Corey Taylor says Slipknot fans are blaming him for the band’s dismissal of drummer Joey Jordison.
And though he insists he isn’t to blame for all the decisions taken, he accepts it as part of the territory of being the main man in one of the world’s biggest bands.
Taylor tells XFM: “That’s the burden of being the frontman. But I’m not the boss. Trust me. It’s very much a committee. I help make decisions, but I don’t make. But that’s the perception.
“I’m a big boy. I can take it. I have a Hello Kitty pillow that I cry into every night. But that’s not the point. It keeps me humble. It keeps me where I need to be. You just kind of have to take it and roll with it. People dog me now, but they’ll love me later, and it’s just the way it’s always been.”
Taylor adds that Slipknot fans are as hardcore as the band they follow and sometimes that devotion leads to dark places.
He says: “It’ll definitely make you sleep on your side of the bed, man. It’s pretty ridiculous. You stay as far away from the windows as possible. It gets weird with our fans, man. I mean, it’s got to the point where there’s almost, like, a Twin Peaks vibe to it.
“At one point there was a whole message board dedicated to measuring the forehead of one of the models in The Negative One video. I promise, this is true. And I’m reading this, going, ‘Wow!’
“I love it, though. I love it. I think it’s great. Because, again, I’ve always said I’d rather have people talking about me, whether it’s negative or positive, than not talking at all. Because as long as your name’s in that conversation, it’s carrying on the legacy.
“And trust me, I’m one of the most hated dudes right now. You have no idea. The stuff that’s coming out of some of these people’s mouths. If I took any of it seriously, I wouldn’t be on the mic with you right now, I’d be curled up in a foetal position on my bed, sucking on my own thumb, because it’s ridiculous.”
Slipknot released their fifth album .5: The Gray Chapter this week. The band will team up with Korn for a 10-date UK and Ireland tour in January. A video teasing the tour has been released.
