PressNot Clowning AroundBy Dave DiMartino Some of little faith may not take Iowa shock-rock collective Slipknot very seriously. But behind Slipknot's masks lurk men of real substance--men who push themselves musically (both within Slipknot and via side-projects like Stone Sour and Murderdolls) and demonstrate undying loyalty to their legions of rabid fans. And those fans have displayed an equal amount of devotion, waiting patiently since 2001 for another Slipknot album and then finally racing out to buy that long-anticipated disc, Volume 3: The Subliminal Verses, in droves. Seems like Slipknot are having the last laugh now. This past Mother's Day, just before Volume 3 hit stores, LAUNCH's executive editor Dave DiMartino met up with the band's Paul Grey and Joey Jordison in San Diego, where the masked men had gathered to play a special intimate show at a club called SOMA. (In case you're wondering, yes, they did call their moms back home in Iowa to wish them a happy Mother's Day.) During their interview, Paul and Joey were quick to express their love for their music, their fans, and their mothers, proving that even guys who record songs with titles like "Pulse Of The Maggots" and "People = Sh-t" have sensitive sides. Here's what they had to say: LAUNCH: To the average person's ears, what's the most noticeable difference between the new album and previous ones? JOEY: This record, as a whole, I think, is quite a departure. We're still maintaining all the heaviness and all the integrity of what has been known as the sound of Slipknot, but the main departure is the fact that we didn't have any formulas going into it, meaning pre-conceived notions or plans. We went into this with an open mind and didn't really have any sort of idea of what we wanted to do. With the first record, we'd been playing those songs for a real long time, so we already had the direction of what we wanted to portray. With the second record, we wanted to go even heavier--the opposite of what people thought we'd actually do, which is kind of mellow out to capitalize on the success that we had on our first record. This one is our best-sounding record, as far as the audio, and I think the songwriting has really matured. We've always been good at the heavy stuff, but we've been pretty interested in going into different realms and not be scared to try different instrumentation and structures that we've never done before. And I think we really succeeded with it. LAUNCH: Very cool. What did Rick Rubin bring to the record as a producer? PAUL: I think he brought open-mindedness. Like, we went in there not knowing what we were gonna do, with a clear, open mind, and really experimented a lot and tried all kinds of different things, stuff that we hadn't done on the previous albums. I think that was kind of his vibe, you know? He would have these meetings and talk with us and try to see what we wanted to get out of this, where our strong points were or where our weaknesses were, and what we wanted to do. Rick was cool to work with...kind of a laid-back, chilled-out guy. LAUNCH: Did you produce the music fairly quickly, or was it more labored? JOEY: Well, we didn't wanna rush this time. Like I said, with the other two albums, we really knew what we wanted to do prior to going in. With this one, it was actually over a year in the making of this record. We kind of call it the "no regrets" record, because we really didn't put a deadline or a time or anything on the actual record itself. And I think that reflected a lot on the actual songs that you're talking about here, because we allowed it to flourish and to build instead of, like, settling with things. Not that we have in the past, but I think it's really easy to eventually say, "OK, that's good enough." Well, it wasn't. Nothing was good enough on this record until, like, seven months in the studio! We actually stopped at the very end of December, right before Christmas, and people were basically saying that the record was done. And we still weren't convinced, so we booked, like, another three months. LAUNCH: How did the band members' individual independent projects impact this? PAUL: Well, I don't really think the side bands have any actual influence on Slipknot. Slipknot's its own thing, and someone's other band is a completely different band, you know? I think with those other bands though, it did give everybody a break from Slipknot, so it made our songwriting and stuff, when we came back to doing this, a lot more exciting. We did take that time away from it and just kind of let it be for a while, so when we came back, everybody was really excited and had ideas flowing and everything. So, I mean, I guess that's the influence that it had on us. Just not in a musical way, but maybe on a mental state of mind. LAUNCH: Tell me about the period of getting readjusted to each other as a band, after taking a hiatus like that. PAUL: Well, it was kind of weird. We've