Slipknot’s Corey Taylor Calls the Death of Joey Jordison “A Damn Tragedy”
Slipknot singer Corey Taylor has spoken in detail about the death of Joey Jordison for the first time since the drummer passed away this summer.
Jordison, who co-founded Slipknot in 1995 and played drums in the band through 2013, died on July 26. He was only 46 years old. No cause of death has been publicly revealed.
Upon learning of Jordison’s death, Slipknot and its members blacked out all their social media channels in his honor. They released a video tribute several days later. But until now, there have not been any lengthy statements from or interviews with the band’s individual members regarding the drummer’s passing.
That changed this Tuesday, September 21, when, speaking to SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk, Taylor commented:
“It’s been tough, man. Our first concern was obviously his family, so we reached out immediately to make sure that they were okay, to let them know if they needed anything from us, they could absolutely ask.”
The vocalist continued:
“It’s a damn tragedy. He was way too young, and he was way too talented to lose him like this.
“I know a lot of people wonder about the circumstances that led to him not being in the band anymore, and it’s, like, we’re not gonna talk about that, because I’d rather talk about his legacy, which is that he helped create this band that we all have fought to keep out there and keep going.
“Just the fact that he’s not here now, it’s still — I still can’t believe it.”
Jordison played on Slipknot’s first four albums, beginning with their self-titled effort in 1999 and ending with All Hope is Gone in 2008. He was widely respected as one of the top drummers in metal and was universally beloved by fans.
He also played guitar in the Murderdolls, and after his time in Slipknot he played drums in Sinsaenum, Vimic and Scar the Martyr.
In August, the surviving members of Sinsaenum released a statement in which they said that “Joey also had his demons, and nothing hurts more than knowing that we did everything in our power to help and couldn’t get through to him.”
Jordison said in 2016 that he was suffering from a rare neurological disorder that made it difficult for him to play drums, claiming the band fired him as a result of it. He stated in 2017 that “I would never have quit Slipknot, ever.” In a 2014 interview, frontman Corey Taylor declined to elaborate on why Jordison was let go from the band, but said “it was one of the hardest decisions we ever made.”
Taylor son, Vended frontman Griffin Taylor, recently said of Jordison:
“I really didn’t know Joey that well, ’cause I was way too young to even process what Slipknot was or even process what my dad did for a living or any of the other members,. So, people harped for me when I continued posting my bullshit on my Instagram [after Joey’s death]. They weren’t pissed, but some individuals were, like, ‘You should probably go consult your dad.’ And I was, like, ‘I did do that. And I’m not gonna tell you what he said. Because that would be very rude and also start some bullshit. So I don’t wanna do that.’ People were just, like, ‘You should be having a moment of silence.’ And I’m, like, ‘I did the black screen. I just didn’t know him.’ Not to disrespect him — he was a really good dude, and R.I.P. and all that shit, but I just didn’t know him. I haven’t seen him in years, honestly.”
The elder Taylor, meanwhile, recently debuted a new Slipknot mask, which you can catch live on the following tour dates:
Sep. 25 – Des Moines, IA – National Balloon Classic Field (Knotfest Iowa) [tickets]
Sep. 28 – Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre [tickets]
Sep. 29 – Milwaukee, WI – American Family Insurance Amphitheater [tickets]
Oct. 01 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center [tickets]
Oct. 02 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre [tickets]
Oct. 03 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater [tickets]
Oct. 05 – Syracuse, NY – Lakeview Amphitheater – Syracuse [tickets]
Oct. 08 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center [tickets]
Oct. 09 – Hartford, CT – XFINITY Theatre [tickets]
Oct. 10 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center [tickets]
Oct. 12 – Camden, NJ – BB&T Pavilion [tickets]
Oct. 13 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live [tickets]
Oct. 15 – Burgettstown, PA – S&T Bank Music Park [tickets]
Oct. 17 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion [tickets]
Oct. 19 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre [tickets]
Oct. 20 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre [tickets]
Oct. 22 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek [tickets]
Oct. 23 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre [tickets]
Oct. 24 – Pelham, AL – Oak Mountain Amphitheatre [tickets]
Oct. 26 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP [tickets]
Oct. 28 – Del Valle, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater [tickets]
Oct. 29 – The Woodlands, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (no Code Orange) [tickets]
Oct. 30 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion [tickets]
Nov. 01 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater [tickets]
Nov. 02 – Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Pavilion [tickets]
Nov. 05 – Los Angeles, CA — Banc of California Stadium (Knotfest Los Angeles)
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