Slipknot’s Corey Taylor Talks Combating Racism in Metal
Slipknot‘s Corey Taylor opened up about racism in the metal community following Phil Anselmo’s outburst at this year’s Dimebash and the steps in which Slipknot is taking to eradicate intolerance in their own audience. “I don’t ever want our fans to feel like we’re judging them because of color, religion, culture, upbringing, etc. We welcome everyone, we always have and we always will,” Taylor told The Guardian.
While Taylor didn’t comment on the Anselmo situation directly because he wasn’t at Dimebash and hasn’t seen video of the incident, the Slipknot singer instead tackled the broader issue of racism in metal.
“This is a bigger problem than what happened that night,” Taylor said. “Slipknot has dedicated itself to bringing people together, to fighting racism, to fighting hate in general since the day we were started. I don’t have time for people who judge other people by the color of their skin. If that in itself offends some of my fans, then I’m sorry, you’re wrong.”
Taylor recognized that racism is an issue that spans all genres of music, including a small fraction of the metal community. However, the singer will continue making efforts to fight racism among his own fans.
“I know there is a problem in metal, and it all comes down to, at least in America, where you grow up and what that culture is passed on from: parents, family members, friends, adults. It’s a generational thing,” Taylor said. “I thought we were close to phasing it out, but unfortunately I was proven wrong. So I just dedicate myself to fighting it. It’s across the board in music, though – it’s not a specifically metal thing. But it has come up in the metal community. It’s risen its ugly head because of the incident we’re talking about,” referring to Anselmo saying “White power” and giving a Nazi salute at Dimebash.
Anselmo has since apologized for his actions. Following the incident, Anselmo’s band Down was dropped from the Netherlands’ FortaRock festival, and the singer himself advised his Down band mates to continue on without him.