Corey Taylor connected with the clown for a lengthy exchange that felt more like a late night conversation on the tour bus than an installment of a podcast. The kinship as friends, collaborators, and brothers nurtured a visit between the two that ensured no pretense; no filters.
Naturally starting out with discussing Taylor’s solo debut, clown began by prefacing a very poignant talking point. clown referred to Taylor as his favorite singer in his favorite band before segueing into the idea of an evolving creative identity - particularly for Taylor, what propels him to constantly create such a cache of material that there was a need to go solo.
Taylor would go onto explain there was a bit of reluctance in exploring a solo effort, in part because he was able to satisfy his creative itch through Slipknot and Stone Sour but also that focusing on himself only felt right if it was part of a collective.
In recent years, Taylor was coming to terms with the reality that some of the music he had written over the years just wasn’t a proper fit for the existing creative outlets he had helped to create. The jovial, celebratory, over-the-top kind of rock n roll that had been marinating with Taylor for a long time, ultimately needed their own vessel.
The loaded portion of the conversation seemingly revolved around the idea of fan expectation and how evolving as an artist would understandably mean venturing outside of familiar confines. Both clown and Taylor would agree that exploring other avenues are not about distancing from previous projects but rather about adding to the dynamic of the artist’s own identity.
Taking a break from the heavy stuff, clown and Corey shifted gears and started in on their cinematic preferences. It was revealed that Taylor has yet to see Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. Citing his distaste for films that take liberties with history, Taylor reiterated his love for Tarantino, but referenced flicks like Inglorious Basterds and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood as examples of movies that attempt to rewrite history - something Corey just doesn’t get.
clown begged to differ.
The two did find common ground however when it came to the AMC series, Breaking Bad. While both admitted an initial reluctance in diving into the show, they both have finally come around. In fact, clown was emotionally invested in the show so much, he finally convinced Taylor to watch it. At just the first season in, Taylor had to agree that the hype in this case, was definitely deserved.
The latter third of the talk returned to Taylor’s new record and a unique dissection that included clown’s favorite selections from the album. Taylor would guess correctly that “Silverfish” would appeal to clown’s sensibilities however, “Samantha’s Gone” was actually the standout for him. Citing the song’s embrace of classic songwriting, clown would double down on that by including the track “Everyone Dies On My Birthday” as another favorite, drawing parallels to the likes of Tom Petty.
Punctuating their time, clown asked Taylor what he was looking to get out of releasing the solo project. Taylor would explain that the end goal is simply to have fun. Taking nothing away from the fulfillment he gets out of Slipknot and Stone Sour, the solo project only adds another outlet to dig into creatively; another canvas to in the collection.
Listen to the complete conversation with clown and Corey Taylor on the latest episode of The Electric Theater.
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