Corey Taylor slams Grammy Awards

Corey Taylor has taken aim at the Grammy Awards, calling the event a “popularity contest.”

Slipknot track Custer, Lamb Of God’s 512, Ghost’s Cirice, Sevendust’s Thank You and August Burns Red’s Identity will battle it out in the Best Metal Performance category at this year’s ceremony in Los Angeles.

The band have been nominated for seven Grammys in their 20 year career, picking up the Best Metal Performance gong for track Before I Forget in 2006. Asked what winning a Grammy would mean to him this time, Taylor says it would be “cool” but stresses it’s not important if they don’t.

He tells Finland’s Radio Rock: “I know a lot of people who put a lot of stock in it, but I keep telling them, ‘We’ve been nominated now like, God knows how many times. We won once. Cool. It’s a popularity contest – that’s all it is.’

“If it weren’t, if it were just about the music, you would see more metal bands – not including us – nominated in other categories – and you just don’t. It’s all a goddamn popularity contest, and I don’t have fucking time for that shit.”

“It’s like everybody lives and breathes by whether or not they’re gonna get this tiny statue. Why? So it can sit on a shelf and collect dust?“

Taylor adds: “To me, the real reflection of where you’re at is walking on that stage and seeing a massive audience lose their minds – that’s what it’s all about. You can take those statuettes all day long. I don’t care. It’s cool to win, but I’m not gonna fucking die if we don’t win a Grammy.”

Taylor echoes recent comments from Lamb Of God drummer Chris Adler – who also called the Grammys a “popularity contest.”

Winners will be announced at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, on February 15. The full list of nominations is available via the official website.

Slipknot are set to play five UK arena dates later this month with Sikth and Suicidal Tendencies.

Former TeamRock news desk member Christina joined our team in late 2015, and although her time working on online rock news was fairly brief, she made a huge impact by contributing close to 1500 stories. Christina also interviewed artists including Deftones frontman Chino Moreno and worked at the Download festival. In late 2016, Christina left rock journalism to pursue a career in current affairs. In 2021, she was named Local Weekly Feature Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards.