Corey Taylor is the most diverse singer in rock and roll. Period. End of discussion. As the lead singer of Stone Sour, he became one of modern rock’s most consistent melodic voices. As leader of the horror rock band Slipknot, he donned terrifying masks and screamed his way through a barrage of hard nu metal classics, including “Wait and Bleed,” “Custer” and “Duality.” Collectively, between the two bands, Taylor has sold almost 33 million records, toured the world many times over and has been nominated for 13 Grammys, with a win in 2006. As a solo artist, he has expanded perceptions. For his second solo record, CMF2, Taylor opened all of his musical veins and bled out a diverse flood of styles with beyond positive results. Taylor can do it all. Except maybe EDM or polka. But he’s even willing to try that. Corey does not believe in restrictions…
HUSTLER: How are you doing?
COREY TAYLOR: Still kicking ass. At this point it’s all I know how to do. Not bad for an old fogy in an industry that says you have to be young to succeed. I say “Fuck you!” to that.
Is there ageism in rock ’n’ roll?
Well, I don’t know about rock ’n’ roll, but there is definitely ageism in the music industry. It is extremely difficult for people to continue past a certain age—unless you are an über megastar. Even then sometimes it’s tough. The industry will eat you and throw you away. I’ve seen it a million times. It’s the music business’s fault. They tend to run after fads instead of supporting any type of talent. We encourage it as consumers. Too many people think, If it’s young, it’s good. It’s the reason I wrote the Slipknot song “All Out Life.” I know artists who are at the peak of their powers, and they can’t buy a bucket. They can’t get anyone on the phone. What the hell, man? I think it secretly pissed off the record industry that we not only keep our fans; we continue to get new ones. I could go on and on about this shit and piss off a million people.
Let’s go back a ways. Do you remember the first time you ever saw a copy of HUSTLER Magazine?
