Jay Weinberg , drummer for Slipknot since 2014, revealed the behind-the-scenes story of the creation and use of the band's masks in an interview with radio station 102.9 The Hog.
During the recording of the band's first album with Weinberg on drums, 5: The Gray Chapter (2014), the musician didn't have time to adapt to the accessory before going on stage. "I was so focused on the music, but the masks were something I had never experienced before going on stage – I had no experience with that," he recalled (via Ultimate Guitar ).
The adaptation wasn't easy, and it took the drummer a while to understand the theoretical concept and the practical experience with the created persona. "It definitely took many years to use it on stage and really understand the element that [the mask] brings to what we do," he confessed. "After playing 200 shows with one mask – and I only had one original mask – it simply fell apart and became disgusting to wear.".
READ ALSO: Slipknot's Corey Taylor debuts new mask at band's first show in a year.
According to Weinberg, all the members helped him create the first mask, but each one acts individually over time, representing personal and collective changes within the band in each new mask created.
“The guys absolutely helped with the creation – you know, you create a bit of a different personality that you carry with you into your normal life when you’re not inside the Slipknot machine,” he explained. “So, taking all the knowledge I gained when we were making We Are Not Your Kind (2019), I thought, ‘Okay, I have an idea of what this mask is and what it means to me, and how I want it to evolve and grow as we grow and make a new album.’”
In Weinberg's view, the individual creation of the masks strengthens the band as a whole. “It’s part of Slipknot’s art, and we take it very seriously,” he stated. “I think each guy goes into a little world, discovering where that growth will lead and where that change will occur, (…), I think it’s all a reflection of our mood as individuals. From that mood that the individual creates, then the cohesive and unified band, all together with their own individual parts, is where everything comes together and becomes a unit, and I think that’s incredible.”.
READ ALSO: Slipknot pays tribute to Joey Jordison and Paul Gray at Knotfest Iowa show; see images
