Tomorrow sees the release of
House Of Gold And Bones: Part 1 (stream the album
here), the latest album from hard rock/metal band
Stone Sour.
In anticipation of this release, Bloody-Disgusting is excited to bring
you an exclusive interview with singer Corey Taylor. In it, we discuss
Corey’s history with music, his views on the music scene today,
Slipknot and Stone Sour fans, and much more! Check it all out below!
You can pre-order HOGAB:P1
here. Make sure to read Sammy Key’s editorial on
Music And Rebellion.
Bloody-Disgusting: Hey Corey, how you doing?
CT Taylor: I’m good, man, I’m good! Just workin’ on the demos for the next Stone Sour.
BD: Oh, cool! I’m really excited to hear that, how are they turning out?
CT: Oh, dude. (laughs). I’m telling you right now it’s gonna piss a lot of people off.
BD: You know what, then you’re doing your job right!
CT: (laughs) Yes, exactly.
BD: Well Corey, thanks for taking the time to talk to me
about what’s going on. I have a contributor who’s writing a piece about
how teenagers use music and also touching on rebellion and how rebellion
has changed, and I thought this was something you would have a lot of
insight about. It seems like something you would have a lot to say
about.
CT: I’m ready!
BD: When did you start to feel that music was becoming a significant part of your own life?
CT: Uhh, I guess it really started to come together at probably about
ten or eleven. Really early on. I started to find that music was
something that really brought a lot of joy into my life, and it was sort
of cool because I discovered that I had a gift for it, too. So the
stuff I would listen to I could play along, I could sing along. I tell
this story about singing “Separate Ways” by
Journey in
front of my family. I was forced to do that, actually (laughs). I was
like nine or ten and my cousin Lisa just shoved me into the corner and
was like “Do it, do it!”. So I sang this song in front of my aunts and
uncles and they were just like “Jesus Christ!” You know? So that was
kind of like my first performance. From there it just got to be more and
more, to the point where if I couldn’t do something musically, I would
force myself to learn how to play it. So yeah, from a really early stand
point in my life, music has been very, very important.
BD: So what’s your take on the musical styles of today
versus the styles 5 years ago, 10 years ago, maybe even further than
that?
CT: It’s kind of depressing, man. (laughs) It really is. There’s so
much that’s just glossed over these days. It’s almost like this weird
cross between the 60s and the 80s. It’s like singles were very big in
the 60s. And then all the really weird, crappy, forced upon pop music of
the 80s. So now you’ve got people who don’t really have the skills,
because technology hides it, going out and putting these crappy singles
out, and because that’s all there really is, people basically eat it
like hamburgers. It’s become very, very commercialized. Which wouldn’t
bother me as much if people actually had talent. When I listen to
something and the first thing I notice is that it’s been turned into
crap, I shut it off and throw it out the window of my car. Like it’s the
most offensive thing to me. I was just having this conversation last
night because the Grammy’s were on, and I would say 3 out of 4 people
nominated were all autotune artists. At that point, you shouldn’t be
allowed to be nominated in anything that has a vocal category. You
should be nominated in an instrumental category because the computer did
all the work for you. If you sound more like a keyboard than a human
being, you shouldn’t be allowed to walk away with one of those trophies.
Of course I’m in the minority when it comes to that, which pisses me
off even further.
BD: I actually wrote a rant
about that on Bloody Disgusting where I said that it’s wonderful that
Adele won all these awards, but rather than celebrating her victories,
we should be mourning that she was basically our only choice. And that
there wasn’t anything else.
CT: Absolutely. I was really happy when they honored her, because
she deserves it. I mean, she’s such a huge fucking talent. I don’t care
who you are, when she sings it’s just gets all into you. But I
completely agree! It’s like you’re hoisting them up because it’s like,
in a sea of shit, you look for the one person who’s got a life
preserver, you know?
BD: Yup. And then there was the acceptance speech by Dave
Grohl, which I thought was fantastic, where he said, “Winning this award
proves that it’s people with talent and that it’s okay to make the
mistakes as long as you’ve got it in your heart and in your head and you
show your talent and you show your worth, that’s where awards should be
given.” But then at the same time, later in the show, he played with
David Guetta and DeadMau5 and there was a lot of computerized music, a
lot of autotune going on right at that movie.
