Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan recently discussed Slipknot’s musical classification and the band’s evolution into what he describes as a cultural phenomenon. He shared his insights in an interview on Kennedy Saves the World.
The Slipknot percussionist addressed the ongoing debate about the band’s genre. He also reflected on the challenges they faced early in their career due to their large lineup.
“I always like to affectionately call it hard rock. You know, it’s metal. It’s metal for sure. Hard rock. We go all over the place. So, it’s a bit difficult to box Slipknot in,” Crahan said.
He expanded on how the band has transcended traditional musical boundaries.
“And as far as, it really isn’t a band anymore. It’s a culture. So, that’s what I set out to do and so did everybody else. It’s easy for us because we get to be, you know, a part of something that just seems like what our reality should be anyway. So, I guess we made that our reality. And so, it’s a culture and um it’s really big, you know, and it’s just… So, God music,” he continued.
Crahan also recalled the early skepticism the band faced regarding their nine-member lineup.
“I can remember joking with Joey. We would always just hysterically laugh every time a new member would join because we would say to ourselves, ‘Well, what we’re cutting our own throats,’ but it was just getting better and better and better. Because we didn’t we didn’t make anything forever. You’ll have a label look at you and say, ‘Do you need this many people?’ So, it just starts with that philosophy. And then it’s, ‘Oh, you can’t have this many people. It’s too many hotel rooms. It’s too many plane tickets. It’s too many Ubers. It’s too many Airbnb.’ Whatever, you know,” he explained.
He defended the band’s size by drawing comparisons to classical music ensembles.
“But I would always take the stand of saying, ‘You know what, you’ve never heard of an orchestra or a symphony.’ You can’t have nine gentlemen that possess different layers of musical ability to make this thing this enigma known as Slipknot. We have a sound you know that’s why I’m talking this way. We have we have a literal sound that we created,” Crahan concluded.
Crahan’s reflections on the band’s lineup challenges carry particular weight given Slipknot’s turbulent history with member changes throughout their career.
Loudwire reported that Slipknot was founded in 1995 by Crahan, Joey Jordison, and Paul Gray. The early years were marked by the most significant lineup changes. The band initially featured vocalist Anders Colsefni, who departed after Corey Taylor joined in 1997. This established a more stable foundation for the group’s future success.
Wikipedia documented that after several lineup changes in its early years, the band settled on nine members for more than a decade. This formation featured Crahan, Gray, Joey Jordison, Craig Jones, Mick Thomson, and others in what became their most recognizable lineup. This stability allowed Slipknot to develop their signature sound and build the cultural phenomenon Crahan describes.
However, the band has faced significant losses in recent years. Metal Injection noted that founding bassist Paul Gray died in 2010. Founding drummer Joey Jordison passed away in 2021, marking the end of an era for the original core members who helped establish the band’s unique identity.
The band has also dealt with other departures, including the acrimonious exit of percussionist Chris Fehn in 2019. Ultimate Classic Rock covered this development. These changes have tested the band’s resilience and ability to maintain their distinctive sound while adapting to new dynamics within the group.
