Under most circumstances, if you walk up to an artist and tell him that his self-portrait is hideous, you're likely to get a black eye. But tell Slipknot percussionist and photographer Shawn Crahan that his picture "Self" is ugly and he'll smile and thank you from the bottom of his heart.
For Crahan, art doesn't simply exist to mirror beauty. He'd rather evoke sensations of dread and awareness of death through images that are sometimes difficult to look at, but impossible to ignore. With his latest picture for "The Eye of a Clown" he's exhumed the torment from his soul and splashed it across the screen for everyone to marvel at. And in doing so, he has once again transformed something disgusting into something strangely appealing. Click "more" to check out "Self" and read Crahan's comments. Read more...
photo by P.R. Brown
As he proved yet again by co-directing the band's evocative new video "Dead Memories," Slipknot percussionist Shawn Crahan (a.k.a. Clown) isn't just good at hitting things, he's also got the mind of an artist and a keen eye for detail. In addition to expressing himself through videos, Crahan has taken thousands of creative photos over the years, and we're proud that he's chosen HeadbangersBlog.com as a platform to exhibit some of the shots in a weekly guest blog filled with candid commentary. Click "more" to see the second installment of "The Eye of a Clown." Read more...
And now, to close out HeadbangersBlog.com's celebration of the 20th anniversary of "Headbangers Ball," we bring you the premiere of Slipknot's new video "Dead Memories." The song comes from the band's most recent album All Hope is Gone and was written by singer Corey Taylor about the painful collapse of his marriage to his ex-wife. The video was co-directed by Paul Brown and band percussionist Shawn Crahan (a.k.a. Clown). Click more for Clown's interpretation of the clip and then watch it right here. Catch it again tonight on "Headbangers Ball," which will commemorate its 20th anniversary this week with a special two hour program that starts at 10 p.m. EST. Read more...
The second video from Slipknot's All Hope is Gone, "Dead Memories," will premiere on HeadbangersBlog.com and MTV2 on October 25. The clip was co-directed by Paul Brown and percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan.
"It's actually a short film," Crahan says. "This is a very expensive video and most people thought we were going to bite off way too much, and we did, but that's the way we like it."
We'll hear more from Crahan when we post the video. For now, click more to see the teaser. Read more...
