The audacity of Slipknot

(Credit: Paul Brown)

It stands to reason that a musical collective trafficking in fright masks and freakish metal has become an unlikely chart-busting phenomenon during a globalized era of terror. Slipknot has a long history of defying expectations, exploding out of the seemingly unlikely home base of Des Moines in the late ‘90s and outlasting most of their “nu-metal” peers to see their most recent effort, last year’s “All Hope Is Gone,” debut at the top spot on the Billboard album charts—even as Barack Obama’s historic presidential campaign was giving the word “hope” back some of its luster.

The irony is not lost on Slipknot singer Corey Taylor. Armed with a plugged-in knowledge of geopolitics, music and technology, he’s no masked dummy. Rather, he’s a dedicated father, proud Des Moines citizen (Slipknot recorded “All Hope is Gone” at home in Iowa) and the mouthpiece for a new generation of intelligent metalheads.

Before Slipknot’s latest headlining tour, Taylor spoke with Metromix about the importance of staying close to home, the ambiguity of hope, and bringing some spectacle (and perspective) back to rock ‘n’ roll.

Unlike some other successful Midwest bands, you’ve stayed local.
God, man, this is my home. I’ve been all around the world and I have a place in L.A., but this is my home. Iowa instilled in me a work ethic that I have never given up on, and this city has grown as we have grown. It’s a good feeling. And we’ve wanted to record in Iowa since the beginning, as far back as the “Iowa” album. Luckily, we met a friend with a studio in town, which meant we could take time, be with our families and make an album, which is why I think “All Hope is Gone” sounds as good as it does. We didn’t have to miss our families.

“All Hope Is Gone” hits number one as Obama sweeps into office on a program of…hope. Please explain.
The title has always meant something more positive than negative. The thing I have noticed over Bush’s last eight years is that people have a specific kind of hope, but hope is supposed to be an all-encompassing feeling. It is supposed to be vital, because it appeals to all of us, but people have developed a selfish hope, worrying about themselves rather than what is good for all of us.

How do these difficult times impact your work?
I see this as an entertainer, who worries about ticket sales, but also my friends. The change in the industry has been a long time coming. A lot of the blame is put on the Internet, but the point is obvious: people download because they don’t want to spend money on s---. You can put a CD on and tell in 30 seconds if it’s crap. People download because they don’t want to take the risk, which makes it hard for myself and the band, because we don’t throw an album together in a week and Auto-Tune the hell out of it. But I’m not whining; everything I have is what I have earned. I don’t have a huge house and a lot of money, but I take care of my family and friends. And I can always make music in my kitchen.

There’s always Garageband.
Garageband saved my sanity. I write so many songs, but you can only get into the studio so often. Right now, we are remodeling our new studio, which is going to be the best in Des Moines. I’m going to bring bands in and tie it to a DIY label. Studios take forever to set up, but Garageband is instant. It’s pretty funny; I’ve figured out so many lo-fi ways to write, because I’ve forgotten more songs than I have written.

Slipknot has caught flak for its theatrics, but rock has always been about spectacle.
Rock used to be an event. It used to be something that stopped people’s breath. It used to be something you lived your life by, but so many today are quick to settle. Like these Disney candy bands I hear who say they’re really into punk. I’m like, “OK, we need to have a talk.” I’ve made it my mission to play Ramones, Dead Kennedys, Buzzcocks, Clash and more for as many teenagers as I can, to really show them where punk came from. I think the industry knows that young people aren’t familiar with the history of music, so they are blatantly ripping these bands off. Who is going to do the research? So I have made it a mission to expose as many people as possible to that history. People should know where their music comes from.