Imagine having to audition for Slipknot as their new drummer in place of Joey Jordison. It sounds exciting, of course, but would likely churn your stomach with nerves. So, would it have been best to just show up and get behind the kit without giving it much thought? For Jay Weinberg, he did just that.

As a guest on the Best Friends With Sam and Pura podcast, Slipknot's Weinberg recalled his experience auditioning for the vacant drum position in one of the world's biggest metal bands. “I finished school. Shortly after that I got a call to come out and audition for something," the drummer began (transcription via RockFeed). "I wasn’t told what it was gonna be, but just like… 'Can you please come out to [Los Angeles] and audition for this thing?' with no other information other than that and it was like, 'Well, yeah why wouldn’t I go check that out?' Like, what’s the worst thing that could happen? I get a free flight to L.A. or something?”

Continuing, he added, “So I just kind of followed that and it was just like, 'All right go in that room… there’s a drumset. You’re going to audition for Slipknot right now.' And that was it. Like half the band was there. We had become good friends over 16 years. They watched me grow up as a person.”

Weinberg stated that Jim Root, Mick Thomson, Corey Taylor and Shawn 'Clown' Crahan were all present at the audition. "It was like, let's toss this kid into the ring and see whatever the f--k happens with this, you know, with no expectations of what would happen," said the drummer. He had an ace in the hole, however, "because they didn’t know that I knew the band’s songs. They knew I loved the band but they didn’t really know to what extent I had studied the music.”

The skinsman also noted he was the only person to audition for the spot.

Jay's father, Max Weinberg (Bruce Springsteen), recently prasied his son's skills, telling Rolling Stone, “Jay is an unbelievable drummer. Two years in a row he’s been named the best metal drummer out there. They have very dedicated fans and their music is intense, and I like intense music. It’s complicated. I couldn’t do it. I’ve seen him up close and I don’t know how he does it. I had nothing to to do with it. He taught himself. He’ll be 27 this year and he’s just a killer drummer and a great kid.”

Where Do Slipknot Rank Among the Top 50 Hard Rock + Metal Live Acts of All Time?

You Think You Know Slipknot?

More From Noisecreep