“People are gone. Craig’s out. Chris is out, Joey’s out, Paul’s out. The band is different.” Slipknot’s Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan admits the band aren’t as “close” now as they were 25 years ago

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Slipknot percussionist Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan has said the nu metal stars aren’t as “close” as they were during their early days.

The 54-year-old, who co-founded Slipknot in 1995, confesses in the new issue of Metal Hammer that deaths and lineup changes have affected the band’s dynamic over the years. Key songwriters Paul Gray (bass) and Joey Jordison (drums) have both passed away, while long-serving members Chris Fehn (percussion) and Craig “133” Jones (samples/keys) have left the lineup.

“Brother, the band will never be like that again,” Crahan tells journalist Paul Brannigan when reflecting on 1999, the year Slipknot released their lauded debut album.

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“I can’t tell you how close we were then: we’re not that close anymore. People are gone. Craig’s out. Chris is out, Joey’s out, Paul’s out. The band is different. But, back then, there was nine guys that wanted to be in the same place, and we made it work. And we wound up here, and here is wonderful.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Crahan gives a passionate speech about how significant Gray and Jordison were to Slipknot’s development.

“I’m doing these 25-year anniversary interviews, and not a lot of human beings are asking me about them,” he says. “You can’t talk about any of this without talking about them.”

Crahan continues: “They’re greatly missed, and every day that I go through this 25-year anniversary, I miss them more, but also appreciate, love, and just acknowledge who they were to all this. It’s very important for me to say that, because these are two gentlemen that should be talking to you, and they can’t.

“Joey and Paul… Oh my God, they wrote this shit man. Number 1 and Number 2. The path changed for us after they passed, and we had to keep going, and take a new path, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t know where we came from, or ever forget what brought us here.”

Slipknot are currently touring North America to celebrate 25 years of their debut album. The band will also play a run of shows across Europe in December. See dates below.

The new issue of Hammer is a bumper celebration of Slipknot’s debut, featuring interviews with band members, the musicians they’ve inspired, and those who witnessed their start in ’90s Iowa. It also features Ozzy Osbourne, Powerwolf, Opeth, Heriot and more. Order your copy now and get it delivered directly to your door.

Slipknot 2024 tour dates:

Sep 17: Austin Moody Center, TX
Sep 18: Dallas Dos Equis Pavilion, TX
Sep 21: Des Moines Water Works Park, IA
Oct 11: Sacramento Aftershock Festival, CA
Oct 19: São Paulo Knotfest Brasil, Brazil
Nov 08: Guadalajara Calle 2, Mexico
Nov 09: Mexico City Parque Bicentenario, Mexico

Dec 05: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, Netherlands
Dec 06: Dortmund Westfalenhalle, Germany
Dec 08: Stuttgart Schleyerhalle, Germany
Dec 09: Leipzig Quarterback Immobilien Arena, Germany
Dec 11: Zurich Hallenstadion, Switzerland
Dec 12: Paris Accorhotel Arena, France
Dec 14: Leeds First Direct Arena, UK
Dec 15: Glasgow OVO Hydro, UK
Dec 17: Manchester Co-op Live Arena, UK
Dec 18: Birmingham Utilita Arena, UK
Dec 20: London O2 Arena, UK
Dec 21: London O2 Arena, UK

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Prog and Metal Hammer, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, NME, Guitar and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.