In a new conversation with Matt Sweeney, Jim Root explained why writing songs for Corey Taylor is difficult.
“When I write an arrangement, I have to kind of guess what Corey or whoever I’m writing the song for or with would do vocally,” the guitarist said. “Or I think, ‘This is what he’s gonna do. Here’s an epic part for him to sing on,’ and then he’ll write scratch lyrics to it, and he won’t even be singing on this part. I’m, like, ‘That’s the epic part of the song for you to shine on, and you haven’t even sang on it.'”
Root added, “So if I give Corey something that came out of my head that’s like a five-minute arrangement and I’ve taken the time to layer guitars, put bass on it, and program the drums and keyboards to thicken it up, and it sounds like a song to me, he might be hearing something that I have as, let’s say, a pre-chorus, he might be hearing that as part of a verse, for the way he thinks about music.”
“But that’s how the evolution of our music can go. Then he’ll give it back to me, and I’ll be, like, ‘Okay, wait a minute. You’re looking at it that way, so maybe I need to rearrange how I’m thinking about this song,'” Jim further explained.
In 2021, Root again reflected on his writing process on Instagram. He wrote, “A quick break from guitar posts. This is what it looks like when I try to force inspiration. Some ideas are okay some are crap and I can’t tell the difference. So I grab every guitar or bass or synth I have close by and just go. I’ll finish an arrangement even if I don’t feel it’s worth a sh*t.”
He continued, “It’s also a pretty good representation of my brain. A million things everywhere that I can’t sort through. This helps. And I really need to get my sh*t together and make a proper studio. Sitting on a drum throne in front of an iMac for hours isn’t ideal. Anyway. Blah blah. Some insight.”
In an August chat, Taylor and Clown talked about making new music with their new drummer, Eloy Casagrande. They think Eloy is a natural songwriter and will bring new ideas to the band. Clown said they plan to start writing between 2025 and mid-2026. They might go to the studio later in 2025, but they are not in a hurry.
