The UK has been waiting over six years for a full blown Slipknot tour. Now, in January 2015, it has finally begun. As the Prepare For Hell tour, featuring Slipknot, their long time brothers in metal KoRn and newcomers King 810 rolled into Glasgow on Sunday, Rock Sins was granted the biggest interview in our five and a half year history.
Our very own Lisa Fox sat down with Slipknot percussionist Chris Fehn (aka #3) for an in-depth chat about everything from censorship to golf. Yes, that’s right, golf. Take it away Lisa and Chris….
Rock Sins: Hi how are you?
Chris Fehn: Good how are you?
Iām very well. Thank you.
Good.
First off, I know youāre an enthusiastic golfer. Have you managed to get a game in while youāre in Scotland?
Noo, its too snowy. I wanna play St Andrewās so bad.
St Andrewās has a wonderful golf course .
One day Iāll get there. Yeah. I wanna play the old course though.
Iām sure theyād let you.
Well, that would be great.
How have the first couple of European shows gone?
Amazing. Amazing. Thereās so many metal heads up here. Itās just⦠itās unbelievable. You know, they just come out in droves. We know theyāre in to it and it just makes the shows much better.
When Slipknot were starting out, Korn were the big boys in the metal world.
Yeah.
Whatās it like being on the road with them now?
Well, they were a huge part of life before I was even in Slipknot. I mean, I love that band. Iād never traveled to see bands, and I traveled to Minneapolis to see Korn, and I was blown away. The great thing is, theyāre amazing people, other than musicians. And that to me is the full package, because you never know. You meet a lot of people that are your idols and they turn out to be fucking assholes and these guys are nothing but gracious and good friends.
Is it like youāre just hanging out with your buddies?
Yeah itās great because we all go through the same thing. We all know that things donāt always go smoothly. Any band basically has all these things in common, and to have somebody that can empathise and you can talk to and they understand is huge out here.
Iāve heard that you guys are a lot calmer now than you used to be back in the day. Not just Slipknot, but Slipknot and Korn together. Is that true?
Yeah. I mean you can only burn so long you know? Then, age and responsibilities catches up a little bit. Slipknot is something that a lot of people enjoy so itās our job to make sure that we can deliver. Without having other things happen to you, that donāt need to happen.
Lets talk about the new album. The Gray Chapter has been described as dark, like the new Iowa. Was that something intentional or was it a natural progression?
Yeah it was just organic. We never go in with a plan, its never like āokay this recordās gonna be like this because we want this to be seen this way or heard this wayā. Thatās one good thing about this band; we donāt try to please. Itās just what we like when itās recorded, and we like it, then thatās just the way it is, you know? We donāt answer to anybody or any thing about it.
Custer has been getting a lot of radio play recently, but when itās they remove the swear words, do you think that impacts on the songs?
I do. I do. I hate that you know. Thereās so many songs out there that theyāll all go [sound effects] or blip, the worst is when they re-do it with a different word. Yeah. Iām just like, ācome on manā. But I guess thatās the world we live in. Even with the internet and how exposed kids are to things in this world. To me it is the least of the problems that we have. Itās the least of the problems that are going on. But thatās just…its just control,and people want control.
Plus surely youāre not gonna be listening to this station unless youāre listening for heavy music?
Right. Yeah itās beyond me yeah. I know. I donāt get it.
A lot of your music is very poetic. Thereās a lot of amazing lyrics in Slipknot songs. Even Custer, āThe son of a bitch is on his knees, the last man standing gets no pityā I love that line.
Yeah.
How do you as a band come up with those sort of concepts?
Well thatās Corey Taylor. Heās amazing man. I mean heās smart, heās a great lyricist. I mean, Iāve tried to write lyrics and songs, not for Slipknot but just on my own, just on a piece of paper. Iām just like wow, I appreciate him so much for his talent… And also it helps me play the songs live over and over and over and over. Iāve played these songs a thousand times but yet, itās those words that hit me as a person also. So Iām into it and it keeps me enjoying what I do.
So what keeps it fresh?
Well obviously a new record. Playing new songs live and seeing the reaction. Thatās always great because itās fresh and itās new which in turn makes the older songs important and more cool too. And you get to go back mentally, like I can go back to those early memories when I was playing Sic or People = Shit and I still get that same rush from those songs. So I mean itās just all good, all the way around.
Each time Slipknot finish an album cycle, it feels like we’re counting down toĀ hiatus. What inspires you to come back stronger each time?Ā
I think itās the fans. They never left us. If we were irrelevant and found that nobody took interest anymore I assume that would have an effect on it. But more and more people are coming now, younger kids and the kids that were 20 years old, theyāre 35 now, or the 30 year olds are 45. We have this big range of fans that have stayed loyal. Weāre very blessed in that respect.
Youāve got to be nearing the point where youāve got the kids who first came to your shows bringing their kids to your shows.
Yeah. Yeah itās totally cool. Yeah I love it.
With the two new members, has the dynamic changed within the band?
Not really. Not really I mean itās still…itās still full throttle whatever we do. So theyāre basically doing their job and hopefully they get out of it what they need to get out of it. And the seven of us are still close, we are actually closer than we have been in a long time and itās a good thing.
Do you think the two new guys will become full members and write with you?
I donāt know. I donāt know. We havenāt gotten that far yet.
Youāre just playing it by the day?
Yeah.
Slipknot grew very much through word of mouth and touring when you guys started off. How do you think youād fare as a new band now because the world is so different?
