Heavy metal outfit Slipknot is one of the most recognizable bands of their time. Though they have been active since their formation in 1995, there are still some things that most people don’t know about the band. Here, we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Slipknot.
Number Fifteen: They Refer to Their Fans as Maggots
Drummer Joey Jordison was the first to coin the term. He started using it when he observed fans “feeding off the music.”
Number Fourteen: Paul Gray Defended the Clown Masks Until the End
Gray, who died in 2010, was a huge proponent of Slipknot’s clown masks. He said, “You can only stare at a clown mask so long. After a few minutes it’s no big deal anymore. So people start paying attention to the music instead of what the clown is doing, or what he is wearing, or how cool his spiky hair is.”
Number Thirteen: Shaun Crahan Liked Smelling Crows
Crahan would keep a dead crow in a jar behind his drum kit while he played. He apparently did this to keep the hardcore vibe going throughout the show.
Number Twelve: They Did Not Wash Their Masks on Tour
The band infamously refused to wash their clown masks throughout the course of their tour so they could carry the “spirit” of the tour with them wherever they went. The masks would have sweat, spit and sometimes vomit on them.
Number Eleven: Sid Wilson Was Not Afraid of Fire
In its younger days, Slipknot’s Sid Wilson liked to make a name for himself by going up in flames – literally. He would set himself on fire during live shows.
Number Ten: There Have Been a Lot of Members
Since its inception in 1995, there have been 13 members of Slipknot in total. One member even dressed as a baby.
Number Nine: Shawn Crahan Wears Gloves to Meet Fans
Shawn “The Clown” Crahan started wearing surgical gloves to meets fans after he began noticing how dirty some fans could be. Apparently, the other band members thought that was rude of him, but his gloves would get so dirty that he felt his behavior was justified.
Number Eight: Sid Wilson Broke Both of His Heels at a Show
At the first night of the Mayhem Festival, Wilson broke both of his heels. Apparently, he was in such excruciating pain that he could barely perform.
Number Seven: Corey Taylor Threw Some Shots
While recording Iowa, Taylor went to the Rainbow Bar & Grill and saw one of his heroes being generally unpleasant and terrible. He started throwing shot glasses at him because he was so upset – and drunk. He was asked to leave and nearly got banned for life.
Number Six: One Slipknot Member Had a Weird Threesome
Though it has never been made clear which member this happened to, Corey Taylor said that “a person in the band” had a threesome involving two girls peeing on him. Not only that, but the rest of the band and crew were there to watch it.
Number Five: Some Fans Were More Hardcore Than They Were
Though we mentioned the dead crow in a jar that the band members would smell during their shows, some fan members were so hardcore that they asked to see the crow. And they would eat it.
Number Four: Crahan May Have Signed a Heart
It’s true. In the band’s earlier days, Crahan said that one female fan brought him an animal heart and asked him to sign it.
Number Three: But He Didn’t Sing That Femur
Another female fan once brought a decaying femur for the band to sign. They were touring in a foreign country where gravedigging was easier to do than in the United States.
Number Two: Some of Their Lyrics Were Based on a Video Game
Not very much information is available about Slipknot’s first album, Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. But what is known is that most of their lyrics for this album were actually based on a video game called Werewolf: The Apocalypse.
Number One: Mick Thompson Loves Cats
Though Thompson can come off as quite intimidating. He has admitted that he is a cat lover at heart.