Slipknot Part 4 - In conclusion. /or not...

Slipknot - 1995

Aaaaand... Here is THE story...


So there we were, all sitting in the lounge watching the Slipknot: (sic)nesses DVD (which is of their live performance at the Download Festival in 2009) when I asked the question: “Why is Corey not wearing a jump-suite?” Being the geeks that we are, this opened a can of worms... After a debate which took all of 20 minutes, I remember The Monger made the comment: “It’s because they don’t have to anymore”.
The Drummer said it’s because “they’ve matured”. Simple enough answer, but with some far reaching implications...

The Drummers comment has since come to be the consensus; well, in my circle of friends anyway. We all agreed that with the ‘evolution’ of the band, they don’t need to express themselves through costumes anymore. I agree. But only to a certain extent...

To my mind, and judging from quotes by the band, Slipknot was founded on the belief that it’s not about the individuals, but all about the music. A commendable viewpoint on the matter, and one I can easily find reconciliation with. But why then the absence of the ‘uniform’ in later appearances? The masks have evolved, the jump-suites too, Paul and others even took to wearing a neck tie with their costumes. They ARE individuals, who dress similarly (well, used to, at least), and who come together and make it work as a whole.

But my questions still beg to be answered... Why is Corey not in a jump-suite? Where have the super-chaotic on stage performances gone? Where are the days of matching jump-suites, where no one knew who the hell was behind those grotesque masks, when they were called on by numbers, [in essence] when they were true to their roots?
I hope I’m wrong, and I hope I’m proven so, but my explanation is that the individual is slowly starting to creep through...

[I’ve touched on an issue here, and I believe I may be out of my depth, but please allow me to give my opinion...]

Corey Taylor & Joey Jordison
Unmasked

Murderdolls

Whether you concede to this or not, there is no denying that Corey Taylor and Joey Jordison have enjoyed way more lime-light than any of the other members. With Corey heading up a very active Stone Sour, and Joey involved with not only some of the biggest names in Rock & Metal, but also heavily involved in his side-project Murderdolls – is it the dawn of the individual within Slipknot?

Stone Sour

There is some evidence that points in that direction. Drawing near the end of the show, Corey says: “Joey, let’s take them home...” [or something to that effect]. Silly and perhaps even trivial, but he still referred to Jordison (or #2, if you prefer) by his first name. That was unheard of during the time of the 1st and 2nd albums.

Look, I’m no moron, and I’m not clinging to some sort of diluted hope that Slipknot will never change, quite the contrary...
All Hope Is Gone is my favourite Slipknot album. And it is my favourite because it is their most melodic album to date. That’s just what I like most. So, what I’m saying is that I’m a fan of the changes they’ve gone through. But I wonder if they have not perhaps “Sold-Out?”.

Metallica was accused of this with their so-called Black album, in 1991. Any hardcore ‘Tallica fan will tell you that they have an earlier favourite album, mine is Master of Puppets. Did Metallica sell out when they went more main-stream and commercial? What does that mean anyway?

When a band becomes more and more popular, and more and more kids buy and listen to their albums, does that mean they sold out? When they make music videos that are played on MTV, does that mean they’ve sold out? When they take on Napster, to get back what is rightfully theirs, is that selling out? Or does that mean ‘they only in it for the money’? Granted, it’s a very thin line, but to my mind, it’s not wrong. "If you’re good at something, never do it for free!" - The Joker. Consider that it is their livelihood, just like you expect to get paid at the end of the month for sending out a few emails, balancing the books, meeting with clients, or packing bags in a grocery store – shouldn’t their creativity be rewarded? And if that makes them millions and millions of Dollars a year, so what? They’ve created that song, and it would never have existed if it wasn’t for the creative individual who’s face is splashed on your TV during the Bud Light commercial at half-time. (Or on the side of a fried chicken box, if you think more locally).

Point is, Slipknot has mellowed out. There is no doubt about that. They are not as aggressive on stage or in the studio, they have lost the ‘anonymity’ they had to “...place the focus on the music...”. The doubt only exists in why...
Have they become old men, and don’t have the energy anymore? Is it drugs? Is it because they have become almost complacent and over-confident in their position as “Kings-of-the-hill? Who really knows? Maybe I’m over-analyzing? Whatever the reason, I just hope the new album will answer some of these questions before Slipknot falls away into oblivion.

So pray my friends! Pray to whatever deity you fancy, cross your fingers, tie a yellow ribbon around an Oak tree, throw your old shoes over a telephone line, do whatever you can to help get the new album out of the Slipknot studio and onto the shelves.

Amen.

\m/