Slipknot’s Tortilla Man: Identity Confirmed in New Video Footage?
Over the summer, the identity of the new Slipknot percussionist — affectionately dubbed “Tortilla Man” by fans for his mask’s appearance — was seemingly pieced together by some internet sleuths who picked up on a number of publicly available clues after Jim Root unwittingly gave away a hint in an interview. New video footage that’s surfaced lends credence to that theory, which posited that Tortilla Man is Michael Pfaff, who plays keyboards in Shawn “Clown” Crahan’s side project, Dirty Little Rabbits.
Two pieces of fan-filmed video collected by the YouTube channel Slipknot News show Slipknot arriving at the airports in Mexico in Costa Rica, and it’s clear that Pfaff is traveling with the band alongside Corey Taylor and other band members. Both of those clips are comped together in the video at the bottom of this post.
While it’s entirely possible Pfaff is traveling with the band in some other capacity (drum tech, for instance), given this summer’s revelations that seems unlikely. Corey Taylor previously said “none of [the Tortilla Man theories] have been right so far,” but he also said, “Even if somebody gets it right, we’re not gonna confirm it.” So the mystery will likely carry on.
Pfaff (or not Pfaff, depending who you believe) replaced longtime percussionist Chris Fehn, who remains embroiled in a lawsuit against the band after being kicked out earlier this year.
The speculation that Tortilla Man might be Pfaff began when Jim Root told an interview that “The guy is a world-class pianist.” Numerous folks then noted that Tortilla Man has similar stage mannerisms as Pfaff, and one Reddit user noticed that Pfaff’s wife is following the #tortillaman hashtag on Instagram.
Slipknot were scheduled to perform at their own Knotfest event in Mexico this past weekend, but their appearance was canceled after a barricade broke and rioters set fire to the stage. The band’s Latin American tour continues with a show tomorrow in Costa Rica and one on Friday, December 6, in Colombia.
Slipknot will tour the U.K. and Europe this winter, Asia in the spring and already have one U.S. date on the books for next summer.
You can watch the video showing Pfaff arriving in Mexico and Costa Rica underneath the tour dates below.
Jan. 14 – Dublin, Ireland @ 3Arena [Tickets]
Jan. 16 – Manchester, U.K. @ Manchester Arena [Tickets]
Jan. 17 – Newcastle, U.K. @ Utilita Arena [Tickets]
Jan. 18 – Glasgow, U.K. @ SSE Hydro [Tickets]
Jan. 20 – Sheffield, U.K. @ Flydsa Arena [Tickets]
Jan. 21 – Nottingham, U.K. @ Motorpoint Arena [Tickets]
Jan. 22 – Cardiff, U.K. @ Motorpoint Arena [Tickets]
Jan. 24 – Birmingham, Arena, U.K. [Tickets]
Jan. 25 – London, U.K. @ The O2 [Tickets]
Jan. 28 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome [Tickets]
Jan. 29 – Frankfurt, Germany @ Festhalle [Tickets]
Jan. 30 – Paris, France @ AccorHotels Arena [Tickets]
Feb. 01 – Luxembourg, Luxembourg @ Rockhal [Tickets]
Feb. 02 – Lyon, France @ Halle Tony Garnier [Tickets]
Feb. 04 – Budapest, Hungary @ Sportarena [Tickets]
Feb. 06 – Lodz, Poland @ Atlas Arena [Tickets]
Feb. 08 – Stuttgart, Germany @ Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle [Tickets]
Feb. 09 – Munich, Germany @ Olympiahalle [Tickets]
Feb. 11 – Milan, Italy @ Mediolanum Forum [Tickets]
Feb. 12 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Hallenstadion [Tickets]
Feb. 14 – Vienna, Austria @ Stadthalle [Tickets]
Feb. 16 – Hamburg, Germany @ Barclaycard Arena [Tickets]
Feb. 17 – Berlin, Germany @ Mercedes-Benz Arena [Tickets]
Feb. 18 – Dortmund, Germany @ Westfalenhalle [Tickets]
Feb. 20 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Royal Arena [Tickets]
Feb. 21 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Ericsson Globe [Tickets]
Feb. 22 – Oslo, Norway @ Telenor Arena [Tickets]
Feb. 24 – Helsinki, Finland @ Hartwall Arena [Tickets]
Mar 20 – Tokyo, Japan @ Knotfest [Tickets]
Mar 21 – Tokyo, Japan @ Knotfest [Tickets]
Mar 24 – Singapore @ Singapore Rock Fest [Tickets]
Mar 27 – Jakarta, Indonesia @ Hammersonic Festival [Tickets]
Mar 29 – Manila, Philippines @ Amoranto Stadium [Tickets]
May 16 – Columbus, OH @ Sonic Temple [Tickets]
