Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has opened up about his battle with manic depression, and said that people struggle to comprehend the feeling of “numbness” that comes with it.
Taylor – who is also the frontman of Stone Sour and has a solo career – has been open about his struggle with mental health before, touching upon the themes in his music, launching The Taylor Foundation, and telling NME about his battle with PTSD.
Now, in a recently released interview with The Void With Christina, the vocalist has shared more insight into what it’s like to live with manic depression, and the stigma around speaking out about it.
“It’s interesting. I’ve always been very outspoken about everything [so] I never realised that it was such a stigma, to be honest,” he said. “It was a line that you really didn’t cross or you didn’t admit to, especially somebody in my profession or whatever… people kind of used it as a buzzword. They never really talked about it eloquently or very openly.
“So when I first started kind of opening it up about it, the response was quite extraordinary — people just were, like, ‘You gave me the courage to kind of open up about it on my own and really kind of talk to the people who I care about, about what was affecting me,’” he added.
“That, in a weird way, helped me with the communication with my loved ones, because I felt like I was being very open about it in the press, but then I wasn’t able to expound about it with the people who it was actually affecting.”
He continued, recalling the hardest part of dealing with mental health issues: “I think the biggest thing that people don’t understand is the numbness that comes with it, especially when the physical side of it hits you and it becomes that slog, that almost impossible slog to just be alive or to be human. It’s something that you just can’t describe to people unless they’ve been in it.
“[To] anyone who’s never really kind of felt that, it’s really difficult to try and get them to see why it’s so difficult to get through life. It’s almost like replacing your body with a mannequin’s body. I call it trying to run underwater. So I think that’s the biggest thing that really is the hardest, to really get people to understand and to empathise.”
The interview was recorded back in December but only posted online yesterday (March 6). Just weeks after it took place, Taylor went on to cancel his previously scheduled North American solo tour, citing his struggles with his well-being.
“For the past several months my mental and physical health have been breaking down, and I reached a place that was unhealthy for my family and I,” he wrote in a statement.
“I know this decision will come as a shock to some and may be regarded as unpopular by others – but after taking a hard look at where I am and where I was going, I need to pull myself back and be home with my family for the time being,” he added, also telling fans that those who had already bought tickets would be issued a refund.
The tour was in celebration of his second solo album ‘CMFT2’, which arrived back in September and saw him play a series of tour dates across Europe and the UK.
Ahead of the album release, Taylor spoke to NME about the project, and explained how the songs see him explore his complex battle with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I didn’t want to just be about me and my experiences – I wanted it to be a bridge between people who are dealing with PTSD and the people who are desperately trying to understand the nuances of what people have to go through,” he explained. “It’s one of the reasons why it tears families apart and went so undiagnosed for so many years – we never recognised the rainbow of symptoms and issues that come with it.
“The song is a reflection of what I’ve done with The Taylor Foundation, to try raise money and awareness for these people who have told me that my music has helped them get through tours of duty or get them through night shifts with the emergency services or law enforcement,” he added. “If I don’t try do something to help them when I see that there’s room to do so, then I don’t deserve to be in a position to call attention to anything. We’ve been able to do some really cool things and I’m really appreciative.”
As well as solo tour dates, Taylor is also set to hit the road with Slipknot again, with the metal icons announcing a 2024 UK and European tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their self-titled debut album.
“We are completely in reflection mode and reflection can bring tears. Reflection can bring smiles. Reflection can bring energy. Now, we are in a place that we never imagined we would be 25 years on. We’re standing really strong and we’re better as people,” he told NME.
“I think all of us are really, really happy about what we’re creating to the point where we’re scared a little bit. That fear is what we live for and that’s what we’ve always done. That’s why we’re still here.”
He continued: “We’re going back to basics. I’m ready to kick everybody in the face again! I’m ready to do a 100-person venue again! I’m ready to do a 500-person venue…”