Slipknot’s masks all have different meanings and are quite fascinating. Jay Weinberg took a closer look at the stories of some of these masks in his latest interview with Loudwire while also talking about the similarity between his ‘We Are Not Your Kind’ mask and his late bandmate Paul Gray’s.
“My idea with it was to kind of take elements of this and act like there was this kind of ritualistic act of cleansing and bleaching it out,” Weinberg said, revealing the idea behind his second mask. “It definitely looks gnarlier than when it was first made. But that was the idea, kind of sharpening some elements of what this was, kind of burning away some of the burlap stuff. There’s a patch with the logo on my forehead, and I wanted to sharpen that and make it more like a carving.”
When asked whether his ‘We Are Not Your Kind’ mask was a tribute to the band’s late bassist Paul Gray, Jay Weinberg replied, “I could say it’s accurate in that it definitely took on characteristics of Paul’s old masks. [It] wasn’t intentional, but I thought that that was cool once people started to see that.”
As you may recall, Gray passed away in 2010, in a hotel, after overdosing on an array of drugs. This sad event caught his bandmates off guard and was quite difficult for them to overcome. Yet, they had to pull themselves together and move on because that’s what Jay had wanted from them. Weinberg participated in the band’s second incarnation to replace Joey Jordison.
The mask Weinberg mentioned in the interview was prepared for ‘We Are Not Your Kind.’ Although he said it was not intentionally designed as a tribute to Gray, Jay still doesn’t forget Paul’s memory. We know that Jay paid a more emotional tribute to the late bassist at the time this mask was created, albeit not through his stage persona. Before the album came out, he had left a drumstick with a note on his grave. If your eyes are already filled with tears, wait for the message on it.
“Dear Paul,” the drummer wrote. “I hope you’re proud of the music we’ve created. Your presence guides this band in spirit and sound. I think you’ll dig the new record. At least, I hope you do. All the respect and love in the world. We are not your kind. Long live the Knot – Jay.”
Weinberg has been with Slipknot since he joined in 2014. His chemistry with the band kept up pretty well. Since their paths crossed, the drummer contributed to the band’s three studio albums, ‘The End, So Far,’ being the latest one.
