Slipknot's Corey Taylor Rejects Blame For Slipknot-Masked Sword Wielding Killer
Band Photo: Slipknot (?)
Slipknot has spoken out to Blender Magazine, rejecting blame in a South African school slaying.
As previously reported, on Monday, a teen entered his high school in Krugersdorp, South Africa with a sword and attacked four people, killing one. The suspect was said to be wearing a mask similar to the one worn by Slipknot's drummer Joey Jordison, prompting a school official to denounce the band, saying "We know the wrong kind of music and drugs have bad effects. Young people need to be informed of the effects of bad satanic music."
Slipknot lead screamer Corey Taylor has responded. "Obviously, I'm disturbed by the fact that people were hurt and someone died. As far as my responsibility for that goes, it stops there, because I know our message is actually very positive." He continues,"You have something like this happen, it could have been Marilyn Manson, it could have been any number of people who make art that is startling visually, on the darker side. It could've been Pat Boone, for Christ's sake. At the end of the day, there are always going to be mental disorders and people who cause violence for no other reason than the fact that they're fucked up and lost. And all we can do is try to learn from it."
Read the full article at Blender.com.
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63 Comments on "Taylor Rejects Blame For Slipknot-Masked Killer"
Member
Founder, owner & programmer
4. writes:
To comment #1 - yes and no. Listening to Slipknot or metal may get your adrenaline pumping and could even make aggressive actions more likely. But so could anything that produces the same physical response. So if you're already having a bad day and you get hyped up on caffeine, it could do the same. That's the flaw in similar studies that say metal makes you drive aggressively. They are pinning it on metal, but in fact metal produces a response, and the end result is something that could be produced by a number of things, none of which are considered harmful themselves.
On a more positive example. Do you smile because you're happy or are happy because you smile? The science behind it shows that the chemicals that make you/tell you that you're happy are released into your brain when you smile. So technically you are happy because you smile, not the other was around.
Back to the original example though. These analogies hardly apply anyway. We're talking about music and it's immediate, physiological effects on you. Someone who does something as warped as this, that is totally pre-meditated, is not under the influence of music. They are just screwed in the head. The music wasn't responsible. It wasn't even the trigger most likely. It was a point of obsession. Probably alongside the thought of cutting someone up with the swords, not one because of another.
Supporter
Writer, Reviewer
8. writes:
Hmmm... for some people, what would normally seem negative is positive. Lyrics about the pressure of the world can be seen as being about forging a path through difficulties and pushing through them to become a greater person, for example. I don't know that Slipknot's lyrics are like that, exactly, but bands like Hatebreed and Killswitch Engage also feel they're giving a positive view on things.
Now Playing: Sevendust - "Damaged"
Member
10. writes:
nah it's good that he's defending the right to be not held responsible for what one insane little f***-up did. show me ANY slipknot song that says "snap and kill people at your school while wearing a replica mask of our drummer". if you can find that particular lyric i will give every member on this site $300...
Founder, owner & programmer
11. writes:
And if you did find those lyrics, so what I say. The legal definition of "insane" in the US is someone unable to tell the difference between right and wrong. So either way, someone who goes and does something like this is pretty screwed in the head. Granted, if the lyrics did say that there would be a more valid case against Slipknot (even though I don't agree with it) and they would be hanged for it anyway.
12. writes:
Slipknots new album is leaked. Its really sh**, even worse than vol3.. starts off with slipknot esque riffs then into a gay stupid break down and rianna singing.
Leave that sh** in stonesour cory thats what its for.
They will never make another album as good as the first two. they suck now :(
Supporter
13. writes:
Ugly-bob, all the courts would have to do is find something that hints very slightly towards what happened. You don't have to have YOUR exact lyric and you know that it's not in any of their songs, so that was completely pointless. But, if a lyric were to have a small hint then the courts would probably try to attack them. It would be unsuccessful, but they would try. People are stupid, everyone needs to blame something on an outside source instead of looking inside.
As for the lyrics being positive, it may be positive to Corey. He wrote them so he may think that they have a positive outlook, to us it may be different.
Member
14. writes:
It's positive to Corey because he feels they are doing good. He said this in an interview. Life is hard. So people get so filled with aggression. They go to a concert like Slipknot and release all that anger. They can come in, mosh and listen to some hard sh**, then they feel like they can tolerate it for a bit longer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_i7SfVbKFM
Here's the link.
