Corey Taylor: ‘I’ve Come So Close to Walking Away’ From Slipknot
Did Corey Taylor nearly quit Slipknot at one time?
The group hasn't necessarily followed an easy path to the rock stardom it enjoys today. There were definitely some bumps along the way. In fact, there were times when the lead vocalist nearly left the band altogether, as the musician recalled in a recent interview with Kerrang! Radio.
Backstage at England's Birmingham Arena last month during Slipknot's current U.K. tour, Taylor recalled to radio host Loz Guest how he almost walked away from "The Nine" at certain times. In retrospect, however, the singer said he appreciates where the Iowa-bred outfit has landed.
"There have been moments where I've come so close to walking away from this," Taylor explained, "and I'm really glad that I didn't, to be honest. The payoff has been fantastic, especially now that we're in this really great place and we are performing at a level that is still top notch."
Looking back, the vocalist recalled a time around Slipknot's 1999 first album when, collectively, the band almost called it a day. The early exit would've emulated one of punk rock's most legendary acts.
"When we really exploded, we had serious talks about breaking up and pulling a Sex Pistols and be like, put a massive album out and then say, 'Screw you, we're outta here!'" Taylor remembered.
Moving forward with their musical endeavors, Slipknot also experienced their share of growing pains together. The group's success created a situation that the singer said lent itself to some rough times.
"There have definitely been more tense moments than good ones," Taylor said. "We're all frenetic; we all come from different backgrounds musically, environmentally, culturally. It's been tough sometimes."
He continued, "But the thing that I have noticed as we've gone on and we're still doing this; we have allowed ourselves to [recognize] how good we really are. We've allowed ourselves to step away from the stoicism that comes from being from the Midwest and we've embraced each other."
It's just only Taylor that went through the wringer. Last month, Slipknot guitarist Jim Root shared how he "put off having a family" to continue being a member. "I kind of have given my entire life to this band," Root said.
Slipknot's We Are Not Your Kind was released in August 2019. Around that time, the group embarked on a North American tour with Volbeat, Behemoth and Gojira. This summer, Slipknot will again perform throughout the U.S. and Canada with A Day to Remember, Underoath and Code Orange in tow.
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