Slipknot Guitarist: "Self-Loathing Is A Great Motivator"

Band Photo: Slipknot (?)
contactmusic.com reports: Slipknot guitarist Mick Thompson deliberately makes himself as miserable as possible when he's recording a new album.
The mask-sporting rocker insists a negative attitude is instrumental to his success, and often likes to contemplate just how much he hates himself just before entering the studio.
He says, "It was always negative fuel and negative reinforcement that worked better for me.
"Self-loathing is a great motivator. You basically have to always think you suck.
"My thing is that I'll just go away and just sit around being miserable and angry."
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64 Comments on "Slipknot: 'Self-Loathing Is A Great Motivator'"


6. writes:
They really need to put out a cd that is heavy as hell. I would deffinetly get it. Vol.3 was alright but not nearly as heavy as their first cd. they should probably drop the other two drummers and just keep joey cuz he is a really a great drummer. They should probably get rid of the two sample guys as well.Theres not really a point for them to be in the band.


8. writes:
who cares if the cd wasnt heavy....that album is twice as good as the first two musically..also you have to remember that it was a diferent producer than the first two. Ross Robinson just said play as heavy as you can. Bob rock said why dont you try to re-invent yourselves and kind of open up a new option instead of full throttle....I love the sound of vol. 3 and hope they have another sound on the next record


10. writes:
angrywarbeast , it's nice to know education wasn't wasted on you. Such poetry, such thought-provoking, insightful words. Well done you. By the way, I don't care for Slipknot myself but enough people do that this sort of verbal incontinence is as irrelevant as it is laughable. Go and learn to spell, then think of something interesting to say before you come back.



13. writes:
i think i suck at vocals and 4 some reason it feel like i scream louder sing softer and u guys r like little kids u dont sh** blood u sh** poop with blood in and on it dumb a$$ c*** sucker.
HBHJDVFYFUFUSyuvyvwhjevfhwvayvYVCLUTLCVSVuyfbiauwehyvfyavduvfbgfueubbsuvb
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahhahahahahahahahahahahaha

14. writes:
2 many members my a$$ they dont need them but they kick a$$ with unique music that u wish u were that successful(i do) and was made alot of money(i do) and got 2 have people cheer and warship u(i do).
SO SUCK IT HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahahahahahahahaHAHAHAHA




18. writes:
dude, mick thompson is prolly one of the most talented guitarists since kirk hammet. Matt Heafy from TriVium can contend but he doesnt make the mark. I do the same thing when i get prepped for a rugby game, maybe thats why our record was 8-0. Mick is the best, and there are no contendors. SLIPKNOT RULES!!!!
19. writes:
UH HUH.? Well whatever i guess that different things work for diffferent people.Me personally, I like to have a couple cigarrettes before my band performs.To reaper the squirrel you are damn right i wish that my band made as much money as slipknot and had as many fans as slipknot. If I made that kind of money i sure as hell wouldn't be on this forum reading the bullsh** comment that you posted about how i wish my band was more like slipknot. And no thanks on the suckit part of your comment.Cause first off im a guy.Secondly thats prbably your moms job and she would get p***ed if someone else did that instead of her you country a$$ redneck inceste mother f***er.

21. writes:
SLIPKNOT IS f***ING sh**!. SELF TITLED ALBUM WAS ALRIGHT, IOWA WAS f***ING GOOD AND VOL IS JUST f***ING WORTHLESS. I GUESS NU-METAL TOOK OVER SLIPKNOT (I"M TALKING ABOUT KORN). SO I SOLD ALL OF MY SLIPKNOT sh**, CDS DVDS AND GAVE ALL OF SHIRTS TO GOOD WILL. THAT'S HOW MUCH THEY SUCK.


