The Clown is the oldest member of Slipknot. His full name is Michael Shawn Crahan.
An only child, his first band were called Mofidius.
Crahan formed a band called The Pale Ones in 1993, with bassist Paul Gray. They would change their name to Slipknot.
He made is acting debut in the 2012 film The Devil’s Carnival. He played the role of The Tamer, who is Satan’s enforcer in a carnival located in Hell.
Crahan made his movie directorial debut with Officer Downe, based on the graphic novel of the same title.
In 2005, he started his own label, called Big Orange Clown Records. Bur so far has released just one album, The Imbuing by Gizmachi in 2005.
Crahan is credited with coming up with the notion of calling Slipknot fans ‘maggots’.
In June 2013, he announced his next film project was to be a documentary on people with eating disorders.
In Slipknot’s early days, Crahan used to take a dead bird onstage, one he kept in a jar. At strategic points in the band’s set, he’d open the jar, put his head in and inhale the dead bird’s fumes. Sop, did other members of Slipknot. Needless to say, vomiting usually followed.
An experienced welder, Crahan actually custom built his own drum kit out of titanium.
Read the story behind the classic debut album from Slipknot
And here’s a cool chat with The Clown
