Guesting in the Mythical Kitchen opposite host Josh Scherer, Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor sat at the table for the Last Meal series.
Confronting the very matter-of-fact reality that "we all need to eat and we are all going to die," Taylor pulled up a chair for what would be his last meal before moving on from this world for what would be an especially personal dinner conversation.
With spread that included a decadent country-fried steak, a tray of nachos and a silver dollar pancake finale, the feast served as a foundation for an exchange that found Taylor keeping it real about his life, legacy and the kind of awareness he has in confronting his own mortality.
HUNGER AND THE EARLY DAYS OF SLIPKNOT
From humble beginnings, Taylor revisited the early days of Slipknot and recalled how the band's insurmountable odds proved no match for the kind of hunger that propelled them to such great heights. From the band's early Ozzfest days to the lore of Taylor's onstage antics - the frontman painted a vivid picture of what it was like for nine guys to converge as one weapon despite the unlikeliness of it all.
Taylor could recall to the day the first time he saw Slipknot as a spectator and distinctly remembered coming to the certainty that he would be the vocalist for the band - a feeling he never felt before and has not felt since.
THE MAN IN THE MIRROR
Taylor expressed sincere emotion in confiding a recent period of reckoning that forced him to reevaluate his life. Navigating professional success and balancing that with personal fulfillment, Taylor discussed confronting himself and owning up to taking people in his life for granted. Rather than allowing ego to get the better of him, he made the decision to better himself, express gratitude to those who matter most and credited his wife Alicia with being a personal inspiration.
Taking inventory of the trauma in his past and how that has shaped his outlook, Taylor confided how it's taken consistent work and three therapists to get to a much better place - one that allows him to focus on gratitude and connection rather than resentment and isolation.
THE DUALITY OF FRONTING SLIPKNOT
Taylor also spoke candidly about getting to a better place personally seems at odds with the visceral experience that is a live Slipknot show. The frontman shared how he has found a healthy means of revisiting the darkest places that inspired such cathartic music, but how stepping offstage and removing that mask allows him to compartmentalize those emotions. Going through a pre and post show regimen that works prayer and meditation into the fold, Taylor is better able to connect with those emotions, rather than be consumed by them.
LOVE ONES LOST AND TAYLOR'S MOUNT RUSHMORE OF HEAVY
Touching on legacy and even the metaphysical, Taylor spoke about the magical energy of people like Joey Jordison and Paul Gray. He expressed that he hopes that energy they put nout into world is still circulating, explaining that they deserve that.
Finishing his time with a plate of silver dollar pancakes and a rich combination of peanut butter and maple syrup, Taylor was asked give his Mount Rushmore of Heavy. Speaking surely, Taylor was quick to credit the greats including Metallica, Slayer, Black Sabbath and Motley Crue as the pillars of heft.
