Corey Taylor has recalled the moment his doctor discovered the spinal injury that required emergency treatment – and realised that it could have paralysed him.
And he’s admitted he behaved like a “fucking idiot” by ignoring the symptoms.
The Slipknot frontman had broken his neck without knowing it, and dismissed increasing movement problems as a result of getting older.
He finally underwent surgery in June, although he’s admitted he went back on the road too soon.
Taylor tells Revolver: “I was losing strength on my right side. My balance was screwed. The last two or three years have been weird for me, physically. But you get to a certain point where you think it’s just because you’re getting older.
“My doctor sent me to a specialist, and he was like, ‘We need to do surgery right now.’ Me being me, I was like, ‘Is there any way we can reschedule this for after the tour?’ He’s like, ‘No.’
“He said my spinal cord injury was 20 times worse than what he’s seen with UFC fighters. He pulled up the MRI and goes, ‘You see that? That’s really, really bad – that shouldn’t even be growing like that.’
“I was like, ‘Oh shit. You could have been paralysed, dumbass!’”
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He thinks the original injury may have been sustained when he fell off a stage in 1999 and landed on his head. “The funny thing was, I had staples in the top of my head at the time from an earlier accident where I’d walked into a cherry-picker,” he says.
“After I fell off the stage I went to the EMT to have them check on the staples – and not my neck. I was such a fucking idiot it’s just not funny.”
Slipknot are currently touring North America with Marilyn Manson.
Slipknot’s Jim Root talks overcoming anxiety issues
Slipknot tour dates 2016
Aug 02: Charlotte PNC Music Pavilion, NC
Aug 04: Maryland Heights Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, MO
Aug 05: Des Moines Wells Fargo Arena, IA
Aug 07: Denver Pepsi Center, CO
Aug 09: Salt Lake City USANA Amphitheatre, UT
Aug 11: Auburn White River Amphitheatre, WA
Aug 13: Concord Concord Pavilion, CA
Aug 14: Inglewood The Forum, CA
Aug 17: Chula Vista Sleep Train Amphitheatre, CA
Aug 19: Albuquerque Isleta Amphitheater, NM
Aug 20: Phoenix Ak-Chin Pavilion, AZ
Aug 21: Las Vegas MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, NV
Aug 25: Dallas Gexa Energy Pavilion, TX
Aug 26: Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, TX
Aug 27: Austin 360 Amphitheater, TX
Sep 25: San Manuel Ozzfest Meets Knotfest, CA
Oct 15-16: Toluca Knotfest, Mexico
Nov 05: Tokyo Knotfest, Japan
