Shawn ‘clown’ Crahan of Slipknot sat opposite venerated producer Rick Rubin as the latest luminary to guest on the podcast, Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin. Spanning nearly two hours, the in-depth discussion touched on a myriad of talking points, delving into clown’s upbringing, his journey of discovery with regards to music and art and an evident appreciation for the company that he has kept and the community he has built throughout his career.
More stream of consciousness than linear storyline, clown was quick to offer his praise of important people in his life like Paul Gray and Joey Jordison. He spoke of both with a sense of appreciation and reverence - confiding how Paul told him he would “change the look of metal” and recalling how the Los Angeles transplant shared everything from Slayer to Rage Against the Machine with clown as reference material.
clown also reflected on his time with Joey Jordison, showing an obvious appreciation for his talent, impact and lasting influence not only on the culture, but from a personal vantage point - a connection the two share forever.
The Slipknot visionary explained how music had always been core to his creative DNA. Raised on a diet of everything from Monterey Pop Festival to Jimi Hendrix to The Beatles, clown gushed about the significance of the latter referring to John Lennon as his superhero.
As for the genesis of Slipknot and what ultimately lead clown to discover his path, he pinpoints the moment to his elementary years and a chance introduction to one singular album cover - Dynasty from KISS. “The Silver got me. The Black got me. And there I was just staring at Gene Simmons.” Not even familiar with the music at the time, clown’s wiring for aesthetic, combined with the presentation of the Knights in Satan’s Service, was enough to alter his course.
Fast forward in the conversation and clown recalled blowing off his senior finals to catch Pink Floyd perform A Momentary Lapse of Reason in Cedar Falls.
From The Beatles, to KISS and bands like The Who, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, clown connected the dots in the discussion by referencing the greats in molding what he always wanted for Slipknot - the kind of cinematic scope that comes with a complete presentation. Among the details that resonated with clown from an early age, he emphasized how Pink Floyd always synchronized the start of the set with the sunset - noting that level of detail always stayed with him.
The discussion touched on the lightning in bottle Slipknot managed to capture with songs like “Spit It Out” and the first song the core collective wrote in “(sic)”. clown emphasized how the basement nurtured a turning point for the band upon the completion of the original version of “Spit It Out”. While the band would go onto record a few different versions at different tempos, the version that ultimately changed the culture forever is the one the guys constructed in basement in Des Moines. A testament to the fortitude and innovation of Slipknot from the start, the song is a moment in time and something clown confided, “it’s never been better than that.”
Rubin inquired about the early days of Slipknot and the band’s first shows as the entity fans know today. clown spoke of the thriving Des Moines heavy music scene, the venue he acquired through sweat equity to ensure the band had a home base and the sense of ownership that Slipknot had of the stage from the onset - such much in fact that the band put Iowa on the map with their explosive, volatile live shows.
clown would divulge some of the grief that he has endured along the way - again referencing the loss of Paul Gray and Joey Jordison. In recalling both his own origin story and that of Slipknot, it is impossible to understate how vital both members were. clown shared, “I’m not important, but it’s real. The web I’m in, the voltage we have let out in the form of frequency, electricity, and the loss and the love. It’s real in a way that hurts. And people die, but like, why do I deserve to be here...”
The exchange also elaborated on clown’s mixed media approach to art outside of Slipknot, his deep-dive into coding with the alternate Minecraft universe of Vernearth, his journey of fatherhood and even how Slipknot has gone from cult to pop-culture with names like Rihanna and Lady Gaga offering their praise. Pairing the intellectuals and artistic renegades, the latest episode of Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin is vital for Slipknot fans and even those that have yet to enter the band’s ever-growing orbit.
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