SLIPKNOT’s CLOWN On His New Mask: ‘I Just Did A Version Of O.G. Look’

For SLIPKNOT’s ongoing “Here Comes The Pain” tour, the bandmembers band adopted a classic look, bringing back the 1999 red jumpsuits and elements of their early masks into their modern versions, tying into the fact that SLIPKNOT is celebrating its 25th anniversary. But, as percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan explained to Rolling Stone, he and the other “O.G.s” met before the tour to figure out the look and decided that the way they numbered their coveralls in the past wouldn’t work since four musicians have joined the band after SLIPKNOT came out.”They’re in SLIPKNOT, but I’m not interested in giving numbers,” Crahan told the magazine. “That was 25 years ago. So yes, these coveralls are different, different company. They’re tailored. Back in ’98, those were just bought off the shelf and then silk-screened or screen printed. The old coveralls had a barcode on the back, barcode over the heart, number on the left shoulder, tribal ‘S’ on the right side, and that’s where we were. It was real simple. It was all uniform and everybody was in it. This time, we did armbands that say ’25’ for 25 years. On my coveralls, I reinvented another tribal S.”Regarding how he and the other members wanted to present their individual masks, Crahan said: “We agreed that we would do takeoffs on our masks because I refuse to be what I was 25 years ago because that’s a fucking lie. I’m not interested in reliving something I absolutely cannot be. So we agreed, ‘Let’s all take our own artistic expressions to evolve the coveralls in a manner that suits you and then do a spin on your mask.”I just did a version of O.G. look,” he continued. “I’m not into orange hair anymore. The orange hair was fake to begin with, and I could roll like that in ’98. I had that mentality, but I’m not rolling anything fake. It’s got to be as authentic to me at this age and what I do.”Produced by Live Nation, the “Here Comes The Pain” tour’s highlights include New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles’s Intuit Dome, Austin’s Moody Center and more with direct support from Kentucky’s young and vibrant hardcore/metal forerunners KNOCKED LOOSE. ORBIT CULTURE and VENDED are confirmed as support on select dates.SLIPKNOT’s self-titled album arrived in 1999 via Roadrunner Records and was eventually certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA). Although it is considered by many to be SLIPKNOT’s official debut, it was preceded by the independently released “Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.” in 1996, an effort which was recorded prior to singer Corey Taylor’s addition to the band.Back in 2011, readers of the British metal magazine Metal Hammer voted “Slipknot” the best debut of the past 25 years. Over 16,000 fans voted in Metal Hammer’s special 25th-anniversary poll, with “Slipknot” managing to grab almost a third of all votes cast, beating off competition from the likes of GUNS N’ ROSES, KORN, MACHINE HEAD and PANTERA.