Corey Taylor reacts to Duff McKagan describing him as a young Bruce Springsteen: "That meant so much to me, 'cause I have not always been the easiest person to like in this business"

Recently, Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan had some kind words to say about Corey Taylor, and compared him to a "young Bruce Springsteen" who was "truly inspiring".

During a recent appearance on The Rockman Power Hour, the Slipknot frontman was questioned on how he felt after hearing the legendary bass guitarist's words. While noting that he's grateful for such compliments, the vocalist also described himself to be someone not "easy" to get along with.

He says (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): "Are you kidding me? I mean, there are not a lot of people in this business that I have more respect for than Duff McKagan. Not only is he one of my good friends, but he's...I mean, in terms of just people who have not only seen it all but they've been through hell and come back to live to tell about it, man."

On why McKagan's compliment was so impactful for him, Taylor continues: "When you grow up watching somebody going, 'Fuck, he's one of the coolest dudes in the world, and then all of a sudden his number is in your phone, it does things to your brain.

"So, when [Duff] said that [about me], when he wrote it, man, that meant so much to me 'cause I have not always been the easiest person to like in this business, let's put it that way. 'Cause I'm very free with my opinion — that's putting it nicely. I tend not to hold back. I'm not a dick, but I'm not kissing anybody's ass, man; I don't have to.

"So when I have somebody like that saying what he does… I try not to let the ego balloon get a little too big, I try to pop it with as many needles as I can, but at the same time, that's a huge thing to live up to."

Speaking of Springsteen and the other musical figureheads who have influenced his career as a frontman, Taylor adds: "I'd be lying if I didn't say that that's kind of where my vision lies with what I wanna do as a solo artist — hints of Springsteen, hints of Ozzy [Osbourne], a lot of Alice In Chains and vibes like that.

"I'm basically just trying to put my spin on everything that I've ever loved and doing it for an audience. So it's rad not only to feel the appreciation but to feel it from somebody like him who, he's been all over the world, he's in one of the biggest bands of all time, and he's just one of the best in the business. Yeah, it's a mindfuck. [Laughs]".

Listen to the interview below:

Earlier this week, the Slipknot vocalist shared the intense new solo single Post Traumatic Blues, lifted from his forthcoming second solo album, CMF2, due out on September 15, via Decibel Cooper/BMG.

As of November, Taylor will be hitting the road for a UK and European tour, with dates in Leeds, Wolverhampton, Glasgow, Paris, London, Berlin and more.

Find tour dates below:

Nov 08: Leeds O2 Academy, UK
Nov 09: Wolverhampton Civic, UK
Nov 11: Manchester Academy, UK
Nov 12: GlasgowO2 Academy, UK
Nov 14: London Eventim Apollo, UK
Nov 19: Paris Le Trianon, France
Nov 20: Cologne Palladium, Germany
Nov 22: Berlin Verti Music Hall, Germany
Nov 24: Tilburg 013, Netherlands

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Liz manages Louder's social media channels and works on keeping the sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.