'Hardcore Fans Gonna Hate Me': Slipknot's Clown Loves Ariana Grande & Christina Aguilera

7 October 2022 | 12:45 pm | Mary Varvaris

They're gonna be upset..."

(Jonathan Weiner)

More Slipknot More Slipknot

The members of Slipknot are making the rounds talking about their seventh album, The End, So Far. Now it's Shawn "Clown" Crahan's turn in the hot seat. In an interview with the British newspaper, The Independent, he revealed his "real love" for pop music. 

As much as he enjoys jazz and stoner metal music, pop scratches a different musical itch for him. "My hardcore fans are gonna hate me for what I say... Well, not hate me, but they're gonna be upset. I'm listening to a lot of Ariana Grande, some Christina Aguilera. I have a real love of pop," he said.

While Slipknot is perhaps the biggest metal band in the world right now, Crahan believes that they can reach new heights and find equal footing in terms of success and respect in the music industry alongside pop icons. 

"I don't necessarily want to be a big pop artist, but Slipknot at this point is pop culture, so for me I want to stand right next to those people because they need to know what is happening on this side of art." He questioned why metal music hasn't hit the contemporary mainstream the way hip hop music has, putting forward, "I don't think our subject matter is as extreme as some hip hop subject matter. So, I'm always wondering, what's the hiccup here?"

Crahan isn't the first member of Slipknot to talk about his enthusiasm for pop music. In the New York Times article, 5 ABBA Lovers On Why The Songs Are Still Pure Gold, vocalist Corey Taylor cits Take A Chance On Me as his jam. 

"The modulation in those songs is beautiful; it hooks you in, the way it plays between the major and the minor. I just love the yearning feeling. When you put it on, I'm instantly in a good mood. If you're a real lover of music — not just somebody who subscribes to one genre — then you have a great appreciation for songs. And ABBA wrote great songs that they executed just completely above the norm."

Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter

The End, So Far is out now. Slipknot are proud of the album, which they've described as the heavier, more experimental version of Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses.

Speaking with The Music last month, Alessandro Venturella, or as we know him, Slipknot bassist V-Man, said: "It was amazing once we played in the studio and had it all finished. You could hear all the aspects of everybody in the band, and it just turned it into something else. Joe [Barresi, producer] brought his expertise and really took those songs to another level. We’re very proud of those songs.”