In order to become an official member of Slipknot, Sid Wilson had to resort to violence. In a recent interview with Revolver, the DJ recalled the insane antic he pulledvihead-butting founding percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan multiple times at an early Slipknot showtiin order to convince the burgeoning nu-metal maniacs that he was the perfect madman for the job.
“I was already practicing with the band and coming up with parts and everything,” Wilson remembers. “But before making the commitment, I needed to see the band live.” They kept telling me, “We’re crazy, we’re crazy.” “We wear masks; we’re crazy.” I’m like, “Got it.” Check. Crazy. I’m like, “I’m crazy.” Trust me.'”
Wilson explained that in the lead-up to performances of their song “Tattered and Torn,” Clown would set the mood by grimly chanting, “Kill me,” while wandering out into the audience to wreak havoc on innocent concertgoers.
“He would go out in the crowd and wrestle with kids, tie them up with microphone cords, and drag them across the floor,” Wilson says. “So he would go into the crowd every show—I didn’t know this; I’d never seen the show before.” And I can see him looking at me through the mask, and he starts this “Kill me” [chant], and I see him coming out from behind this drum, and I could just sense it.
“I was like, He’s coming for me.” He wants to prove to me that they’re crazy, and I am fucking nuts. So I’m like, “It’s on.” And I just start running, leapfrogging people, grabbing their shoulders, and just jumping over. And then I’m crawling across the top of the crowd. And I get up there, and he is getting ready to take one step off the stage. He looked down to get his placement, and he looks up, and I’m right there.
“I grab him, and I headbutt him six times.” Bam, bam, bam. And I’m coming in for the seventh one, and he pushes me away, falls down, and crawls back to Joey [Jordison, Slipknot’s original drummer]. And he goes, “I don’t give a shit what anybody says—that guy’s in the band.”