Corey Taylor
Corey Taylor, born December 8, 1973, is the lead singer of the Heavy Metal band Slipknot and vocalist of the Hard Rock band Stone Sour, the latter being formed prior to the commercial success of Slipknot.
Personal
Before his debut in a music career, Taylor worked in a sex shop called "The Adult Emporium". Having encounterd Corey while versusing his band Stone Sour in a concert, Slipknot members Mick, Paul and Shawn confronted Corey in said sex shop and threatened to " kick his ass if he didn't join Slipknot". In Slipknot, he goes by the pseudonym "8", wearing at first a dreadlocked mask and later a new, almost reptilian design, both of which somewhat resemble the mask of Leatherface, the chainsaw wielding maniac of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He has said that the mask is somewhat painful for him to wear. He lives in Des Moines, Iowa. He used to have an alcohol problem, but thanks to his wife, he overcame that addiction. He is married and has one child. The new Stone Sour album will be released August 22, 2006.
Masks
Corey Taylor's mask, which was initially made from a "CRASH TEST DUMMIES" halloween mask, is equipped with brown/blonde dreads. Some of the dreads were made of his real hair. He used to wear them through the mask, but he cut them off due to it being painful to pull them through and his ever changing hairstyle.
Corey's Vol 3: The Subliminal Verses mask has a strap that runs behind his head. It is a dark green/grey-ish, and has expressions of stitches molded into it. His current mask resembles a ghoul (some have also compared it to Leatherface). He doesn't have dreads anymore, and his own purple/blue/red-dyed hair is on display. This mask has also decreased the muffling of his voice caused by the older one. Taylor has said that the pain his new mask causes helps him give more aggressive vocals.
Most recently Slipknot has worn their "Death Masks" which are Greenish, lifeless masks made from molds of the band members faces.
The members of Slipknot appeared unmasked in their "Before I Forget" video, however they were careful not to reveal too much.
"Death"
In late 2004, unfounded rumors spread throughout the Internet that Taylor had died from an overdose, or alternately, a car accident. Apparently, many people took this rumor seriously. Slipknot fans and even family members called him and his wife, asking if he was alright. In the end to clarify things, Taylor even had to make the official statement, "I am not dead, motherfuckers".