SLIPKNOT Drummer: Every Time I Listen To One Of Our Records, I'm Blown Away By What We've Done

Cameron Edney of Hardrock Haven recently conducted an interview with SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Hardrock Haven: Last year you released the 10th anniversary edition of [SLIPKNOT's second album] "Iowa". When you look back over those recording sessions now, what comes to mind?

Joey Jordison: It's weird, because I don't listen to my own music all that much. You go on tour for eighteen months on each record and you get sick of it. The bittersweet thing, though, is when you have time away from it and the same thing was with the 10th anniversary release of the first record, I listen back to it and I go, "Oh, my god," I remember everything about how it came up, the result, the energy. Remembering those times, I think to myself, "My god, how the fuck did we create this?" It blows me away and it's the same with "Iowa". When we went to do the interviews and explain how the record was made, you remember everything, but you want to get into the vibe of it, so you listen to the record and you're like… "Man, we were in a dark-ass fucking place when we made that record!" There's no acting whatsoever on any SLIPKNOT record. Every time I listen to our records, I can't just listen to a song, if I listen to one SLIPKNOT song, I'm in for the long haul, I have to listen to it all the way through. Every time I listen to one of the SLIPKNOT records, I'm honestly blown away and very proud of what we've done.

Hardrock Haven: As we know, drums are usually tracked first in the studio, when you enter a studio to begin a recording process you have the foundations of a song mapped out already from pre-production, but do you walk in knowing exactly what you want to capture or is it more spontaneous?

Joey Jordison: Well, that's the thing — by the time I get into the studio, I have the main structure down of what I am doing in a song and I'll do three or four of those takes. Usually the first and second takes are the best; then I'll do three or four where I'll alternate and change every fill. I don't even think about the song when I do those takes, I just go and have fun with the song then I'll listen back to them and actually say that works better and incorporate that in. Sometimes, on the fly you'll come up with something that you didn't think of.

Hardrock Haven: I've spoken with some drummers that say they play for at least 4-5 hours a day, others who only jump on and warm up minutes before hitting the stage. How often and for how long do you practice?

Joey Jordison: Actually, since I've been writing and in the studio… I'm just talking about recently, probably about six or seven hours. By the end of the night, your arms and legs are jello! That's pretty much how long I've been practicing recently. When I'm on tour, I don't over practice because I like the show to be exciting. It's almost like if you track a certain song so many times, you start to lose interest; it's always when you play it the first time that it's exciting. I make sure on the road that my arms are loose and my blood's pumping, my legs are stretched properly. Otherwise, on the road I really don't practice all that much, but at home I practice all the time!

Read the entire interview from Hardrock Haven.