24. writes:
wow.. you people.. are all.. dumbsh**s.. ok so maby you dont like slipknot maby you do, if you dont, leave, dont bother wasting that fans' time, dont discriminate against other bands just because its not what you like, all bands are great it just vary's depending on the type of music you like, myself, i love slipknot and yeah im sure you'll all hate me for it but you can go to hell because i dont give a sh** what you say and neither does anyone else, but there is one exception, actually, all you no life worthless people who say dumb sh** like that should go say it about rappers because that my friends, is the real sh**, and not in a good way, so even if you hate these bands compare them to something as sh**yy as that to make them look better and LEAVE US ALONE



28. writes:
Mick Thompson is far from great, but he is pretty good. Theres some fairly tricky solos on "vol 3" and the riffs have always(all 3 albums) been somewhere between decent and impressive....
I'm not trying to agree or disagree with fans or those who wish Slipknot would vanish....
It's just good theres so many guys in Slipknot to imfluence the sound of the band, because if Slipknot were just a 4 or 5 piece they might have become pretty stale pretty fast.

29. writes:
FUUCCCKKKK MICK who is a stupid a$$ prick and the whole slipfahks there not even heavy ,come on know u need 8 or 9 members in a band to be heavy and loud thats lame very lame . i dont know why everyone makes a big deal for these fukkkers..... You want a real guy who can play guitar my boy DIME BAG R.I.P. Now u slipknot fans u know that DIMEBAG infulence about every guitartis out there in metal...... SO for the fans who like the guys who hide behind the mask s DAMN thats all i have to say ............im out Biatch WHATS UP TO MY TEXANS
30. writes:
First off Mick is a pretty deceant guitarist.Yeah dimebag did influence every guitarist in metal and that includes mick.So to say that mick sucks means that you are saying that Dimebag sucks and then you suck big donkey d*** cause dimebag is one of the greatest ever.He had his own individual sound.I mean his sound was so unique that I haven't even meet someone who doesn't play professionally that can play any of his solos and sound anywhere near close to him.

33. writes:
you r all just jelous that hes an excellent guitarist and u suck mens a$$ and guitar is a very hard hard instrument 2 learn so if u dont have fast fingers and a straight mind then ur f***ed i love theyr self titled album its awsome so is Iowa and the Subliminal Verses Vol.3 was also kick ass(they concentrated more on talent then screaming so f*** off).
If u dont like slipknot why r u in theyr news p***ys unless u really like slipknot ur just in a case of denial ive never heard off and u think slipknot sucks. And omen ur a dumass if u would have waited a few years after slipknot breaks up the "mechandise" would b worth a lot more money stupid idiotic primate.


36. writes:
Slipknot have boring guitar work, and if you think that the third slipknot album is talent, you obviously wouldnt no talent if it was stuck up your ass, you people that think Mick is an 'amazing guitarist' need to buy a Death album, buy symbolic and then you will no what a good riff and solo is.



39. writes:
Regarding post 28 by RememberMetal?
Kerry King, Zakk Wylde, and James Murphy have all used "great" to describe Mick's playing ability.Many other metal musicians have given him praise aswell.Infact James Murphy actually said Mick was a "better guitarist than MANY well known death metal guitar players."He said this in the defense of choosing him for the Death Tribute album.Either way, that's very high praise.
I really hope Mick does a side project when Slipknot takes a break.I have a huge feeling he is way better than he is letting on.

40. writes:
"Slipknot have boring guitar work, and if you think that the third slipknot album is talent, you obviously wouldnt no talent if it was stuck up your ass, you people that think Mick is an 'amazing guitarist' need to buy a Death album, buy symbolic and then you will no what a good riff and solo is."
OMG YUoiu NuMETal fagz neeD sometHIng tr00.OmG try some Death den you kno what Real metakl is!!!
Stuff it.I'd be a rich a$$ motherf***er if I had a nickle everytime I read a post like that from some metal elitist idiot.
I personally dont think Slipknot showed incredible amounts of talent on Vol.3.Slipknot never intended to be a technical band, so comparing them to Death is really not a fair comparison.
I like Vol.3 because it is just a good and enjoyable album.I think the songwriting on it is superb.Good tune after good tune.I dont listen to it to get my daily tremolo picking and blasbeati fix.I have other bands for that.Bottomline, it's a very good album.If only it were their 1st release.Slipknot would get alot more respect than they do.Because their other 2 albums do suck.

