photo by Jon Wiederhorn

Following a week long hiatus, the Clown is back. Slipknot percussionist and artist Shawn Crahan has dusted off his picture boxes and combed through his gnarled memory to bring us some of his most striking images to date. We begin this week with "After the Show," a shot of a girl with a cigarette that's aglow with color and life. What blows us away isn't her bright blue hair, it's that rough, weatherbeaten hand with chipped black nail polish that makes us wonder if she's been working in a machine shop -- or worse. Click "more" to see the pic and read Clown's comments. Read more...

Following a week-long hiatus, we'll resume our photo guest blog with Slipknot percussionist Shawn Crahan (Clown) tomorrow, and in the months ahead we've we posting some of his most surreal, sexy, funny and disturbing pictures to date. But for now, check out the last installment of Clown photos we've posted over the past six months. Click "more" to see such stuff as screams are made of. Read more...

Here's the second of three batches of photos we've posted over the past six months from Slipknot percussionist Shawn Crahan (a.k.a. Clown) for his weekly "The Eye of a Clown" guest photo blog. Click "more" to see all of the photos and read Clown's revealing commentary. Read more...

"Glassghostboys" by Shawn Crahan

Pretty much every week for the past six months, we've posted a photo by Slipknot percussionist and creative force, Shawn Crahan (a.k.a. Clown). Some have been hypnotic, others have been disturbing, but they've all been surreal and evocative. Over the rest of the week we'll post links to everything that's gone up so far, and get ready for another six months of Clown's creations starting next week. Click "more" to see the first batch and read Crahan's comments. Read more...

photo by Jon Wiederhorn

Having shot a couple dozen or so videos, Slipknot have become masters of the art -- so much so that percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan has co-directed the last two of the band's clips with Paul Brown. The latest, "Sulfur," is visually stunning, creepy and conceptual in a way the Iowa band have never been before. Click "more" to read Crahan's description of the video and to watch the Internet premiere. See it again on Saturday on "Headbangers Ball," which airs from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. on MTV2. Read more...

photo by Jon Wiederhorn

For most of his weekly HeadbangersBlog.com photo posts, Slipknot percussionist Shawn Crahan (a.k.a. Clown) has sent us single-frame images that have been warped and manipulated either in the developing stage or in post-production. This week, however, he sent us a composite of images of fellow percussionist Chris Fehn, which was created using a digital camera's preset mode. By gauging where each of 16 equally sized frames would wind up in the image, Crahan employed mathematics, creativity and luck to create this week's striking image. Click "more" to see the picture and read Crahan's comments. Read more...

Check out "Headbangers Ball" this Saturday night for the debut of Slipknot's "Sulfur" video. The clip was shot in Los Angeles in February and directed by band percussionist Shawn Crahan (a.k.a. Clown) and P.R. Brown. The video depicts the nine members rocking out in groups of three and submerged in water one at a time. The video concept was modeled after a video installation by Bill Viola called "Ascension" that's currently on display at the Des Moines Arts Center. Click "more" to watch a preview of the video. Read more...

photo by Jon Wiederhorn

In magic, it's important that the hand be quicker than the eye. The opposite often applies in photography, a medium in which the mind need to anticipate what's coming up before the finger clicks on the the trigger. It's kind of like being a good athlete or surviving on the battlefield. What you see isn't enough, and can often be deceptive. To thrive, it's essential to rely on instinct, experience and an indefinable sixth sense.

In his latest submission to "The Eye of a Clown," Slipknot percussionist Shawn Crahan chooses a grisly photo to explains how a good shot sometimes comes when you least expect it, and only if you're ready when the image reveals itself. Click "more" to see "Clownhead" and read Crahan's comments. Read more...

photo by Jon Wiederhorn

Generally, Slipknot percussionist and photographer Shawn Crahan (a.k.a. Clown) shoots eccentric characters and unsettling subject matter and then uses various unconventional tools to manipulate the images into things that are even more bizarre or macabre. But for "Sister Brother Devil" Crahan used a computer plug-in called Mirror to summon the beast. Click "more" to see the photo and read Clown's comments. Read more...

Last week, we posted a lengthy, comprehensive interview with Isis frontman Aaron Turner about the band's new album Wavering Radiant, which comes out May 5. Turner also discussed the band's development, the power of trance-metal and the state of the music industry. Click "more" to hear the podcast, listen the Wavering Radiant track "20 Minutes/40 Years" and find out what else you might have missed if you weren't glued to HeadbangersBlog.com all last week. Check out our  Twitter site regularly to stay on top of every new post. Read more...