Member
15. writes:
wow. "we're positive"
sample lyric off some song off iowa. i don't remember cuz i trashed all my slipknot cd's 3 years ago. "I want to slit your throat and f*** the wound" (lolpositive??)
slipknot not satanic? that whole heretic anthem song. and in the first song on that iowa cd "i'm sitting at the side of satan", and also the HUGE fvcking pentagram in their disasterpieces dvd.
moral of the story: slipsh** is a band centered on hypocrisy and all kinds of bullsh**. when are they going to f***ing break up lol
np: 1349- I am Abomination
Member
16. writes:
Corey believes it's helpful because it is. He says that life is tough and people become filled with anger. When they go to a concert or listen to this music, it gets some of that stuff off of their chest and they feel like they can tolerate it for a bit longer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_i7SfVbKFM
Here's the link for the interview he said it in.
Member
17. writes:
Jonny can you hear me turn that music down You're making too much
noise I mean it do it now all that stuff is evil Ozzy, Judas Priest there's
backwards messages in that stuff that leads you to the beast
Jonny don't you hear me open up that door I've been calling you for hours
I won't say it anymore just wait until your dad gets home and sees what
you have done kicked out of school you've got no job you're a useless
delinquent bum oh my god it's Jonny hanging by his neck all those metal
albums have led him to his death
Now it's time for parents to open ears and listen maybe it's too late to see
what you've been missing music is no cause of death it's you that
suffocates if you had opened your eyes and ears you'd see just who's to
blame
Who's to be responsible for a life that's gone off track who's the one who
must be there to see it gets put back where were you to hear the cries of a
person in need were you there to see the signs or were you too busy
Now it's time for parents to open ears and listen maybe it's too late to see
what you've been missing music is no cause of death it's you that
suffocates if you had opened your eyes and ears you'd see just who's to
blame
Who's to be responsible for a life that's gone off track who's the one who
must be there to see it gets put back where were you to hear the cries of a
person in need were you there to see the signs or were you too busy
Who's the cause, who's the blame for a life that's not worth living is it
parents, family who take without giving so next time that you close your
eyes and choose to shift the blame remember you can save a life so really
who's to blame?!
Member
Reviewer
Member
20. writes:
People = Sh!t
"It never stops - you can't be everything to everyone
Contagion - I'm sittin' at the side of Satan
What do you want from me?
They never told me the failure I was meant to be
Overdo it - Don't tell me you blew it
Stop your b****in' and fight your way through it
I'M - NOT - LIKE - YOU - I - JUST - FVCK - UP"
Sure it sounds satanic when you take it out of context, Dark Funeral.
Member
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Member
23. writes:
No, crimson, I did not say that anywhere. I was simply arguing against Dark Funeral's misrepresentation of the lyric. One line out of a verse, or song does not account for the entire meaning. I didn't even account for the entire meaning. I've used "Satan" in many lyrics/poems but I don't see myself as a Satanist nor do I see my work as Satanic. I'm actually atheist, but Satan makes, or made for a great metaphor until it became cliche.
Member
25. writes:
Slipknot thrives on controversy and shock value....that is my take on this band. Although, Iowa, sounds pretty wicked...and I could see how someone[group of people] would compare the band to satanists..because, more than likely, said group of people are un-informed, and don't actually know any true satanists, or what they[satanism] represent. I don't know...did that make any sense? Corey can still be an a$$, though.
Member
Member
27. writes:
posts #11 and #13, you bring about even better points than the point i was trying to make, which i forgot anyways. and it wasn't meant to be taken seriously. anyways, it was probably a stupid thing to say and i'm glad we've all moved on. post 13, i especially liked it when you said "people are stupid". i couldn't agree more, and being one of those stupid people i can speak from experience. it is so easy to point fingers and blame metal music, being the thing that is mis-labelled as "satanic". but if you do that every time then the real causes for people doing things that are "insane" would never be investigated. i, for example, work with people with mental illnesses, schizophrenia, dementia etc, and MOST of them are nicotine addicts. if they were to steal cigarettes, it would be so easy for me to blame the cigarette companies for getting them addicted to nicotine, but there is an underlying factor in that they are SCHIZOPHRENIC, so it would be useless for me to blame a cigarette company, as they wouldn't be able to realise what they did was wrong. plus it could just be my fault if i say, left my cigarettes out in plain sight. it is the same sort of situation where a governing body can blame metal music for something a guy, with obvious mental problems, committed ('cos stealing cigarettes and murdering people with a sword are the same thing...?)
that is my point, and i think it is a better one than my last post.
