Slipknot Band Essays - Lead Guitarists, Chris Fehn, Slipknot

Slipknot Band Iowa is best known as The middle of nowhere. Iowa has never had a singular voice to put it on the musical map since the dawning of rock' n' roll in the early 50's. However, nine young men from Des Moines, wearing industrial coveralls and surrealistic home made masks. They started their own type of music called L.A. neo metal also known as ultra-violence. This type of music is composed of death metal, hip hop, and down-tuned screeching horror. Clockwork Orange is the only band to come even close to sounding like Slipknot. The band member's names are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. As normal people they are Sid Wilson, Joey Jordison, Paul Gray, Chris Fehn, James Root, Craig Jones, Shawn Crahan, Mick Thompson, and Corey Taylor. Each member chose and created their own mask. The members of the band are not defined as individual dew to their number assignments or their masks but dew to their personal instrumental talent. Their line up has changed many times since their start in early 1995. All native Iowans, their rather unassuming, un-happening locale gave the members plenty of space and time to perfect their unusual take on their bond of friendship or as a family unit. The band recorded and distributed the self-released debut Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. In 1996, and the ball has not stop rolling yet. Attracting the attention of a large number of record labels, Slipknot finally signed to Roadrunner records through nationally recognized producer Ross Robinson's I AM RECORDS imprint in 1997 and entered Indigo Ranch Studios in L.A. with Robinson to record Slipknot the self titled album. Slipknot's vast array of influences comes seamlessly wrapped up in a 13-song love/hate letter to the outside world. Only about 2000 copies of Mate Feed Kill Repeat were ever released. Sid Wilson was given the number zero. Sid specializes on the turn table for the band. Sid grew up in and was born in Iowa. At concerts when Sid is not behind the turntables, he is usually found in the crowd, crowd surfing or getting into fights with his fellow Slipknot member Shawn Crahan. Sid has about 8 different gas masks. Sid has been quoted be sayingWearing a mask prevents the oxygen going to my skull. I get hallucinations and stuff. Half the time, I don't know what's going on around me. It's up to the clown to intimidate me and keep me in line. Joey Jordinson is also known as number one to Slipknot fans. Joe learned to play his musical stying on the drums from his former high school band teacher. Number one is a talkative, diminutive lead drummer for the band. Joey has long black hair with vivid red-steaks, and wears a plain white, expressionless Japanese kabuki mask. Joey also refers to Slipknot fans as Maggots. Joe has been quoted Ross Robinson is insane! Once when we were recording he threw a potted plant at me. It exploded on the wall all over my head and the dirt went in my mouth. It was awesome! He has also been quoted saying When I first came into the band I was like, 'I have to be either in this band or I have to destroy it because it's so good' Joey says he chose Number 1 because well it works for me because it's kind of a pivotal thing for being in the bands like have to lay all the drums and guitar work. I'm always the person that has to lay something down or be the cement of the band. That's where the 1 thing ca me from for me. And on his mask .. I didn't want to be just held down by one thing, I wanted to keep the whole thing like all options open. Like it's not something you can be held down to. It can be beautiful, it can be ugly, it can be disgusting, it can be all those things. Right now it's go like weird looking scars on it and sh!t. I'm marketing it up a lot different so it doesn't necessarily look the same. It's cool man I just want people to get out of it what they want.