Jim Root: I put off having a family to dedicate my life to Slipknot

Slipknot's Jim Root (Image credit: Katja Ogrin/Redferns - Getty)

Slipknot’s Jim Root says he's put off having a family to dedicate his life to the band.

The guitarist was in conversation with Irish website Joe when he spoke about the hard work needed to carve out a successful career – and also touched on the grind of touring.

He said: “It’s a lot of work, a lot of sacrifice. It’s almost like you have two alternate realities that you live in. You have your home world and then your touring world.

“I’ve put off having a family because I knew that I was going to be gone on the road all the time, so when I go home it’s just, like… me. That’s a hard thing for me to wrap my brain around and it’s a little bit difficult sometimes.”

He added: “When we tour, we don’t just tour for a month or two and we’re done for the year – we tour six, eight, maybe sometimes nine or 10 months of the year.

"That’s a lot of time being away from home and over 20 years, I’m starting to realise at the age that I’m at now that it’s like, ‘Wow, I’ve kind of given my entire life to this band.' Willingly. I don’t regret it and I wouldn’t change a second of it. I’ve learned so much.”

Slipknot are currently on tour across the UK and Europe in support of their latest studio album We Are Not Your Kind.

The band will play in Birmingham tonight (January 24) and London on Saturday. they’ll follow that with an intimate studio session for BBC Radio 1’s Rock Show With Daniel P Carter.

Slipknot will return to the UK on August 22 for Knotfest UK at The National Bowl in Milton Keynes for a “mind-altering collision of music, art and culture.”

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Slipknot: 2020 UK and European tour
Jan 24: Birmingham Arena, UK
Jan 25: London The O2, UK
Jan 28: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, Netherlands
Jan 29: Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany
Jan 30: Paris AccorHotels Arena, France
Feb 01: Luxembourg Rockhal, Luxembourg
Feb 02: Lyon Halle Tony Garnier, France
Feb 04: Budapest Sportarena, Hungary
Feb 06: Lodz Atlas Arena, Poland
Feb 08: Stuttgart Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle, Germany
Feb 09: Munich Olympiahalle, Germany
Feb 11: Milan Mediolanum Forum, Italy
Feb 12: Zurich Hallenstadion, Switzerland
Feb 14: Vienna Stadthalle, Austria
Feb 16: Hamburg Barclaycard Arena, Germany
Feb 17: Berlin Mercedes-Benz Arena, Germany
Feb 18: Dortmund Westfalenhalle, Germany
Feb 20: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark
Feb 21: Stockholm Ericsson Globe, Sweden
Feb 22: Oslo Telenor Arena, Norway
Feb 24: Helsinki Hartwall Arena, Finland

Scott has spent 36 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 11 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.