JIM ROOT Explains Why He Initially Turned Down Invitation To Join SLIPKNOT

In a new interview with Prism Supply, SLIPKNOT's Jim Root reflected on how the first time he was invited to join the band, the guitarist said no. He was already in a group, the Des Moines, Iowa metal band DEADFRONT. SLIPKNOT was in California recording its 1999 self-titled debut, and guitarist Josh Brainard had just left the group.

"After Corey [Taylor, SLIPKNOT singer] had joined SLIPKNOT, I was in a band called DEADFRONT, and in Des Moines we had a lot of success," Root recalled. "And I had been called by Clown [SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn Crahan] and Joey [Jordison, then-SLIPKNOT drummer] and [producer] Ross Robinson to join SLIPKNOT. And I told guys in my band that I wouldn't do it, if they ever called me that I would say no. And I think I said that because I didn't think they would ever call me. But I also didn't wanna feel like anything was ever handed to me; I wanted to feel like I did it on my own, that I did the legwork. I was, like, 'Yeah, you know, they called me to ask me to join SLIPKNOT.' My buddy Zack's funny — he was, like, 'What are you, fucking stupid? What'd say 'no' for? Dude, you've been working your ass off since you were 16 playing in bands in clubs and you played with these guys in bands in clubs.' He was, like, 'Very few times in life do you get a chance to take a huge leap forward. That doesn't come sometimes ever to anybody.' So I immediately got up from the table and got on an actual pay phone and called Clown collect. 'Did you guys find a guitar player yet?' He was, like, 'Nope.' And it was a Saturday night. I decided, 'Fuck it,' so I literally quit my job that Monday and then rehearsed with that band Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and then Sunday I got in a car with Mick [Thomson, SLIPKNOT guitarist] and we drove to L.A. to work on the rest of the first self-titled release record."

In a 2019 interview with WMMR, Root explained that he was first approached by SLIPKNOT's original singer Anders Colsefni about replacing the band's original guitarist Donnie Steele back in 1996. "I said no at that time because I hadn't been playing guitar and I knew that those guys were players," he told WMMR. "My chops were bad. I [hadn't] even touched a guitar in years, so I was just kind of, like, 'Nah, I'm just going to be a regular dildo, work and do all that.'"

In 1996, Root joined Taylor's STONE SOUR, only for Taylor to replace Colsefni in SLIPKNOT in 1997.

SLIPKNOT has since put out seven albums, including its latest, "The End, So Far". The band has won a Grammy, toured the world and put on its own festival, Knotfest. There have also been a number of low points and several lineup changes, most notably the death of founding member and bassist Paul Gray in 2010 of a drug overdose. Founding drummer Joey Jordison was fired in 2013. Alessandro Venturella and Jay Weinberg have since joined SLIPKNOT on bass and drums, respectively.

SLIPKNOT is continuing to tour in support of "The End, So Far", which was released last September via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2019's "We Are Not Your Kind", it is the band's final record with Roadrunner after first signing with the rock and metal label in 1998.