The Slipknot lead vocalist talks about his journey to stay away from drugs and booze, crediting the Metallica frontman with inspiring him to kick out his addictions.
- Sep 16, 2023
AceShowbiz - Metallica's James Hetfield influenced Slipknot's Corey Taylor to get sober. Taylor - who battled drugs and alcohol issues - has been sober since 2010 and said seeing how Hetfield overcame his own addictions helped him to get clean.
"[I was] dealing with my own various addictions and fighting the depression that I had to deal with for years - the trauma that kind of came from when I was growing up," he said to Consequence of Sound.
"When he first started his journey, getting sober and getting healthy and whatnot, I looked at that, and I was, like, 'Well, s***, if he's strong enough to do it, maybe I can try it.' [Sobriety] had a big enough effect on me that, over the years, I've really tried to stick with it."
"In figuring that out, I also seen that there were so many people who were going down that path, as well. Jerry Cantrell had just gotten sober around that time, and he was starting to kind of put his steps together."
However, Taylor admitted getting sober was not easy. He said, "It takes time; it takes effort. I really have to give [Hetfield] a lot of credit for the inspiration for that… It definitely helped to know that I wasn't alone in it. And it certainly helped me clear my head and focus more. And really get down to writing again - really, truly writing."
Corey, 49, previously revealed his addictions took a toll on both his mental health and his ability to do his job as frontman. Speaking to Metal Hammer magazine, he said, "I was a full-blown alcoholic. I wanted to stay drunk so I could do horrible s*** because of my depression, because of my lack of self-confidence. I had become every cliche I hated because of it."
"You may have a family at home, but you may be running around f****** 10 chicks a night because of that lack of self-love. When you drink that much booze, who you are becomes very washy. There's something in you that's empty. Something in you that feels like chewing tinfoil."
"Health-wise, it was really f***ng me up. The first three months of working on [2004 LP] 'Vol.3' were a washout for me, because my voice was so shot from the boozing and the lifestyle."