41. writes:
he still liked 2 show off yes i agree but if not him someone else would have done so ha
favorite songs in order
Diluted
Suracing
Eyeless
No Life
My Plague
Wait and Bleed
Liberate
Left Behind
People =sh**
Duality
Vermillion Pt.1
Vermillion Pt.2
Before I Forget
Pulse of Maggots


43. writes:
Wow, you really told me I guess....it's no suprise your favorite Knot songs are from the radio or popular....you probably can't handle those "bad" "evil" songs like scissors, disasterpiece, blister exists, heretic anthem, prosthetics, tattered & torn.........................

44. writes:

45. writes:
Mick seems to get a lot of praise and a lot of abuse. I wouldn't call him my favourite, but he is quite talented. From .Vol 3 onwards, critics have started to stop badmouthing him.
To Marauder on post 39, I always wanted Corey and Mick to to do an acoustic album, I'd really love that. Mick can be pretty melodic and Corey has such a good voice. A bit odd expecting that I know, but that's just me hoping...




51. writes:
Uh, sycness...
In case you haven't noticed, there are already acoustic songs on Vol.3 written by Corey and Mick, and Corey did an acoustic song for the Spiderman soundtrack, and 'Danger, Keep Away!' is an acoustic based synth song...
But I suppose that means that Mick is less talented then before because he did acoustic?
And what about Zakk Wylde? In 1994, he released an acoustic southern rock album titled Pride & Glory. And in 1996 an entirely acoustic album called Book Of Shadow's...
But I suppose that made him a worse guitarist overall did it?
And I wasn't calling you stupid, I was saying that the post itself was. ''those ''bad'' or ''evil'' songs like...'' That was stupid, because whether a song is radio-friedndly or not, if it is a good song then people will enjoy it. Who gives a sh** about the content?

52. writes:
I think Rick Rubin was the best thing that happened to SlipKnoT... The First two albums had alot of Furious riff-age and metal... but there was no release to the tension.
I think "vol.3" was the ideal change in that Fury, anger and loathing were all audible and emotionally moving... rather than the album just sounding heavier then the previous.
What ever Rick Rubin did to capture this cannot be bottled, bought or replicated... so i hope he continues to work with them.
Keep up the loathing and anger Mick... I love the results.

53. writes:
Ok Jereth....
but can you really see Slipknot sitting on little stools on stage singing acoustic songs with their masks on. They don't even sing the ones they have now live. The 'knot wasn't made for that. That's why Corey has Stone Sour.....if Mick decided to join them that would be sic as hell but I don't think that would happen.


59. writes:
Sid and Craig are great (samples, turn tables). Trust me, by taking them out of the mix you would have some VERY average music.....
Part of this bands strength is filling up every possible space with sound. The least needed guys are the two bonus percussionists and they still bring something to the table. Slipknot arent good because of the ability of the musicians (though Jordison is a site to see playing) their good because theres strength in numbers and with that many minds at work they rarely make a so-so or terrible song....
The only thing that consistantly gets on my nerves is the singers hit and miss lyrics....some are very good even original others are spotty or laughable.




63. writes:
Dimebag is overrated. Mick Thompson can't play guitar worth a sh**. His solos don't include actual music it's just wanking. Just fast sloppy notes. He is merely in the shadows of good guitarists like Alexi Laiho, Micheal Amott, Jari Maenpaa, etc... Mick can choke on an elephant boner and die. Slipknot is mainstream Nu-Metal sh**, and you mallcore fa**ots can keep arguing because you'll never get it through your head that Hot Topic doesn't support any good bands...
64. writes:
Hey Devin. You can go and suck a huge a$$ motherf***ing d*** for what you said about Dimebag. Mic is a pretty damn good guitarist. And I seriously doubt that you could come close to playing as talented as him. Oh and just so that you know, most of your favortie guitarists that you posted were more than likely inspired and influeced by DIme. They wouldn't even be able to hold a candle to him on his WORST day. I bet you don't even play and even if you do you probably suck and haven't even earned the right to judge who the greatest guitarists are.B I T C H!
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1. Shreddin writes:
and thats when you start to sh** blood because you had a hernia in your a$$ becasue you hate yourself. wow .that is the only word that comes to my mind when i think about that.