SLIPKNOT's CLOWN On Band's Future: This Is 'A New Beginning'

SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan recently spoke to Sirius XM satellite radio (see video below) about the band's future following the passing of the band's bassist, Paul Gray.

"Starting the band with Paul, I have a heavy responsibility every day to honestly think about what he would have liked for what we started together," he said.

"What we started together isn't what it is without all nine — it's not just Paul and I in this band, let's make that clear — but we started something together and it's very hard to wake up every day and do this without having to take one second to think what he would have liked out of it. And what I know he wants out of it is... He's already bigger than... [chuckles] He's so big right now, so now it's time for the rest of us to get what we've always needed to get, and that's all the big bands need to get the fuck out of my face and all the industry needs to get the fuck out of my face and everybody needs to get out of our way 'cause we're gonna spread the seed. And I mean that. And it's gonna be a minute. But this is a threat, you know what I mean?! Today is a threat. Today is a new beginning. And that's how I want it to live. That's how I want it to be.

"I understand more of what we are now by losing one of my best friends, and it's horrible, but at the same time he speaks in volumes. He's motivating so much, and it feels good what's being motivated. I don't feel like I'm going crazy. I feel like... As bad as this sounds, everything happens for a reason. And I'm gonna miss him every day of my life and there's not gonna be a day that I'm not gonna mention Paul Gray's name, but at the same time, I just had a birthday a couple of days ago, and I bring it up because I'm many years older than Paul was, so every day I wake up is a blessing. And I wanna remember that, and I want everybody in the world to remember that, 'cause when you say the world is an angrier place... It's on its way out, and we will be the band that will play the music for its way out."

SLIPKNOT's "(sic)nesses" DVD sold 9,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 1 on Billboard's Top Music Videos chart. The disc features footage of the band's headlining appearance at the annual Download festival in the U.K., where they performed in front of 80,000 of their rabid fans.

"'(sic)nesses' was one of the single hardest pieces of art for us to complete, given the circumstances," Crahan told ARTISTdirect. "It's a testament to our evolution and proof of accomplishing exactly what we set out to do over 10 years ago. We will never be the same. You will never be the same. Here's to the future and our continuing evolution."

Gray's body was found on May 24 in a hotel room in a Des Moines, Iowa suburb. A coroner ruled that the 38-year-old musician died of an accidental overdose of morphine.

(Thanks: MaggotsPlague.com)