Slipknot were “scavenging for food” on first tour, Corey Taylor says

Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor talked about the band’s rough beginning 20 years ago on their first tour and how that differs from their massive success today. 

Taylor spoke with Full Metal Jackie about how they used to have to scavenge for food on their first tour in 1999. 

Read more: Charles Manson actor discusses playing serial killer in back-to-back roles

“None of us are as young as we used to be. I can remember waking up every morning and scavenging for food,” he said. “We lived off of cans of tuna fish and a giant bag of goldfish crackers that someone had just left in our bus. I mean, it was the size of a pillow – so we lived off of that for about a month.”

“We didn’t care about being tired (and) we didn’t care about the travel, we didn’t care about anything other than doing it,” Taylor continued. “(Slipknot) had waited our whole lives for this shot and when the opportunity came, we knew that it didn’t stop with that. We had to earn it all, and that’s still the way it is to this day. That work ethic will always be the same, as long as this band is this band. That’s something I’m very proud of.”

Slipknot is gearing up to drop We Are Not Your Kind in a little more than a week. 

Taylor also spoke about the importance of the band’s next album. He offered insight on the brotherhood mentality of the band, their platform, and the importance of diversity in their tour lineup. 

He also discussed the album’s intended use as a continued platform on combating divisiveness.

“‘We Are Not Your Kind’ is me kind of putting my foot down as far as the divisiveness not only just the culture right now but the world at large. Everyone is so at odds with each other. Everyone is so quick to look at each other as an enemy without trying to find common ground. For our kids, for our fans, that can really be a stressful, daunting, dangerous time. It’s very dangerous for people to be different these days. I will not have it. I grew up different.

Read more: Slipknot fans speculate new member’s identity after autograph surfaces

I know the pain of having to deal with being treated differently and for me, it’s one of those rare cases where I actually use my position in life to make a stand and say, ‘Guess what? It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, what you look like, what color your skin is, who you love, what you believe — we are a family because of this love for music that we have.’

And ‘We Are Not Your Kind’ represents that gathering of people together and then turning our backs towards the rest of the world and saying ‘We’re not going to let your illness, your hate, permeate us. We are not your kind. You will never be ours.’”

Slipknot’s album We Are Not Your Kind debuts Aug. 9 via Roadrunner records. You can pre-order your copy here. They’ve already dropped “Unsainted” and “Solway Firth” from it, which you can see below. 

Also, they are currently on their Knotfest Roadshow tour. Tickets for that are on sale here. You can check out the full list of tour dates below.

Dates:

08/01 – Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
08/03 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
08/04 – Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
08/06 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
08/08 – Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Bank Arena
08/10 – Des Moines, IA @ Iowa State Fairgrounds*
08/11 – Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
08/12 – Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
08/14 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
08/16 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
08/17 – Bonner Springs, KS @ Providence Medical Center Amphitheater
08/18 – Maryland Heights, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
08/20 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage

08/21 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
08/23 – Burgettstown, PA @ KeyBank Pavilion
08/24 – Scranton, PA @ The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
08/25 – Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater
08/27 – Mansfield, MA @ The Xfinity Center
08/28 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
08/30 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
08/31 – Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion

09/01 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
09/03 – Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
09/04 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
09/06 – Austin, TX @ Austin360 Amphitheater at Circuit of The Americas
09/07 – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
09/08 – The Woodlands, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman

More Slipknot news

Facebook just added some on-brand camera filters for fans of Slipknot and Guns N’ Roses that we are completely obsessed with. 

For Slipknot, the filters are pretty obvious — users can superimpose the band’s masks onto your face. However, that doesn’t make them just as cool as they are. 

As for Guns N’ Roses, the filter completely transforms you into a caricature of each of the members based on the cover of Appetite For Destruction. 

You can check out the masks in action below. 

You can use the Slipknot filters here and the GNR ones here

What do you think about Slipknot discussing their tough beginnings? Sound off in the comments down below!

See more: 16 memorable band photos

[envira-gallery id=”186668″]