Slipknot Clown says movie industry isn't all it's cracked up to be

Slipknot's Clown performing at Download 2014
Slipknot's Clown performing at Download 2014 (Image credit: Getty)

Slipknot’s Clown says the movie business isn’t all it’s cracked up to be after he directed his first film, Officer Downe.

The percussionist, real name Shawn Crahan, says both the movie and music industries are ultimately the “same animal, just packaged differently” – but that rock’n’roll is much more fun.

He tells Loudwire: “Maybe I thought the movie business would be a little bit different than the rock ‘n’ roll business, but, in fact, they’re the same animal just packaged differently. The business is still very precise and very pristine to the output of it.

“So, I think that’s the only thing I was hoping that maybe the corporate world would be a little bit separate to give me a break – but it ended up all being the same thing.

“It’s not even close to being as fun as rock ‘n’ roll. The music business is just pirates and fun and it’s just out there. The movie business is the ‘here and the now.’”

Clown recalls seeing a star-studded movie production near his own film set one day and being surprised at how run-of-the-mill it seemed.

He adds: “Big movie stars just pulled up in normal cars and had normal clothes and were just having the bottom of the ladder people tell them where to go and giving them tickets for lunch. I’m like, ‘That person is huge and they’re just getting treated mediocrely. I can’t believe it!’

“If they came over into my world, everybody is treated pretty well out there. So, it’s a big difference between the two for sure.”

Clown says that Officer Downe has been confirmed for this year’s LA Film Festival later this year – but further release details for Officer Downe will be revealed in due course.

Meanwhile, Slipknot are currently touring North America with Marilyn Manson and Of Mice And Men.

Slipknot remaining tour dates 2016

Jul 13: Noblesville Klipsch Music Center, IN
Jul 15: Oshkosh Rock USA, WI
Jul 14-16: Cadott Rock Fest, WI
Jul 17: Bridgeview Chicago Open Air, IL
Jul 19: Toronto Air Canada Centre, ON
Jul 20: Montreal Bell Centre, QC
Jul 21: Quebec Videotron Centre, QC
Jul 23: Syracuse Lakeview Amphitheater, NY
Jul 24: Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center, NY
Jul 26: Bristow Jiffy Lube Live, VA
Jul 27: Camden BB&T Pavilion, NJ
Jul 29: Clarkston DTE Energy Music Theatre, MI
Jul 30: Burgettstown First Niagara Pavilion, PA
Aug 02: Charlotte PNC Music Pavilion, NC
Aug 04: Maryland Heights Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, MO
Aug 05: Des Moines Wells Fargo Arena, IA
Aug 07: Denver Pepsi Center, CO
Aug 09: Salt Lake City USANA Amphitheatre, UT
Aug 11: Auburn White River Amphitheatre, WA
Aug 13: Concord Concord Pavilion, CA
Aug 14: Inglewood The Forum, CA
Aug 17: Chula Vista Sleep Train Amphitheatre, CA
Aug 19: Albuquerque Isleta Amphitheater, NM
Aug 20: Phoenix Ak-Chin Pavilion, AZ
Aug 21: Las Vegas MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, NV
Aug 25: Dallas Gexa Energy Pavilion, TX
Aug 26: Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, TX
Aug 27: Austin 360 Amphitheater, TX
Sep 25: San Manuel Ozzfest Meets Knotfest, CA
Oct 15-16: Toluca Knotfest, Mexico
Nov 05: Tokyo Knotfest, Japan

Shawn Crahan: 10 Facts About Slipknot's Clown

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.