded that even though you want the best for people, sometimes you’ll get the worst. I’ve been kind of made to feel like a villain, in a weird way. Which is fine. It was inevitable, and it doesn’t really bother me much. But, for a little bit, it did. I’ve always tried to be a good father, be a good man, be a good person. I went through some shit a few years ago, and in that time a lot of people had a reversal of opinion on who I was. Maybe it was because they were tired of hearing my name (laughs), which is so fucking true – even I get to the point where I’m tired of hearing my own fucking name.
“I said, ‘Okay, if you want a villain, you’ll get a fucking villain.’ My vision was about trying to create something uncomfortable – not only for me to wear, but for people to look at. I wanted it to feel like it was something that was created in someone’s basement – something that was made specifically to fuck with people. It’s the representation of public opinion turning on a dime – they want to tear people down for the way they live, even if they don’t really know them. It’s been liberating to embrace that side and be like, ‘Fuck you. I really don’t give a shit what you think about me, so here’s this!’”
I don’t think of Corey as a villain — on the contrary, he seems to be a very swell fella — but I certainly do find his new mask unsettling. It’s like an extremely sad badger took over his face, and that badger is screaming its guts out at you.
For some action shots of Corey’s new mask, check out the live footage of Slipknot on Jimmy Kimmel Live last week.
You can see Corey and his new mask on tour this summer. After hitting the European festival circuit, the band will tour North America with Volbeat, Gojira and Behemoth. Dates:
Fri Jul 26 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre [TICKETS]
Sat Jul 27 – San Bernardino, CA – San Manuel Amphitheater [TICKETS]
Thu Aug 1 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre [TICKETS]
Sat Aug 3 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater [TICKETS]
Sun Aug 4 – Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Pavilion [TICKETS]
Tue Aug 6 – Denver, CO – Pepsi Center [TICKETS]
Thu Aug 8 – Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena [TICKETS]
Sat Aug 10 – Des Moines, IA – Iowa State Fairgrounds* [TICKETS]
Sun Aug 11 – Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre [TICKETS]
Mon Aug 12 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre [TICKETS]
Wed Aug 14 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater [TICKETS]
Fri Aug 16 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center [TICKETS]
Sat Aug 17 – Bonner Springs, KS – Providence Medical Center Amphitheater [TICKETS]
Sun Aug 18 – Maryland Heights, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre [TICKETS]
Tue Aug 20 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage [TICKETS]
Wed Aug 21 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center [TICKETS]
Fri Aug 23 – Burgettstown, PA – KeyBank Pavilion [TICKETS]
Sat Aug 24 – Scranton, PA – The Pavilion at Montage Mountain [TICKETS]
Sun Aug 25 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater [TICKETS]
Tue Aug 27 – Mansfield, MA – The Xfinity Center [TICKETS]
Wed Aug 28 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater [TICKETS]
Fri Aug 30 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center [TICKETS]
Sat Aug 31 – Camden, NJ – BB&T Pavilion [TICKETS]
Sun Sep 1 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live [TICKETS]
Tue Sep 3 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre [TICKETS]
Wed Sep 4 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre [TICKETS]
Fri Sep 6 – Austin, TX – Austin360 Amphitheater at Circuit of The Americas [TICKETS]
Sat Sep 7 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion [TICKETS]
Sun Sep 8 – The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman [TICKETS]
*Iowa State Fair – Slipknot & Gojira only