been together for a long time, and we obviously fight like a family. We're brothers. So we'd get in really big fights, and we'd have it out. But I think that first day, we sat there, like, "Hey, what's up?" We were actually real excited about doing it. We talked about whatever little problems we'd had and got them out of the way within, like, the first hour or two. And after that, it was on. It wasn't really that big of a deal, you know what I mean? We're best friends and we've been together forever, so it was not really hard to get in there and do it again. LAUNCH: Did you have any fears about waiting so long to give your fans a new record? JOEY: It's kind of weird...we get that question a lot, like, "Aren't you worried about people moving on?" Because of kids' attention spans or whatever. I'm like, "Well, not with Slipknot fans!" They're really not like that. We're a one-of-a-kind band. Our sound is unique. Obviously, our shows are as well. And our fans are so loyal to us: Once we put the tickets on sale for our tour, we were selling out, like, within a certain amount of minutes. This whole tour has been sold-out, and the kids are still there. I mean, we could be playing bigger places, I guess, but it's really important for us to go out and show the kids that we can still play these places and reconnect with them and show them that we're not too good to come back and be able to play smaller places like this. But we really never thought about that. I think when you start thinking about things like that a little bit too much, it will have a negative effect on the music as well as your life. So we work at our own pace and we do what we do and it's always worked for us, so there's no reason for us to change or worry about it, because our fans are so loyal. We'll be there for them, just like they've always been for us. LAUNCH: Tell me how the material is being received live. Is it going the way you intended? PAUL: As the shows go on, more and more of the kids are into it and more and more are singing it, you know? Like last night, I mean, they totally knew all the words to "Duality," with the album not even being out. So it's been really cool. They've been totally blowing my mind with how they've been going over. LAUNCH: Where was the "Duality" video filmed? And what was the intent there? JOEY: That video was shot in our actual hometown of Des Moines; that location is like 10 minutes from my house. It was cool, 'cause we wanted to have the organic feel and make a video that we were finally proud of, so we wanted to bring it there... PAUL: Bring it back home. JOEY: Yeah, bring it back home instead of being in, like, L.A. or New York. There's nothing wrong with those places, but for a band like us, I mean, we're really grassroots, and everything that has happened for us was born there. So we wanted to basically have a video that shows the integrity of the band and the relationship it has with its fans. So we invited whoever wanted to come and be a part of this video, just show up. And you saw all the craziness that ensues--it's no special effects! The kids falling through ceilings, falling through glass, jumping off the roof onto the car, flying through walls...those kids are that dedicated to what we're doing. And the video directors at the end of the day are like, "I've never seen anything like that. We should do more videos in Des Moines!" PAUL: Yeah, it was crazy. It was such a crappy day too, like it was 40 degrees and raining all day and they were outside in the rain, and I mean, they stayed for 14 hours or something like that. But there was no complaining, no nothing. They were just so stoked to do it, and it was really cool to be back in Des Moines. We hadn't done anything in Des Moines for a while, we hadn't played any shows or anything. We wanted to make sure that they knew we didn't forget about them. So it was really cool to have those guys come out. LAUNCH: So your image is really identifiable. Would it be unthinkable to have totally new masks someday? JOEY: Oh, that depends on the person in the band. Most of them are just, like, extensions of what it was before, you know? It's just the way the music makes us feel, and this is the persona of my position in the band. It's just like when you see someone, and two years later, they look a little bit different. It's just like a growth process on each album. So every guy designs their own thing and comes up with exactly what they want. LAUNCH: Because you normally wear masks, to what extent can you walk around cities, without masks, and not be recognized? PAUL: We're all pretty recognized now, with the Internet and everything. When we get done with the shows, we don't go out and meet fans with this stuff on. All the kids who come out, they've all met us without the masks and stuff. So doing that over years, there's pictures all over the place. You know, it's not like we're the Rolling Stones, but we get