SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan has shared the story behind the rather sinister looking goat on the band’s ‘Iowa’ album cover.
“That goat’s name is Eeyore,” the SLIPKNOT founder told Metal Hammer in a reflective look back on the 20th anniversary of the monumental album that is ‘Iowa’. Of course, “Eeyore” is the name of a hidden track inside of album closer “Scissors” on 1999’s Slipknot.
“My mentor who got me going into photography, Stefan Seskis, he shot the first album cover, I came up with the concept and I so badly wanted to shoot the second album cover, and I just couldn’t get it done. One day I handed him the goat,” Clown said.
When he returned to the studio, Seskis had taken several pics of the animal and it has gone on to incredible notoriety in the annals of SLIPKNOT. The 10th anniversary reissue of the record featured a different view of Eeyore.
“The cover has a lot of symbolic, metaphoric solutions in it for everyone in our culture,” Clown added. “I haven’t really explained it. It’s for the end times to put the whole picture together, so I’m not going to go into that.
“The cover is as important as the inside cover, which is the mirror I made. All these people think they know what Slipknot is, everyone wants to judge a book by its cover,” he continued. “But if you’re a good parent, and you’re checking out what your child is listening to, you open it up and you realize you’re already part of it. There you are. Your twisted little fucking self. Right there in that mirror, you’re already part of this timeframe called Iowa.”
SLIPKNOT will be hitting the road with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and CODE ORANGE this fall with the “Knotfest Roadshow”.
“Knotfest Roadshow” 2021 tour dates:
Sep. 25 – Des Moines, IA – National Balloon Classic Field*
Sep. 28 – Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Sep. 29 – Milwaukee, WI – American Family Insurance Amphitheater
Oct. 01 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
Oct. 02 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
Oct. 03 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater
Oct. 05 – Syracuse, NY – Lakeview Amphitheater – Syracuse
Oct. 08 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
Oct. 09 – Hartford, CT – XFINITY Theatre
Oct. 10 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
Oct. 12 – Camden, NJ – BB&T Pavilion
Oct. 13 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
Oct. 15 – Burgettstown, PA – S&T Bank Music Park
Oct. 17 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
Oct. 19 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Oct. 20 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
Oct. 22 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
Oct. 23 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Oct. 24 – Pelham, AL – Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
Oct. 26 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
Oct. 28 – Del Valle, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
Oct. 29 – The Woodlands, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion**
Oct. 30 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
Nov. 01 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
Nov. 02 – Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Pavilion
* Knotfest festival
** No CODE ORANGE