Part five of the six-part interview series on Mosh Talks digs into livestreaming and why the many moving parts of Slipknot make perfecting a digital presentation such a tall task.
For the fifth segment of the comprehensive discussion with clown of Slipknot, the conversation focuses on the prevalence of the livestream and why Slipknot has yet to opt in.
Carefully choosing his words and being very complimentary of the bands that have taking to the platform, clown articulates is hesitation with investing on a Slipknot livestream for a multitude of reasons. In terms of practicality, clown feels like the time needed to properly produce such a monumental production would be huge and the reality is that touring, is likely less time away than people think.
clown also references the years and years of experience he has had with festival film crews who were tasked with capturing the Slipknot experience live on camera, and yet somehow missed the boat. Even after repeated attempts to help navigate the camera crews to best translate what was happening onstage, clown gave up on trying speak sense to these guys and just decided to focus on his stage show.
Confiding that the livestream platform is a new world that makes him nervous, clown explains that while he knows the fans would want it, there is a standard that exists with anything Slipknot and to reach that with regards to a livestream is such a massive undertaking that he just doesn’t feel comfortable to rushing something for the sake of doing it. Rather, he is content to invest that energy and vision into new music so the fans still know that the band is working with them in mind.
Watch part five of the six-part discussion via Mosh Talks below.
:07 – clown puts into perspective how many bands from the late 90s are still relevant the way Slipknot is and he attributes that to continuously evolving and being active.
:38 – Recalling his father, clown was taking inventory of the setbacks and successes he has had in his life and shares that his father would have hugged him and congratulated him on staying the course. Persevering though the good and the bad, clown’s connection to his father seemed very heartfelt and evident as he frames the achievements in his life.
3:08 – Broaching the topic of livestreaming and if Slipknot has ever given the platform some serious consideration, clown makes sure to choose his words wisely and clarify that he is only speaking for himself. Citing that the world is still in a state of uncertainty, clown confides that he feels it’s just too early to put his focus into a livestream production. Trying to navigate a true translation of the Slipknot experience through a screen is a tall task and one that is especially tough to do when people’s attention is likely elsewhere.
5:30 – Detailing the logistics of corralling all the members during a lockdown to perfect a specific set for a livestream, then to nail down not just the music but the essential visual element that is vital to Slipknot make a livestream almost out of reach for the band. clown reiterates how seriously the band takes their craft and to rush something for the sake of getting something out just isn’t the Slipknot way.
6:22 – clown confides that he has people “breathing down his neck” to do a livestream but achieving the proper translation of all that Slipknot is live would require massive amounts of money, but most time. With the light at the ned of the tunnel in terms of touring now in sight, clown doesn’t feel like the investment for a livestream makes sense.
7:00 – While clown has his own feelings about a livestream for Slipknot, he understands why bands are doing it and why the fans love it. The personal preference clown has towards the platform isn’t a knock on what anyone else is doing.
8:07 – Framing the context of livestreaming, clown dissects how festival film crews spend big budgets to broadcast the festival performances. clown goes onto detail his sorted history with most festival film crew directors and how they often missed the boat when it came to truly capturing the live Slipknot experience.
10:12 – clown shares a few choice words for the litany of festival film crew directors that he has encountered over the years and explained that after repeated attempts to steer these guys in the right direction to best showcase Slipknot, he just stopped trying and focused solely on being the clown onstage.
11:02 – Bringing the conversation full circle, clown explains that containing Slipknot to a screen is such a difficult task that he just doesn’t know if he has to time and ability to do so. He also confides that there are much bigger, more immediate problems in the world and to think about a livestream right now doesn’t feel like the priority.
12:36 – Proudly different, clown understands that his way of thinking might not be in step with the masses, but he feels like in 2021, that kind of different thinking is hopefully something that will resonate more with people in offering a different perspective.
13:00 – While he acknowledges that the live-streaming platform works for some bands and not for others, clown confides that he hasn’t watched any of them because the unfamiliar terrain makes him nervous. What he has done is dove head first into making new music to ensure that he is not only being productive during his time away from the road, but he is also making sure to work towards something for the fans who are always on his mind.
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