Slipknot’s Corey Taylor Reveals How He Stops His Mask From Flying Off During Shows

I was Buckethead for Halloween one year. Not only was it hot as fuck under all that shit, but it was really hard to maintain normal mobility without losing either the mask or the bucket. Since then, I’ve often wondered how bands with elaborate costumes manage to keep all their gear intact while going apeshit on stage. Do they have to staple that shit to their heads, Harrison Ford/Indiana Jones-style?

Apparently, they do not… although, at least in the case of Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, they do have to “belt that thing on so tight it gives me a migraine” to prevent it flying off. Corey tells Kerrang!:

“It’s all about breaking it in. Once you establish the right balance between pain and pleasure, that’s when you stop realising that you’re wearing a mask and it becomes a part of the show. For me, there are two ways to wear a mask: one is for a photoshoot and the other is for a live show. For a live show, I have to belt that thing on so tight it gives me a migraine because I’m swinging my fucking head at the speed of sound and that thing can fly off at any second. I had that happen at Ozzfest 2001 in Kansas City, right in the middle of playing People = Shit. Mid-slam I feel a lot of air on my head, my eyes are closed, and there I am with my weird fuckin’ blue-blonde hair on show. I had to slowly bend down and put the mask back on. That’s when I realised I had to belt that shit on until it’s uncomfortable. We have to make our masks as durable as possible, because these things will fly off in a heartbeat.”

Well, that sure does sound unpleasant. Presumably, Corey is able to channel those migraines into his performances of the band’s many rage-filled tunes. Or maybe he just puts up with it for the money.

You can see Corey perform with a migraine while he’s on tour with Slipknot throughout 2020. Dates and tickets are here.