MUSHROOMHEAD's JEFFREY NOTHING Says SLIPKNOT Are 'Straight-Up Frauds'

Thiago Sarkis of Imhotep webzine recently conducted an interview with MUSHROOMHEAD vocalist Jeffrey Nothing. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Imhotep: How do you compare this MUSHROOMHEAD we hear on "Savior Sorrow" to the MUSHROOMHEAD of the mid-'90s, releasing its self-titled debut?

Jeffrey: We were for the longest time an experiment. We had our share of happy accidents. We wrote almost exclusively based on keyboard passages back in the day. Now we are much more based on the guitar and "Savior Sorrow" is the second CD that comes from this structure. It comes more from our present strengths as a band, and a natural evolution in that process. I think for as long as we exist we will keep re-inventing ourselves. It's in us and drives us. MUSHROOMHEAD isn't content with our past and since we have never been nu-metal, I'd like to think we should just invent a new style while we're at it.

Imhotep: In the very beginning of your career, you were even considered as one of the potential next big things in the "mainstream alternative metal scene." However this situation changed after you didn't get to an agreement to Roadrunner, and Roadrunner signed SLIPKNOT. The fans have been seeing you bashing SLIPKNOT for years, and maybe some people just don't get it. What would you say about this?

Jeffrey: If fans think we have been bashing SLIPKNOT for years, maybe they somehow missed the forever constant opposite? We have seen them talking shit about us until they got tired of running their mouths and split into separate bands because they discovered wearing this shit for ten years is no picnic. They talked so much shit I could have drowned in it, but they are Roadrunner/SLIPKNOT invented clones of us, and they all know it. But millions of dollars later they don't give two shits. But karma is a bitch and I hope they're happy.

Imhotep: You guys have been accused of the incident that happened to SLIPKNOT in Cleveland short after they released their debut album. However, this issue isn't still cleared by MUSHROOMHEAD. Which would be your response to that? Did you have any influence on what happened?

Jeffrey: I know all the people who did it and I did personally paint the "Cleveland Supports Mushroomhead" and "Slipknot Go Home" signs. But I wasn't there and I didn't know the complete extent of what they were going to do. But hey, these guys are men, right? My girlfriend at the time went down there in the early afternoon wearing one of our shirts and all of SLIPKNOT along with all their crew surrounded her and gave her shit: "You're wearing a MUSHROOMHEAD shirt, what do you know?". Tough guys, 20 something dudes trying to push one girl around. OK! So the show just stops for 20 minutes and the good news is that the guys that SLIPKNOT fought were, at the oldest, maybe 17. The bottom line is: here is our city, our fans support us completely! They felt just as fucked over by these puny "clowns" as us and they aren't afraid to show it. Welcome to Cleveland, bitches.

Imhotep: In your opinion, how involved was Roadrunner on this creation of a band that, in your words, is an invented clone of MUSHROOMHEAD?

Jeffrey: Roadrunner was 100% involved to the point of "sign a masked band or you're fired" statement being said to the guy who was pursuing us. He couldn't find one so he created one. Ethics mean shit for some people, I guess!

Imhotep: However, Corey Taylor once stated that he had never heard of MUSHROOMHEAD until you were recording your debut album in 1998. What do you think of that?

Jeffrey: I say yeah, fucking right! Corey Taylor wouldn't know the truth if it bit him. When you work for MUSHROOMHEAD and go on to another job, you get thanks. When you leave SLIPKNOT, you have to sign a confidentiality agreement! Why is that? What do they have to hide? Why did their former manager hide from us when he was with another band on a tour date we played? Why the hell does anyone expect Corey to say: "Oh I'm sorry yeah we stole MUSHROOMHEAD's shit. And while I'm at it we stole our name, lyrics...?" I could go on, but let's just go with the real motto: you can sell what you steal!

Imhotep: OK. But quite honestly, SLIPKNOT's popularity has got to a point that I think you will hardly change things, and make their fans realize where they came from with their "visual concept". Isn't it time to MUSHROOMHEAD to move on and close this chapter against SLIPKNOT?

Jeffrey: Yeah! I'm sure that's how everyone out there sees it. But what would you do? How would you feel? I say walk in our shoes and see if you don't want to kick ass. But yeah we somewhat have gotten over it. What other choice do we have? Luckily, video director Chad Calek is getting some of the truth out there, not so much how they fucked us, but their own. Much like a tyrant they turned their backs on the entire scene in their home town; good people those "maggots" should be proud of. But I'm happy to report that the Des Moines scene is finally digging itself out of the mountain of trash piled on them by their "brothers"!? As if backstabbing bitches more like... ask 'em how they paid for their original demos. They're straight-up frauds. I bet Mom's so proud.

Read the entire interview at Imhotep.

To read Corey Taylor's previous comments about the MUSHROOMHEAD "feud," click here.