Some people tend to think drugs and alcohol bring out the creativity in an artist, giving them the ability to write better material than they normally would. Slipknot and Stone Sour vocalist Corey Taylor is not one of those people.
In an interview with the Marshall podcast, Taylor discusses how he thinks that trope is a load of crap and how it's perpetuated by only those who want to keep up their addiction. Taylor adds he's been "loaded" in the studio before and was way worse off for trying.
"I think it's encouraged by the people who are actually embedded in that. They want people to think that it's hard to create without chemicals. And that's addict language, because I used to do that for me from a performing standpoint. I was convinced that I couldn't perform if I didn't have a Jack and Coke — at least one. And then that became two. And then that became half a bottle. That's addiction. So I think that's a myth perpetuated by addicts who are looking for people to reinforce their dependency. And it's easy — especially when you see the antics and hear the, 'Such a great time.' And there were great times. However, that had nothing to do with making an album; that had nothing to do with writing and performing and using your ability. That was the after-effect; that was the after-party.
"I have only been loaded in the studio twice, and I didn't like it one bit, 'cause I couldn't control anything. And then listening back to shit, I was, like, 'Oh, this is horrible. Why did I do that?' So, I've really tried to kind of kill that myth for people.
"If that's what you think, then, I mean, God bless you; that's fine. If that's what works for you, that's what works for you. I'm not gonna convince you otherwise. However, it is not the law of the land. You don't have to be loaded to fucking create. You don't have to be loaded to fucking have a good time. I actually think you sound better and play better and you have a better energy when you're not [loaded]. Because then the focus is on you. There are no excuses after that. It's you, and that's the rawness of what we do."
To each their own, right? What doesn't work for Taylor might work for others, though responsibility and moderation is about 99.9% of the battle.
Slipknot are going to be on the road all over the world in 2020. Here are the confirmed dates so far:
01/14 Dublin, IRE – 3Arena [Tickets]
01/16 Manchester, UK – Manchester Arena [Tickets]
01/17 Newcastle, UK – Utilita Arena [Tickets]
01/18 Glasgow, UK – The SSE Hydro [Tickets]
01/20 Sheffield, UK – FlyDSA Arena [Tickets]
01/21 Nottingham, UK – Motorpoint Arena [Tickets]
01/22 Cardiff, UK – Motorpoint Arena [Tickets]
01/24 Birmingham, UK – Birmingham Arena [Tickets]
01/25 London, UK – The O2 [Tickets]
01/28 Amsterdam, NET – Ziggo Dome [Tickets]
01/29 Frankfurt, GER – Festhalle [Tickets]
01/30 Paris, FRA – Accorhotels Arena [Tickets]
02/01 Luxembourg, LUX – Rockhal [Tickets]
02/02 Lyon, FRA – Halle Tony Garnier [Tickets]
02/04 Budapest, HUN – Budapest Sportarena [Tickets]
02/06 Lodz, POL – Atlas Arena [Tickets]
02/08 Stuttgart, GER – Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle [Tickets]
02/09 Munich, GER – Olympiahalle [Tickets]
02/11 Milan, ITA – Mediolanum Forum [Tickets]
02/12 Zurich, SWI – Hallenstadion [Tickets]
02/14 Vienna, AUT – Stadthalle [Tickets]
02/16 Hamburg, GER – Barclaycard Arena [Tickets]
02/17 Berlin, GER – Mercedes-Benz Arena [Tickets]
02/18 Dortmund, GER – Westfalenhalle [Tickets]
02/20 Copenhagen, DEN – Royal Arena [Tickets]
02/21 Stockholm, SWE – Ericsson Globe [Tickets]
02/22 Oslo, NOR – Telenor Arena [Tickets]
02/24 Helsinki, FIN – Hartwall Arena [Tickets]
03/20 – Tokyo, Japan – Knotfest [Tickets]
03/21 – Tokyo, Japan – Knotfest [Tickets]
03/24 – Singapore – Singapore Rock Fest [Tickets]
03/27 – Jakarta, Indonesia – Hammersonic Festival [Tickets]
03/29 – Manila, Philippines – Amoranto Stadium [Tickets]
