Mushroomhead’s Ex-Vocalist Thinks They Made Slipknot
Slipknot and Mushroomhead have long been compared on various fronts, from masks to music. Jeffery Nothing, the ex-vocalist of the latter group, recently guested on the ADHD Podcast to discuss a multitude of things, including how he believes that Mushroomhead came before Slipknot. (Transcription via The PRP.)
“[Former Roadrunner Records senior vice president of A&R] Monte Conner from Roadrunner had a guy shopping us," he recalled. "And at the time we were making more at local shows than they were offering us in advance and they wanted all of our merch, which was like selling crazy already, and the money just didn’t make any sense."
He continued, "And he basically made his own [version of Mushroomhead] when we said no. And what’s really funny is that I have a friend that would end up backstage at all these festivals; he became friends with Corey [Taylor] and Corey said, to quote him, ‘Was I supposed to turn down a million dollars?’ So that’s what that was.”
Nothing is claiming that Roadrunner used Mushroomhead as the template to create Slipknot. It's a hefty statement, considering how large Slipknot became, and remain, while Mushroomhead have seen a commercial decline.
He later added, "As far as what I know, I believe Shawn [Crahan] and Joey [Jordison] were the only ones from Des Moines. They had Anders [Anders Colsefni] - I forget what his last name is - he was the singer. And they wanted someone more commercial so they got Corey [Taylor]. I just heard a lot of stories. It’s like… Linkin Park was Hybrid Theory with the other guy rapping, and until they brought in Chester, [Bennington] they didn’t do anything, but they were made. They were made and some people thought that it was from our model."
What do you think of Mushroomhead and Slipknot's histories? Which band did you gravitate to first? Do you think one group was molded after the other? Leave us a comment with your thoughts.
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