The reflection presented by the percussionist takes place during the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the American band’s debut album
It is common for successful artists, when interviewed, to guarantee that they have no regrets in their career. It’s not like that M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan: the leading percussionist and conceptualist of Sliding knot He was honest about past hurts.
In an interview with Kerrang! Regarding the 25th anniversary of the band’s debut album, the musician stressed that his only remorse related to the group concerns its former members. He emphasizes that he would have liked to spend more time with the bassist Paolo Grigiothe drummer Joey Jordisonalso percussionist Chris Fehn and the keyboard player Craig Jones.
The first two have already left us. Gray died in May 2010, at age 38, of a morphine and fentanyl overdose. Jordison died in July 2021, aged 46 – the cause was not specified. The bassist was still part of the group when he left, while the drummer had not been part of the group since 2013, when, depending on the version, he “left” or “was fired”. The other two are still with us, but left in 2019 (Fehn) and 2023 (Jones).
Clown says:
“I don’t know how I can talk about 25 years of that first album without mentioning Joey and Paul, or even Chris and Craig. The sadness is great. I really have no regrets other than not spending more time with those guys.”
On the other hand, the percussionist recognizes that he would not have been able to predict, even in 1999, what the future would be like: from good times to bad. He points out:
“You don’t start a band by looking at your brother and thinking, ‘Dude, you’re going to be the best drummer ever!’. It’s more like, ‘Dude, wake up, we have an event in the store today!’ You’re chasing a dream, then you live the dream, then all of a sudden someone leaves and it’s like, “what the hell.”
Joey Jordison and Paul Gray remembered
Also during the interview, Clown reiterated that the year 2024 – during which Slipknot toured to celebrate the aforementioned 25th anniversary of their debut album – was marked by constant memories of Paul Gray and Joey Jordison . He reflected:
“Joey and Paul come to me every night lately, at least in my energy, and I go into a tunnel of thoughts. It’s a completely spiritual memory and it’s wonderful. I spend a lot of time thinking, ‘thank you!’.”
Despite this, the show must go on. Despite the defeats, Slipknot have moved forward and now also have a Brazilian, Eloy Casagrandeon the battery. Regarding the new phase, Crahan states:
“Our legacy is that we’re still here. We’re not talking about a dead band. I’m more proud that we’re still here. We’re still doing this. We’re still writing. We’re still playing shows. We’re still thriving. We’re still together. And we’ll carry on until at that time. There’s never been anything like Slipknot, before or since.”
Slipknot in 2025
With their commemorative tour, Slipknot performed more than 40 shows throughout 2024, with visits to Europe and North and South America. The itinerary included two shows at the festival Knotfest Brazilheld on October 19th and 20th at Allianz Parque, in Sao Paulo.
The 2025 agenda includes presentations in Oceania (between February and March) and Europe (June). In interviews, the musicians also said that they are composing and recording new material, the first sessions will be with Eloy Casagrande. There is no release date yet.
+++ READ MORE: From heat to vomit, what Slipknot shows were like in the beginning
+++ READ MORE: How Slipknot got hate from other bands during their first big tour
+++ READ MORE: Why did Slipknot choose Eloy Casagrande as their drummer? Corey Taylor responds
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
