Where are Slipknot from?

Des Moines, Iowa

When did Slipknot form?

Slipknot formed in 1995 by Shawn Crahan (percussion) and Paul Gray (bass).

Can I get "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat."?

This album released in 1996 is now out of print. Only 2,000 copies were ever made.

Joey says "Not at any point is that going to be released."

Mick says "We officially have no plans to do so. Maybe though. That's four years old, a totally different thing, we've grown a lot. Never say never though."

If you really want a copy of the album, try www.ebay.com or www.gemm.com

Why the masks and barcodes?

Mick says "Shawn, the clown, had his mask for years. Shawn put it on one day while the band was just fucking around and it was fun. Shawn put on the mask, next thing you know... all the band members started bringing in their own masks. Masks change you, allow you to be someone other than yourself. Took a chance, went fucking nuts and it worked. Wasn't a big contrived thing."

Joey says "We never put on the shit we wear to try and get people into us. We did it because, after being degraded constantly for trying to play music or do something in Des Moines, it just came to be like we were an anonymous entity. No one gave a fuck, no one cared, so we were never about our names or our faces; we're just about music. So we just put it on and it started gettin' people, and it just started to turn into this big thing. The music's the most important, though. The coveralls and masks happened, and for some reason it worked, therefore we had to kind of continue with it. We got stuck with it."

Shawn says "It's not like we're going out and trying to do this crazy-ass Kiss thing where I don't want anybody knowing who the fuck I am. But y'know I'm married and I got three kids. I'm not here to ego trip. I'm not here to get fucked up. I'm here to play music. I'm here to throw down as hard as I can. And if the fans see me out there and they recognize me, man I'll sign autographs all day long. It's for them. But it's not about what my hair looks like or what I look like or whatever. And once you come to terms with who we are as a band, like the mask I wear, the clown, once you come to terms with him, and you're all good with the clown, then you focus on the music ??d that's our whole trip, is the music, that's what it's all about."

Will the masks ever come off?

Joey says "When we play live and put out albums I see no reason why we should take them off, it's the way the band was built. I don't think the fans want to see us any other way, I think we'd be robbing the fans then."

Why are the band members numbered?

The numbers are significant and vitally important to each member. When choosing them, "Everybody fell into a number," says Shawn. "There was not one person in the band arguing over a number. It was really weird."

Corey says "I think, originally, we were just going to wear jumpsuits and have the barcodes on the back. We figured we might as well take that further and number ourselves. If we were going to be wearing the barcode anyway, we were basically saying, 'Hey, how ya doing? We're a product.' But it was more than that. It's a symbol of how far people take shit in the world today, as far as commercially."

What does 742617000027 mean?

This number is the barcode number on the Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat album, and also on the bands boiler suits.

Has Slipknot always been nine people?

No. When the band started in 1995 there were only 6. This then grew to 7, then 8, then 9.

Do all nine members play on every song?

No. Mick says "Things never get cluttered. We only use shit that fits. If there's a song in which Shawn and Chris' percussion has no place, then it's not in there."

What does "Slipknot" mean?

Mick says "No real deep meaning.. just one of those things."

Corey says "When I think of Slipknot, I think of somebody tied to a stake, and there's all this evil swarming around them. The Slipknot is what's holding them to that situation. It's kind of like our music. It holds you down and you can't escape.."

Joey says "There used to be a song called "Slipknot" from our first album, Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat, and that is the song that we always opened with. It was just simple and sounded cool and it was pretty easier to remember. Like there is no actual meaning to the name and we don't even consider what an actual "Slipknot" is.

What's going on after "Scissors"?

The guys are watching a sick porno movie where a woman is being shit on the face. They are yelling "pretend it's pudding!". Someone is puking, and everyone else is laughing at him. That is truly (sic).

Why Marlon Brando's eyes?

Mick says "That all came from a schizophrenic street person in NY. He was running around, screaming it at everyone. Though I think his choice of actor was pretty cool. He was off his shit (the schizo that is)."

Joey says "It's not necessary about Marlon Brando's eyes, it's a pivotal figure of Marlon Brando being the untouched guy that he is and eye's being such a strong word, because that song is about Corey's dad and how he doesn't know him. So we're using a figure that everyone knows to amplify the song and with California being such a big fucking state. Like we just use them as articles or examples of a picture. Like the whole motto is unless you're going to be strong enough or realize what the outcome has been in life, don't try to see something that you're not going to fucking see."

Why do People = Shit?

Joey says "I guess it just comes into the over compulsive personalities everyone has, explains Joey. When someone tries to test us we will go above and beyond to make sure you leave with some sort of distaste in your mouth. As sick as it may sound, it goes back to where we come from, why people=shit, why we sing the lyrics we do, we why are so fucking pissed off all the time."