'I Had to See If You Were Human' - Slipknot's Clown Recalls First Time Seeing Joey Jordison Play

It's safe to say that seeing Joey Jordison had an immediate impact on Shawn Crahan and the percussionist recalled that experience while speaking with producer Rick Rubin on the Tetragrammaton podcast.

Before Slipknot started, most of the members had played in Des Moines-area bands and Crahan told Rubin about his experience catching a young Joey Jordison in action behind the drum kit, as well as his first interaction with the musician after they were playing on the same bill.

What Does Shawn Crahan Recall of Seeing Joey Jordison Play for the First Time?

“I remember going out to Joey cause he got done with his set. He went outside to get some air and I walked outside, I was older than everyone and I could get a beer and I walked outside and I was just staring at him," recalled Crahan.

"We didn’t know each other and he looked at me and he’s like, ‘What?’ And I was like, ‘I just had to see if you were human.’ I was like, ‘Whoa, you are a real person. Wow, congratulations man. In my life I’ve never seen … I didn’t know you could play drums like that,’” shared Crahan.

Though they connected that night, it would be some time before Jordison's arrival in Slipknot's plans occurred.

How Did Joey Jordison Join Slipknot?

A little later in the chat, Crahan discussed the early days of Slipknot and having the initial idea of employing three drummers within the group. Though they were not nine-deep yet, there was the base of an idea and it was something the intrigued Jordison enough to come down to their studio for a jam.

According to Crahan, he was in Colorado at the time when he learned Paul Gray had invited Jordison to the studio and he left his home to travel back to Iowa just to see how things would go.

Crahan played first before letting Jordison use his drum kit and make his adjustments to fit his playing.

“What I remember most besides what he was doing was the incredible ability to retain what those guys had just played with me. It was like a tornado hit my life and I was just like, ‘I have no idea what’s happening right now.’ But I was so impressed and he had just heard it once. I was the drummer, disregarded, and taken to a level of insanity,” shared Crahan.

But despite how well things had gotten, Crahan recalls Jordison giving him some pushback when asked about joining the group.

“We got done with practice and I went outside to Joey and said, ‘Are you in or out?’ And he’s like, ‘I gotta think about it.’ I’m a pretty aggro person and I got right up in his face and I was like, ‘What do you mean you gotta think about it? There’s no thinking about it. You’re either in or you’re out. That’s not how this works son.’”

Eventually Jordison signed on and the friendship grew, but Crahan says several years later Jordison confessed that had Crahan not let him in the band, he would've taken the three-drum idea and put something together that fit more of his style.

How Did Joey Jordison Impact Shawn Crahan?

Toward the end of the podcast, Crahan was asked what's changed in the band and what's exactly the same. That moment of reflection brought him back to speaking about Jordison and confiding, “I miss my dudes. Joey used to get on me man. He was the one and he made me the best I could ever be. I like to think I did that to him. I used to say we were nemeses because we always just argued, but it’s not until someone’s gone that you realize they bring the best out of you.”

Jordison remained a member of Slipknot from 1995 until 2013. The drummer later revealed health issues played a factor in the split. Jordison died in his sleep on July 26, 2021 at the age of 46.