M. Shawn Crahan, percussionist and musical director of the legendary Slipknot has declared that he will be wearing a mask in public well after the pandemic is behind us. In an interview with Forbes, Crahan spoke about the recording atmosphere in the studio while recording the new Slipknot album. In it he said,
“The general atmosphere has been very complex as of recently, and the main reason for that is an obvious one, we have been in a very different world with COVID and abiding by government laws. For instance, I think we had it very bumpy because when we were in the studio if we were in the control room and around the engineers that worked for the studio, we had to wear masks. If we were in the live room where we were recording around each other, and we had all been tested, we didn’t have to wear masks. But if an employee was in there we’d have to put them on. Now I think about nine months ago and it was even more restrictive, so it’s been very challenging to say the least.
“But I’m not ever going to stop wearing a mask, COVID or not,” he continued. “I’ve been in this business 25 years, and people are filthy all over the world. So when I had to be in the studio and I was asked to put on a mask, it didn’t bother me, it was business as usual. I mean I’m glad at least the majority of the world has been profoundly open to the idea of, ‘Hey, when you’re going to be out in public there’s a chance you could be around someone with pneumonia, the flu, or just a nasty cough. Why not wear a mask to just protect yourself?’ We live in a filthy world, and we live in a world where people don’t wash their hands, they wipe their nose and they open the door and then you touch it. I have four children and I know what it’s like to drop your kid off at school and they come home sick and then you’re sick. It’s been a highly intense album making process because of COVID. There’s been lots of testing, there’s been different time frames and different restrictions, and it was business as usual. I don’t believe anyone in the band missed a beat.”
2021’s “Knotfest Roadshow” will of course feature Slipknot with support from Killswitch Engage, Fever 333, and Code Orange from Pittsburgh, Pa. Knotfest Iowa hometown show in Des Moines on September 25 sets the stage for The “Knotfest Roadshow”‘s first stop at Tinley Park, Illinois on September 28, running through the US till November.
