Interview:
fingers: So how long has Slipknot been together as a band?
Corey: The band got together like four years ago. I joined like 2 and a half years ago.
9fingers: So they had a different singer?
Corey: Yeah. A different singer and a dfferent lineup. It's been pretty crazy. I've known these guys since we
were kids. I saw it develop, I saw this whole thing start. I always said that I would join this band. "I'm gonna be the fucking
singer for this band, I don't give a fuck." It's really interesting to see how it all came to this. From 7 guys who wanted
to do something terrible and different in Des Moines, Iowa 'cause there was nothing going on, to 9 guys who are doing something
so fucking real that people can't relate to it. Your basic show business pubes. Nobody gets us. The only people that understand
us are the kids.
9fingers: You said there were 7 guys when the band first started, what was the line-up change?
Corey: When the band first started out, there were 2 guitarists, a bass player, sampler, drummer, and 2 percussionists.
One of the percussionists was also the singer at the time (Shawn). Back then it wasn't as unified as it is now. They all kind
of wore costumes, but nothing like each-other's. The clown was the one that started wearing coveralls. They were these dirty,
nasty painter's coveralls that were just trashed. When I joined the band that was the time things started to change over.
I was wearing a priest's outfit and I was wearing a mask similar to the one I have now. I used to have dreadlocks that would
pull through the mask. Then I shaved my head, cuz my dreads were so tight that it was causing me serious health problems.
9fingers: Lack of sleep?
Corey: Yeah, I couldn't sleep at all, I was only getting like 5 hours of sleep a month, and it was really affecting
my singing. So one day, I was staring into the mirror and shaved all my hair off and stuck it in my mask. So yeah, that's
my real hair!
9fingers: So you toured Ozzfest before the album came out and created a huge buzz that has helped to boost your
album sales and get the name out there. How'd you feel about Ozzfest? Your first official tour?
Corey: The album came out July 29 and we had been out on Ozzfest for a little over a month. It totally helped
the band out. You'd be amazed though, we had fans in every city. Cause we passed out a shit-load of 2 song sampler tapes (Spit
it Out\Surfacing). We get e-mails from fans all over the country, and word started to spread before Ozzfest even started.
People wanna say that it was Ozzfest that broke us, but Ozzfest was what gave us the opportunity to play in from of all these
kids who had heard about us. We really appreciated the opportunity to play. What a great fucking way to come out man. We were
playing with some of our gods here, like Black Sabbath, Slayer, and Primus.
9fingers: Any tour plans lined up?
Corey: Right now we're finishing this leg of the Coal Chamber tour. Then we'll have lke 5 or 6 days off. Then
it's out to Vegas for the 2nd leg of the tour. After that, I'm flying home to be with my grandmother. She's not doing too
good right now. I knew something like this was gonna happen while I was on the road. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be alive.
I've been sober for like 10 years from drugs. When I was 15 years old, and strung out, I O.D.'d twice on cocaine. knew that
if I didn't get out of the place that I was in that I would fucking die. It's like that moment of clarity that you have, where
you know what you have to do. And the environment around you is not gonna help you, and you have to take care of that. That's
when I moved in with my grandmother. She had to deal with a 15-year-old prick that didn't know shit, but thought he knew everything.
Now I'm 25 years old and I still don't know shit, but at least I can admit it. I owe my grandmother everything, and right
now, I can't be with her, and right now, I'm just losing my mind.
9fingers: If you don't mind me asking, what's wrong wth your grandmother?
Corey: About the end of Ozzfest, her heartbeat started to beat irregular. They got her on medication. I flew
home after Ozzfest to see if everything was OK. Apparently, the medication isn't working. So she's got to go to the hospital
and they're gonna have to shock her. So all this is fucking my head up. So after this tour, I'm flying home to make sure she's
OK, and I'm hoping that nothing happens until I get there.
9fingers: Fuck man, I'm sorry to hear that. I don't want you to have to dwell on this right now...so, next question.
Are there any songs that you recorded that didn't appear on the album?
Corey: There's a digipak version of the album that has four extra songs on it. "Me Inside", "Get this", and two
demo songs.
9fingers: Before you signed with RoadRunner, were there other labels that were trying to get you guys to sign
with them?
Corey: Yeah, there were probably like 5 other labels.
9fingers: How did you get to that point, where you attracted the label attention?
Corey: It's one part working your ass off, and the other part is knowing who you know. You make contacts and
you stay with them. RoadRunner's been around since about a year after the band first started. Monte Conner came out and saw
the band and was like "Come back and see me in a year." A year later, I'm in the band. Then like Mercury Records, 550 Records,
and Epic Records came and checked us out and they would freak out. We actually had a deal signed with Epic, signed and ready.
Vince Bonham, I will never forget the prick-ass-bastard's name, comes and sees us in Las Vegas. We throw down in Vegas, we
fucking destroyed. Vince, who's like 50 year old, says that "If this is the future of music, then I don't wanna be alive."
We looked at him and were like "Guess what, we are the future of music and we want you dead, so fuck off." He got out Epic
deal scrapped. But it all worked out, because the guy who was signing us to Epic is now our manager, Steve Richards. Everything
happens for a reason. We keep everyone that believes in us.
9fingers: Ok Corey, thanks for the interview. Was there anything that you wanted to add? Anything you want to
tell the people?
Corey: Don't take any shit! If you start taking shit for the things that you believe in, then you'll buy into
the fact that it's wrong. You're gonna live someone else's life. Stay true to who you are and stay true to the things you
wanna do. You will move a thousand times faster and farther in life instead of letting someone tell you what you do is wrong.
It's fucking bullshit, it's all bullshit. It's just one more way of them controlling you. Just look them in the face and scream
the chorus to "Surfacing" -- Fuck it all, fuck this world, fuck everything that you stand for. Don't belong, don't exist,
don't give a shit, don't ever judge me. Don't you fucking judge me.