Yeah I think itās incredibly difficult because of the way that record sales and everything have dropped off that to get a good contract, being a new band is nearly impossible. The way that the new deals are structured, you know they own everything. So itās like…itās really sad that record labels are struggling because they canāt…theyāre just…itās all the internet. People donāt really care anymore about sound quality. Itās just eaten up so fast and itās so easy. You know, Iām guilty of it too. Iāll buy records off iTunes just because Iām in my car and I want it right now and I do it. I do also have a huge CD collection. I still do buy CDs but I think… Man thatās a good question. I think that we would still be different than whatās out today, and we would still make an impact. So yeah, I donāt knowā¦I think if it started today as versus ā99 we would still wanna be seen, I guess.
Would Slipknot ever go down the road of putting an album out yourselves or are you always gonna be a label band?
Obviously we have a contract. Iām not sure when thatās up or what…you know when thatās gonna be but weāll address it at that time.
Have you ever thought with all the hard times youāve been through, fuck it Iāve had enough?
Yeah of course. I do that with video games even [laugh]. I mean thatās just part of life but this is my life and sometimes itās hard and sometimes itās the greatest thing ever. Itās an interesting profession to be in but music is my life. It always has been since I was a little kid. Itās gotten me through everything. Itās never lied to me. Itās the realest thing on this planet to me is music and I have a very wide range of what I listen to so it doesnāt matter who it is itās just…itās always the best thing. So I love being part of it in my own way.
Do you as a band and also as you as a person, get influenced by newer bands that are out there?
I donāt personally. Thereās not too many things out that are new that I like. Iām still an old metal head I guess. So I continue to listen to that stuff. Once in a while Iāll hear something new that catches my eye but itās usually something obscure. But other than that everythingās just kind of stale.
Thatās an interesting comment, āeverythingās staleā. Do you think thatās something in your head or do you think thatās something in the world in general with music?
Itās just in my head. I canāt speak for you. Because I appreciate any band that puts out a record and goes on tour and does what we do for a living. Its amazingly hard you know and itās difficult to continue to have passion for it on a night to night basis depending on whatās going on in your personal life and within the band, within everything. But as far as being a music fan there hasnāt been that next Pantera to me, there hasnāt been that type of band… there hasnāt been another Korn. There hasnāt been another Slipknot to where I was like, āWow man. Iām totally into it, I would go see the showā. It just hasnāt affected me yet like that.
It might, you never know.
It might. I donāt look too hard though either, I really donāt. Iām pretty into what Iām in to and itās probably my loss…Iām probably missing out on some things but… itās just I got a lot of other things to do too.
To what extent do you think that you bring the bands that you grew up with, with you and how does that then influence your musical style?
Itās different for me because I play percussion. So itās like thereās never been a band that Iāve listened to back in the metal days that had that. So I really donāt…but I bring that love for metal and that attitude and that comes through on tape.
When Slipknot first started off there were nine of you and thatās a lot of people in a band. There were a lot of suggestions that other bands would follow suit and they havenāt really. Do you think thereās a reason for that?
Maybe because we did it.
[Laughing]
They donāt want to be accused of ripping off Slipknot?
Yeah, yeah. But you know yeah. Iāve seen other bands, I canāt remember specific names, but I have seen other bands or other musicians play percussion or do some things live that we do⦠a DJ, you know stuff like that. But I mean thatās just, itās part of music these days I guess.
The way that you and Clown interact on stage, and with the audience while playing really adds theatre to your performance. Not just theatre but the embodiment of what people love about Slipknot – the excitement, the energy, the uniqueness. Is that something that you feel on stage?
I donāt know. Iām so close to it that I guess itās just…Itās normal to me yeah.
So whatās next for Slipknot?
The next show [Laughing]. It means its touring, and it is tough. Its tough, and so focusing on tonight is the main thing and then once the showās over, we figure out what time we have to leave and whatās the next city because we have three in a row now. if we think too far ahead it demeans whatās happening today.
Slipknot have always come across as being a very organised and thought out band, even before you were playing arenas. Maybe itās around you rather than necessarily something you do yourselves?
Yeah, obviously there is, thereās a lot of planning that goes into to making this happen. So many people. The crew is amazing and getting everything set up and ready to go every night is very, very organised. Thereās still freedom, thereās still chaos just everything normal that any band goes through.
So to close off the interview, the site that I write for is called Rock Sins. What is your biggest rock sin?
Sin?
Yeah like the seven deadly sins. So it can be something about you, something about the band, a story, something about you personally.
Like a religious sin? I mean obviously Iām not…Iām human thereās been a lot. It just depends on what I want to reveal I suppose. Iāll just say thereās been many.
Probably still to come.
Yeah.
Thank you very much indeed.
Interview by Lisa Fox.
Chris and the rest of Slipknot continue their Prepare For Hell tour with KoRn and King 810 across the rest of the UK for the next week. The following shows remain:
Slipknot w/ KoRn & King 810 Prepare For Hell UK Tour Remaining Dates
Tuesday 20th ā Manchester ā Arena
Thursday 22nd ā Liverpool ā Echo Arena
Friday 23rd ā London ā Wembley SSE Arena
Saturday 24th ā Cardiff ā Motorpoint Arena
Monday 26th ā Nottingham ā Capital FM Arena
Tuesday 27th ā Birmingham ā Barclaycard Arena
Remaining tickets (including recently released production tickets) can be acquired at Live Nation via the following link – https://www.livenation.co.uk/artist/slipknot-tickets. Stay tuned for a review of the Glasgow show on the Prepare For Hell Tour as well as further Slipknot coverage right here at Rock Sins.
Update – check out the review of the show at the Glasgow Hydro Arena right here!
great questions, it was nice to read. especially that you kept asking him about his music passion when he said “everything is stale”. unfortunately chris isnĀ“t a good interview partner, I prefer clown and jim and the very rare ones of mick. cheers from austria