SLIPKNOT's COREY TAYLOR Opens Up About Challenges Of Raising His Son While Being A Touring Musician

During an appearance on the "Battleline" podcast, SLIPKNOT's Corey Taylor opened up about the challenges of raising his son Griffin, who fronts a rising metal band called VENDED. Corey said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "My son, I didn't have to help him with anything, but he's out on the road with his band, and they're killing it. And in a way that's brought he and I even closer, man, 'cause now he really, really gets it and we talk now more than we ever have, which, to me, it's beautiful.

"There were definitely a couple of years where it was difficult," he explained. "And part of that can just be human nature; part of that can be the fact that I was gone for giant chunks of his [early life]. It also didn't help that the relationship I was in before my marriage now was very toxic; it was very hard on him. And in a lot of ways he blamed me, which he has every right to, because at the time I didn't realize how bad it was.

"He and I have always been tight," Taylor said. "He's my boy and we've always had a very, very special bond. When his mother and I split up, I was all he had for a long time. So when I was on the road, I would have to have a caretaker take care of him so he could go to school, and then I would come home and we would just kind of pick up from there. But you never got that rhythm. So I was constantly having to relearn who he was, 'cause every time I'd come back, he was different…

"Once he got older, there was definitely a push back and forth, because he was starting to kind of come into his own. And between the anger that he had for missing so much and the anger [from] the previous issues and the anxiety that kind of had sprung up in his life, because of my Midwestern way of being a father, which is to raise your voice and, 'It doesn't matter why. I want you to…' — all of that shit. It was tough. So we butted heads for a few years, man. And then one year, everything just kind of clicked, man, and we both looked at each other in a very different way and we were able to really kind of reconcile. Not that it was ever really bad, but it was weird enough that I really felt like, I was, like, 'Man, I'm gonna lose him.'

"You never give up," Corey added. "It takes being brutally honest with yourself, going, 'I made mistakes.' You love to think that you were the perfect father, you love to think that you were just doing it for their own good, and sometimes, guess what? Those universal ways of parenting didn't always work. And for me, realizing that maybe I contributed to some of his anxiety hurt. So I had to relearn how to be a parent, man. I had to relearn how to talk to my kid. And then I realized that he's not a baby anymore, man. He's gonna be 21 this year. It's actually been easier for me to talk to him as an adult than it was when he was younger because I had no skillset as a father like that.

"So it's been tough. But I'll tell you what — the lessons that I've learned, not only have I been able to apply to my youngest, my youngest daughter, I've also applied it to people in my life and how I communicate with other people. You can't just explode. You have to create a conversation, you have to create a dialogue, 'cause it's the only way people are gonna be able to a) understand you, and b) not resent or fear you. And those two things are the death knell for any relationship."

Taylor married his current wife Alicia in October 2019 after the breakup of his eight-year marriage with Stephanie Luby, whom he wedded in November 2009 (the couple had a daughter named Ryan). Corey was previously married from 2004 to 2007 to a woman named Scarlett, with whom he shares Griffin. The rocker also has a daughter from an earlier relationship.

Last month, Corey told Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3 about Griffin: "I cannot tell you how proud I am of that boy. And, of course, being a typical Taylor, on one hand I'm super proud of him, but I still can't get him to clean anything, dude; he's just such a nightmare.

"The funny thing is you and I were talking the day after he was born. And I keep going back to that night, going, 'What's he gonna be? Who's he gonna be in life?' And now 20 years later, almost 21, and he is this crazy metal pirate, just like I was," Corey continued. "And I'm just, like, 'Oh, I failed as a father. What did I do?' I kept trying to push him to be anything other than what I do. And, yeah, dude, he's crushing.

"I've heard the new stuff that he just recorded with [producer] Chris Collier, and it is so good," Corey added. "VENDED, their new stuff is so rad. Not only Griffin, man, but Simon's [Crahan] drumming sounds incredible. All of the guys — Cole [Espeland] and Grod [Connor Grodzicki] sound great [on guitar]. The guitars have just gone above and beyond. J.J.'s [Jeremiah Pugh] crushing it on bass. I'm really, really proud of those guys, man. And then to be able to watch my boy get out there and just be himself and crush. It's so easy for him, and it just makes me angry. Because he's got all the great stuff that I never had when I was… He can wear anything. It's just criminal. I'm just, like, 'You don't know how good you've got it, kid. The carbs haven't caught you yet.'"

Last November, VENDED released the official music video for its latest single, "Overall".

A year earlier, VENDED dropped a duo of singles ("Asylum" and "Burn My Misery") ahead of its five-track debut EP, "What Is It / Kill It", which arrived at DSPs in November 2021. The collection was recorded with Griffin Landa of THE ACACIA STRAIN. The two singles bookended VENDED's first U.S. headline tour, after which the band went on to open the day's proceedings at the huge Knotfest Los Angeles show at the Banc Of California Stadium, playing alongside SLIPKNOT, BRING ME THE HORIZON, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, FEVER 333, CODE ORANGE and CHERRY BOMBS.

In July 2022, VENDED released a new single, "Ded To Me", ahead of its first-ever European dates.

Formed in February of 2018 in Des Moines, Iowa, VENDED had its first mainstream exposure in 2020 when they performed as part of Knotfest.com's virtual "Pulse Of The Maggots" festival.

VENDED played its first headlining show in March 2020 at the iconic local club Vaudeville Mews in Des Moines, Iowa.

Griffin, who looks a lot like his father, previously showcased his skills when he joined Corey onstage during STONE SOUR shows in 2017 and 2018. He's also played cover tunes with Simon Crahan, while Clown's daughter Alexandria Crahan-Conway has snapped some of VENDED's previous press pics.