Member
28. writes:
As a fan of Metal, I to a certain extent agree with Corey's statement. f***ed up people do f***ed up sh**. PERIOD! Some days i wake up on the wrong side of the bed and listen to Metal in the morning, and on the way to work: Slipknot, Pantera, you name it! In no way shape or form do I feel the need to take a sword to work and chop people up. Im a normal girl that enjoys her Metal.
People that allow themselves to be subjected to such ignorance are weak minded people and should not be listening to metal. Even with lyrics such as: "f*** IT ALL! f*** THIS WORLD!
f*** EVERYTHING THAT YOU STAND FOR!" I dont walk around killing people just cause i listen to Metal. Thats just people making bullsh** excuses for sh** they couldnt prevent!
So go ahead blame slipknot all you want its just a cop out...
Member
31. writes:
Satanic? hahaha Dude, I can see that from a true Norwegian black metal band but not from Slipknot, AKA: American Sellout Metal. I mean I dig some of their music, don't get me wrong. But if there was a song going through my head as a soundtrack to me killing some random people with a sword it sure as hell wouldn't be Slipknot.
33. writes:
Whether the msg is in Slipknot music is Satanic or not, it DOESNT MATTER... are we all wielding swords and going off killing our co-workers or innocent ppl on the streets like ninjas???? NO!!!!!
To blame music for this is as good as blaming the shoes he wore to get him to school... "we us his parents blame Nike, because if it wasn't for his shoes that TOOK HIM THERE he would've never gotten there to kill that kid at school" ... get my point? its PATHETIC parents that can't take responsibility for their misguided ways in raising their murderous son...
Yours Truly
South-African Slipknot FAN
Member
36. writes:
slipknot = satanism? like that hasn't happened before!!! backstreet boys were said to have a satanic message in their music.... still waiting for that!! deluded, deranged, psychotic... if he really was possessed by the music, how couldn't his parents see the sign! why exactly was the first thought that slipknots music ws behind it? the mask... that's as good as saying freddy or jason (freddy vs. jason) made him do it! misguided youth.. definitely a mental...though whether the farcace of throwing the blame on a sell out rock band or anyone else will succed is yet to be seen...
Supporter
Member
43. writes:
nice story
I dun believe
i love u
and f*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** uf*** u
Member
44. writes:
Kid kills someone with sword and it's blamed on Slipknot like a week BEFORE new Slipknot album drops. Coincidence? There's no such thing as bad publicity. What if Roadrunner set this whole thing up so Slipknot seemed like they're still relevant? Milk that Sacred Cow Roadrunner! MILK IT!!! Next thing you know, some kid will blow up a bus filled with nuns and blame it on Nickelback. And when that happens, you will KNOW I'm right.
Or I could be horribly, horribly wrong...
45. writes:
Post 15...I'm not saying you are a complete f***ing retard...I don't have to.
The heretic anthem was a message about not conforming.
The lyrics "I'm sitting at the side of Satan" don't necessarily mean that's what he's actually doing. There is something called a subliminal message, it could just mean he's having a rough patch in life, and feels like he's in Hell.
"I wanna slit your throat and f*** the wound." Is not Satanic at all...violent yes, not Satanic.
Also, I'd like to point out that just because you don't find their lyrics positive, other people do. Personally, SlipKnoT has kept me from making some bad decisions because I had to let out my frustrations before I actually did go out and hurt someone, or worse.
Member
Member
48. writes:
Me, I'm from South Africa and heavy slipknot fan. Firstly story partly incorrect. No-one said in an official statement that slipknot was to blame. That was just a rumor. This kid was from Krugersdorp which is a horribly small town and everyone knows all about small town mentality, right? rumors fly rampant. Plus, those narrow-minded small townies will believe anything! Especially when it concerns something they don't understand. Morne (the murderer) claimed (in an official statement) that there was a ghost on his parents farm that told him to become a satanism and do this whole sword thing. The mask was there because he said that when he puts the mask on, everything goes very quiet and his body just moves. Now, I mean, that in itsself indicates some heavy mental s**t. This child had been talking about doing this for some time before. Someone should have picked it up then, realising he's not quite right upstairs and done something about it! Morne also said that he was doing this because he wanted to be somebody, to be noticed and to show that he was capable of it. Before he went ape, the kid he killed was teasing him, saying he wasn't man enough to do it. Me, I sympathise with all involved, however, if I could get my hands on that little s**t, I would ring his neck for tainting the name of slipknot!
