Slipknot shows have always been chaotic, but a recent interview with turntablist Sid Wilson has revealed that during their formative era, the band often pushed things a little far for their own safety.
Speaking with Revolver, Wilson shared that he once head-butted Slipknot percussionist and bandleader Shawn 'Clown' Crahan six times to prove that he was just crazy enough to be worthy of joining the band. The head-butting took place during a rendition of the song Tattered and Torn during which Clown had a tendency to go out into the crowd and engage in all sorts of carnage with fans while they chanted "kill me" and as far as Wilson is concerned, Clown had it coming.
"He would go out in the crowd and wrestle with kids, tie them up with microphone cords and drag them across the floor.
"So he would go into the crowd every show — I didn't know this, I'd never seen the show before. And I can see him looking at me through the mask, and he starts this 'Kill me' [chant], and I see him coming out from behind this drum, and I could just sense it."
"I was like, 'He's coming for me. He wants to prove to me that they're crazy — and I am fucking nuts.' So, I'm like, 'It's on.' And I just start running and I start leapfrogging people, grabbing their shoulders and just jumping over. And then I'm crawling across the top of the crowd. And I get up there and he was getting ready to take one step off the stage. He looked down to get his placement, and he looks up and I'm right there.”
"I grab him and I headbutt him six times. Bam, bam, bam. And I'm coming in for the seventh one and he pushes me away, falls down and crawls back to Joey, and he goes, 'I don't give a shit what anybody says — that guy's in the band."
As far as initiation stories go, it's hard to imagine many others matching Sid's for badassery. As for whether he chooses to teach his new son and namesake Sidney the way of the head-butt, remains to be seen.
Slipknot recently shared a surprise new standalone single Bone Church. Streaming now via all digital outlets, Bone Church arrived with an M. Shawn ‘clown’ Crahan-directed video piece titled Yen – Director’s Cut (Bone Church), which finds the multidisciplinary artist, founding member and receiver of Sid's head-butts refreshing footage from the band’s Yen music video.
Speaking about the new track, Clown offers insight into how Bone Church came to be.
"On the road, we have a “jam room” set up backstage at every show, where we play, practice, warm up and sometimes try out new ideas. Bone Church started life in a jam room on the.5: The Gray Chapter tour. We’ve been bringing it closer and closer to life ever since, and finally, here it is. This one is for the fans - a further vision deeper into Slipknot’s history, which is still being written. Enjoy.”
Next month Australian audiences will get the chance to see Sid, Clown and their Slipknot bandmates orchestrating chaos when the first-ever Knotfest Australia tour kicks off in March. The Brisbane and Melbourne legs of the festival have sold out, with tickets for the Sydney event running low. Knotfest Australia will see Slipknot headline a lineup completed by Parkway Drive, Megadeth, Trivium, Northlane, Amon Amarth, In Flames, Knocked Loose, Spiritbox, Story Of The Year, Alpha Wolf, Void Of Vision, Bad Omens and Malevolence.
The three-date run of Knotfest Australia will also be Australian maggot's first opportunity to hear tracks from Slipknot's seventh full-length album The End, So Far performed live.
Produced collaboratively by Joe Baressi (Queens Of The Stone Age, Soundgarden, Avenged Sevenfold, Parkway Drive) and Slipknot, The End ,So Far is the follow-up to Slipknot’s 2019 album We Are Not Your Kind which marked the band’s third consecutive #1 on the ARIA album chart.
To celebrate the widely anticipated release we caught up with Slipknot bass player, Alessandro 'V-Man' Venturella for a discussion about all things The End, So Far, if you haven't already, head on over and give it a read.
Shop for Slipknot Merch
Listen To The End, So Far