recognized pretty well. LAUNCH: When you're writing new songs, do you ever feel restricted regarding your subject matter? JOEY: We don't really worry about that stuff too much. Again, it goes back to what I was saying earlier on one of the questions: It's kind of self-defeating when we do that, and it also would affect our music to where it would be dishonest. The same thing with the shows. We won't change for anybody. We are exactly who we are, and we just don't worry about it. LAUNCH: How do you guys deal with it when your music gets blamed for the violent acts of some deranged fan? PAUL: Well, obviously, you know, we don't condone anything like that, and it upsets us, you know? I mean, sh-t, we're human, you know? We wouldn't want anybody to go out and hurt anybody just because of our music. But you gotta realize that that person was already a little bit out there to take it that literally, or do something that literally. So we kind of gotta not let it hit too hard or, you know, it'll affect us every day. We just try to make sure people don't take things so serious, 'cause it's not supposed to be, you know, "Go out and kill somebody." We're just musicians. You know what I mean? JOEY: It's something that, even though our views can be misconstrued in the wrong ways, I think most kids know exactly what it is. You know, our music is supposed to help people; it's not a negative thing. I mean, it's entertainment as well. The way we look at our show, it's cathartic. It's very insane, but it's all about getting a better feeling at the end of the day. Like, I know that what I do helps all these kids. It's a really good feeling, you know? And again, it's a lot of it's just entertainment. People [who commit violent acts and blame Slipknot] are missing the point. Obviously, it comes from upbringing and stuff like that as well. LAUNCH: You guys have been very influential. Are you seeing bands copying you? JOEY: No, no. I think there's enough room in the world for other bands if they wanna wear masks, or whatever--the world's a big place and there's room for everybody. But the fact is we're Slipknot, and there's nobody else like us. PAUL: Yeah, right. We're the only one. LAUNCH: Who do you guys look back on as inspiration for what you're doing onstage? PAUL: Oh, there's so many things. When I was a kid, the first records I used to listen to, my older brother used to play for me, were like, Sabbath and Led Zeppelin and the Doors and the Rolling Stones and AC/DC and Kiss. You know? I loved Kiss. And I wanted to be Ace Frehley and Gene Simmons at the same time. I don't know how that was gonna work! Then it went on, and I liked a lot of punk rock stuff, like Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys and Circle Jerks and stuff like that. And then on to Slayer. Slayer is actually the reason why I bought a guitar; I went and saw Slayer on the Hell Awaits tour. I was kind of freaked out on that tour! And then I saw them the next year on the Reign In Blood tour and I was just, like, sold. I quit playing hockey and I played guitar, you know? But there are so many wide influences, like Portishead and stuff like that. LAUNCH: Do you find, as you grow and expand, that some of your music isn't "Slipknot-esque"? PAUL: No, you know what? If we write it, it's us, no matter what. The only reason we wouldn't be able to do anything is because of us holding ourselves back, you know? We're gonna mature and we're gonna evolve and the music's gonna change, and if people don't get into that or whatever, if they can't understand that, then whatever. Like I said, we have lots of different influences and lots of different ideas of what great songs are, and we just put them together and at the end of the day, it's Slipknot no matter what. LAUNCH: Is there any song on the new album indicating the direction you may want to go in the future? JOEY: One of the last songs we wrote that I think is one of the really standout tracks on the record is a song called "The Nameless." That was the last thing we wrote after came back from the break, after we already had recorded pretty much the whole album; we came back and wrote a couple more songs. That's a track that you can reference and kind of see where our direction's going. LAUNCH: What did you guys do today on Mother's Day? JOEY: I just called my mom. PAUL: Yeah, I called my mom too. JOEY: And then we're gonna go play a Mother's Day metal show! LAUNCH: How do your mothers describe to strangers what you guys do in the band? JOEY: Well, my mom will generally have a Slipknot shirt on, so... PAUL: Yeah, same with my mom. My mom uses Slipknot to get all kinds of stuff, you know? Uh, free groceries, I don't know. She just comes over to my house and raids all of my Slipknot gear and stuff, and she'll just be giving them to doctors: "Oh, you know, my doctor wants this, and so now I'll get a free visit!" So yeah, she has no problem explaining the band. |