Member
49. writes:
i can't figure out why people keep saying slipknot have "sold out". is it just because they've changed their sound or corey sings clean vocals in a lot of songs (which by the way, has been done in slipknot songs ever since self titled came out, wait & bleed, purity, me inside, scissors, spit it out, tattered & torn, prosthetics, disasterpiece, gently, iowa, my plague, people = sh**, the heretic anthem, left behind...to name a few)? is it because because they're getting older? does getting older mean you've sold out, just because they don't want to do the same thing they've done for two albums?! i don't know about you guys but i noticed that mick and jim's musicianship has changed dramatically in vol.3 and all hope is gone, and they're actually doing solo's in songs, which they pretty much weren't allowed to do on their first two albums after being signed to roadrunner, cos if you listen to self titled and iowa, the focus is pretty much on corey screaming and joey going ballistic. is that selling out? when you record an album that has guitar solos AND clean vocals in it?
and you can say that metallica sold out, cos they went for the nu-metal/horrible metal sound instead of the traditional thrash metal sound that made them famous (and wtf was with lars' tighter than tightest sounding snare drum?! BLECH). they went in the opposite directions slipknot did, but i haven't heard many people going on about how they sold out.... how did that happen? hopefully their new album will redeem that...thing...
PLEASE, SOMEONE TELL ME HOW SLIPKNOT HAS SOLD OUT!!!!!!
Member
50. writes:
its not necessarily selling out but its so trendy, they didnt do guitar solos when nu metal was popular and there werent a lot of bands doing solos. now that solos are popular again and roadrunner is signing any band that can shred, they start doing guitar solos. thats following a trend and thats gay.
Member
51. writes:
when you put it that way, it makes sense. i'm all for guitar solos no matter what happens to be trendy at the time, and i'm always gonna be a slipknot fan who can appreciate an EDUCATED OPINION, be it negative or postitive. and forgive me, but haven't guitar solos been around for a few DECADES?! why is it all of a sudden considered to be "following a trend" when someone does a guitar solo? i guess they followed a trend, but then you could say that every metal band since the dawn of metal has been "trendy" by doing solos, as they were huge in the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and now...
i'm not trying to disprove your post, i'm just on a quest to shine more light on this subject.
once again, compare them to metallica...i think there was one solo on st. anger? was that because nobody else was doing solos anymore?
roadrunner also happens to ditch bands as soon as they start selling fewer albums. it happened to chimaira, ill nino, spineshank, all got ditched after three albums haha.
Member
52. writes:
i agree with u, but st anger was trendy for the fact that they were trying to go for a sound that was popular at the time(numetal) and kirk even admitted on the s.k.o.m. dvd that he thought not doing guitar solos on that record was trendy. it makes slipknot trendy in the sense that they never did guitar solos before until it became popular again in the metal world. its not trendy for a band to do guitar solos, if thats a part of their sound, but swtiching to it because it is the trendy thing to do and will sell u more records is a completely different thing. if ur a fan of their music thats fine with me, to each is own, but its my opinion that theyre following a trend to keep their record sales high
53. writes:
Haha! Hows this for some violent lyrics. Chanted religiously by every 5 year old cross the nation.
"Oranges and lemons" say the Bells of St. Clement's
"You owe me five farthings" say the Bells of St. Martin's
"When will you pay me?" say the Bells of Old Bailey
"When I grow rich" say the Bells of Shoreditch
"When will that be?" say the Bells of Stepney
"I do not know" say the Great Bells of Bow
"Here comes a Candle to light you to Bed
Here comes a Chopper to Chop off your Head
Chip chop chip chop - the Last Man's Dead."
More to follow...
