COREY TAYLOR Says SLIPKNOT ‘Basically Invented Meth’

Corey Taylor

In a recent interview with Dean Delray SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor
discussed his struggle with drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes throughout the years.

He said: “We [SLIPKNOT] basically f*ckin’ invented meth. Which, sadly is…

“It’s brutal, dude. Our first run, we were very adamant that we weren’t gonna be the cliche. So we really tried to stay as clean as possible. And then it just slowly but surely really started to get in. Most of us are natural addicts anyway. I’m a f*ckin’ addict from hell.

“I quit coke and speed when I was 16 so I never had a problem turning that down. But the booze was really where it got me. I’ve never been a pill guy, I’ve never smoked weed, but alcohol to me was the only thing that was getting my brain to shut off. And that’s how all it kind of starts.”

When asked if he was drinking after shows, Corey replied: “Absolutely. And then… I’m like, half extrovert and half introvert as well, so the booze helped me be a little more kind-of social as well. But then you start the typical addict fashion.

“It’s like, ‘I can’t go on stage unless I have a Jack and Coke. I can’t go on stage until I’ve had two.’ The first time I was gonna quit drinking, I had three bottles at all times with me, and I was going to the bars.”

He continued: “I can’t drink Coca-Cola without tasting Jack Daniel’s. That’s how bad it is. So I was just, like, ‘I’m just not gonna drink soda anymore.’ [Laughs] And I don’t really, I just kind of quit.

“But it got bad – it was a nightmare. Thankfully, I still have a lot of friends from then who are like, ‘God, we’re so glad you don’t drink anymore.’

“I quit for about three years; got divorced from my first wife, was like, ‘Well, she was the reason it was so bad!’ And then I started drinking again. Didn’t get as gnarly as I was, but luckily I kind of physically didn’t want to do it anymore.

“The last night I drank, which was almost 9 years ago, I had one beer. I had a f*cking Beck’s in a bottle. And I never drink beer. But I just wanted something to settle me down. And I woke up the next day, I had a f*cking hangover for two days. It was the worst.

“I was like, ‘What the f*ck is this sweet hell?!’ And to this day I’m glad I did it. I miss the calm down, but I really was like, ‘It’s time.’ It’s like, I’m not getting any pleasure out of this. I get no happiness, it’s not doing anything for me, and it’s really hurting me. And it’s taking me away from doing what I want to f*ckin’ do.

“It’s the same reason I quit smoking later. And I smoked since I was 10 years old. Quit four years ago on Chantix. Thank f*ck. I didn’t want to at the time. But everybody I was with was like, ‘I’m gonna f*cking quit.’ I was like, ‘Ah, f*ck…'”