CT: Well, with something like that, that’s kind of what Mau5 is known
for. He takes shit and he shreds it up. He’s kinda like Skrillex in
that where you kind of expect that to happen. But for me it’s more about
the pop stars, these quote unquote pop stars. The American Idol War
Machine is what I call it. Because they keep cranking out this mediocre
fuck heads, shoving them in the studio for 10 seconds and then they
basically autocorrect everything. With something like what he did with
DeadMau5,
because I didn’t see that part, because I shut it off after a while
like, “Jesus”, when they started with the tribute to Whitney Houston. I
mean, what did you expect? She smoked fucking crack. Okay? When you
smoke crack, you’re going to die! I’m a cynical fuck. But to me, I think
that with something like that [Foo Fighters and DeadMau5] that’s trying
to show that there’s some kind of unity in music. I think that’s him
trying to do something where it bridges the gap. But you’re absolutely
right. It’s kinda sad that you put somebody up there like that.
BD: So, do you feel that today’s teenage generation is lazy
or easily persuaded and how to do you think that bodes for the future of
the industry and the future of music itself?
CT: I think you’re always gonna have half the generation that’s lazy.
But I think it makes the other half work that much harder. I think this
generation that’s growing up really enjoying this pop music is gonna be
the same as the people who grew up really liking Rick Astley. It’s
passing fancy, as far as music goes. But I think because technology is
so badly ruining music, it just breeds a generation that’s going to be
completely 180 from that. I think the hungrier generation is just going
to completely destroy any thought of trying that. I think we’re gonna
have a lot more home grown rock n roll coming out soon. I’m hoping.
Between the autotune pop and all these fucking hipster indie bands who
are on every commercial, it’s kind of depressing in music right now.
But, I think it’s kind of like me. When I was growing up in the 80s, a
lot of that pop shit was just like, “What IS this?” And then I found my
music in the thrash scene, in the hardcore punk scene, so I had that
background and that made me want to make the sort of music I make today.
So I think that half of the generation is going to come to the surface
in the next five years.
![[Interview] Corey Taylor Talks Stone Sour, Slipknot, Fans, And Music Rebellion](http://cdn.bloody-disgusting.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/stonesourhouseofgoldandbonespart1cover.jpeg "stonesourhouseofgoldandbonespart1cover")
BD: Okay. So how has the work that you’ve done with Slipknot and Stone Sour reflected what music means to you?
CT: I guess it’s reflected in the fact that I can still do it. If I
hit a flat note, you’re gonna hear it. I’m really proud of the fact that
anywhere, at any time, I can make music. A lot of people can’t do that.
I just did a tour where it was basically just me and a guitar, and if I
fucked up, I totally knew. And I let the audience know. I think the
human side is reflected in the music I make, both with Skipknot and
Stone Sour. You have to have that. For all the machines out there you
have to have a soul. You have to have some place to come back. And I
know there’s a lot of metal bands that use technology to hide shit
because 9 times out of 10 you can’t tell one band from another because
of it’s mixed, because of how the drums are being portrayed, because of
how stock the guitars sound. So I know it’s a problem that really
infects every facet of the industry. But for every 9 of those bands,
there’s a band like Slipknot or Stone Sour that really tries to stand
apart. If it works it works, if it doesn’t it doesn’t. So for me, the
way I make music is just a reflection of how I think music should be
made. Where you sit in a studio, and you make music, and you use
technology to your advantage, not to hide all the blaring mistakes.
BD: Myself, I know when I hear those little errors on a CD it
makes me love it that much more, because there is that humanity in it.
CT: Yeah, yeah! It’s one thing to hope for perfection, because you
can get really close, and still have that human spot, and it’s a
masterpiece. It’s another thing entirely to expect a song that is
completely fucking homogenized and just canned and tuned and lifeless. I
think at this point the music is pushing us closer to AI than any of
the technology Apple is putting out.
BD: Do you feel that your fans are responding to music in a different way than fans of other music might respond?