54. writes:
As the words to the poem "Oranges and lemons" indicate the unfortunate victim would await execution on 'Death Row' and would be informed by the Bellman of St. Sepulchre by candle light 'here comes the candle to light you to bed', at midnight outside their cell , the Sunday night prior to their imminent fate, by the ringing of the 'Execution Bell' (a large hand bell) and the recitation of the following :
All you that in the condemned hole do lie,
Prepare you for tomorrow you shall die;
Watch all and pray: the hour is drawing near
That you before the Almighty must appear;
Examine well yourselves in time repent,
That you may not to eternal flames be sent.
And when St. Sepulchre's Bell in the morning tolls
The Lord above have mercy on your soul.
56. writes:
Ring around the rosy
AKA as Ring a ring o' rosies
Ring around the rosy
A pocketful of posies
"Ashes, Ashes"
We all fall down!
Ring-a-Ring o'Rosies
A Pocket full of Posies
"A-tishoo! A-tishoo!"
We all fall Down!
The words to the Ring around the rosy children's ring game have their origin in English history . The historical period dates back to the Great Plague of London in 1665 (bubonic plague) or even before when the first outbreak of the Plague hit England in the 1300's. The symptoms of the plague included a rosy red rash in the shape of a ring on the skin (Ring around the rosy). Pockets and pouches were filled with sweet smelling herbs ( or posies) which were carried due to the belief that the disease was transmitted by bad smells. The term "Ashes Ashes" refers to the cremation of the dead bodies! The death rate was over 60% and the plague was only halted by the Great Fire of London in 1666 which killed the rats which carried the disease which was transmitting via water sources. The English version of "Ring around the rosy" replaces Ashes with (A-tishoo, A-tishoo) as violent sneezing was another symptom of the disease. We recommend the following site for comprehensive information regarding the Bubonic Plague.
57. writes:
the term "gon fishin"
goes back centuries in the joe pesci royal bloodline. you see the royal pesci's would select their favorite slaves by their bloodline (they can all be traced back to danny glover) and they would set out to their favorite pond and take turns sucking on each other while they told horrible jokes.
the more you know
Member
Member
Member
61. writes:
funplace, it's good to engage in conversation with someone who has intelligence. we may disagree, but at least you have pointed out some things that i should have figured out for myself. i still don't see slipknot as sell-outs, but i do sort of feel that they are following the trend of all-of-a-sudden guitar solos, however that doesn't change my stance as an avid slipknot fan, always have been since they came always will be. i have actually enjoyed every album they have released, though i must say that i'm not a huge fan of the whiny vocals in a majority of vol.3. i mean come on, realistically, if i wanted to hear the softer, and at the same time, hard rock side of slipknot, i'd listen to stonesour, which i do. i do wish slipknot had kept the sound they had on iowa, but meh, what's done is done and there's a snowball's chance in hell that they will go back to that. although i must say that all hope is gone is pretty damn good. at least i "lost" this debate to someone who obviously knows what they're talking about. dunno if it was really a debate, but that's the only word that came to my head while writing that sentence.
62. writes:
Metal music in general has allways been blamed for violent acts committed by kids or even adults for that matter.From Ozzy and Priest in the 80's to this act, lets face it, it's nothing but a scapegoat so the people involved can have some kind of f@#kin' closer or something.It's like mental illness isn't a good enough reason.Lets face it metalheads, we are hardrock and metal bands will allways be targets 'cause they go against the grain.It just adds up to ignorence on there parts, and no matter what fans or bands in these genras say or do, we'll allways be connected to these mentally unstable acts.Right on Corey for sticking up for yourself and your band.I love metal, and I like SlipKnot ,wether they are metal or not.Ride on all metal warriors, ride on!!!!
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Podcaster, Writer
1. Listen2_Autumns_Eyes writes:
I agree with the fact that their message is not Satanic, and the lyrics have nothing to do with the violence. However I think people always lose focus in situations like this, where "evil" music is blamed for violent crimes. Most of the focus has been spotlighted on the lyrical content and imagery used with whomever the band should be. The real focus should be on the music itself. While Slipknot is not a Satanic band, their music is extremely aggressive and intense. If you were to wake up on the wrong side of the bed and have an awful day, your anger is more susceptible to be fueled by listening to Slipknot or any other angry band than it would be had you listened to Enya instead. So I believe the music does influence people in these situations, but not lyrically. I know that any time Pantera comes on I feel like breaking things and taking down shot after shot, but I am not a violent person nor am I an alcoholic. That's just how it is, only difference is some people I guess feel the need to take a sword into class and cut some people up.