CT: I would hope so. We put a lot of pride into what we do, I mean we
don’t even try to hide shit. There are moments of brilliance on a
Slipknot or a Stone Sour album that’s followed by just this, flub that
felt great. I think the fans expect that because we’ve sort of trained
them to expect it. We’ve shown them that, “Look, we’re gonna throw you
for a loop on every album. But you need to know that it’s us. It’s not
some engineer typing coordinates into a fucking computer screen. It’s
us!” I think they expect that level. Because I think they know that when
we put that much effort into it, our potential for excellence grows a
thousand fold. I think that’s why people still get excited for Slipknot
albums, because they know they’re going to see more of us than they will
of any other artist. I mean when you’re looking for a house, you’re not
looking for a house that’s perfect. You’re looking for that house to
have character. And I think it’s those little bits of humanity they come
from the music. That’s what the music brings out when you have that, it
brings out the character of a song. You go back and listen to 30, 40
years of music, and all the great, great songs that we’ve had in our
lives, they all have that character. They have that human nudge, they
all have that human relation. You can relate to it. When you listen to a
song like, I don’t know, “Ready Steady Go” by Generation X, you think,
“Man, I could do that. That sounds great, that sounds fun,” You listen
to it, you’re having fun, it’s making fun of the generation before it
but it’s embracing the generation that’s coming after it. You don’t get
that feel these days. No matter how hard the record industry or any of
these canned artists try to shove it down our throats, you don’t get
that sense of continuity. It’s more of a fucking factory at this point.
BD: Now, in your mind do you think music and rebellion go
hand and hand, or do you think it takes the musician and the listener to
form the relationship between the two?
CT: I think it’s both, honestly. I think it has to be both. Because
you can be the angriest fucker in your basement, your whole life, and
nobody is gonna give a shit. You need that response from the fan to fuel
your sense of musical rebellion. It’s a cycle. I’ve always seen it as a
cycle. Especially in a live sense. If you’re at a Slipknot show, and
you’re feeding that energy to the audience, they then give it right back
to us. So it’s very symbiotic, it’s very cyclic in a way. You can’t
have one without the other. So I think the rebellion is reflected in the
audience, but at the same time, the artist has to have that passion
too. And I think once you’re a fan for life, you feed each other’s sense
of passion and rage and whatnot. You really can’t have one without the
other.
BD: I know you said that the new Stone Sour is gonna piss a
lot of people off. For me, a lot of times it begins with the musician,
but the moment that message hits the fans, they take it and go with it
and make something new. It’s almost like you’ve raised a child, they’ve
gone their own way, and now you just nurture them along.
CT: Yeah, yeah. People try to make the argument for being a role
model and not being a role model. With me I walk a very thin line with
that. On one hand, the stuff I write is, for me, to kind of get out, but
I also know that people are going to interpret things in different
ways, so I always try to make sure there’s a positive edge to what I’m
saying. Whether it’s a song like “Heretic Anthem” or a song like “True
Blast”, I try to make sure it’s a positive thing. You know, rage can be a
positive thing. Feeling something like that can really not only empower
you, but it can also let you let go of shit. I always try to put some
sort of happy ending in there. Because I know that people are going to
listen to this music, and if it’s too bleak, then what’s the fucking
point? There’s a certain amount of responsibility there but there’s a
point where if I feel like I’m catering to a certain kind of person then
I’m not gonna get what I need out. So it’s really sort of like throwing
something at a wall and hoping it sticks. With the new Stone Sour, it’s
a concept album that deals with a person’s past, trying to move on in
his life. He’s at that cross roads in his life where he either stays
where he’s at, stagnates, doesn’t evolve at all becomes one of these
perpetual adolescents. Or, he moves on to evolve into whatever he wants,
a parent, a good person, a mature human being. There are those stages
in life where you’re almost terrified to jettison the engines, you know?
But you have to get to the next level, or you’re gonna get stuck where
you are for the rest of your life. And that’s really what these CDs are
gonna be. And the shit that I’m saying is gonna piss a lot of people
off, because I think a lot of people are comfortable staying where they
are in life. I’m saying, “Fuck that.” I’m challenging you to find the
rest of your life, and to be a better person and move on.
Originally posted at:
http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3199275/interview-corey-taylor-talks-stone-sour-slipknot-fans-and-music-rebellion/
![[Interview] Corey Taylor Talks Stone Sour, Slipknot, Fans, And Music Rebellion](http://cdn.bloody-disgusting.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/coreytaylorsolobw.jpeg "coreytaylorsolobw")
