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Shawn CrahanMusician, percussionist for Slipknot
Date of Birth: 24.09.1969
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Shawn Crahan
Musician, percussionist of SlipknotShawn Crahan, also known as the percussionist of the band Slipknot, is a musician best known for his role as the drummer-percussionist of Slipknot as well as his involvement in other bands such as To My Surprise and Dirty Little Rabbits. Despite being one of the oldest members of Slipknot, Shawn is also one of the most eccentric. He is considered the oldest member in two senses - as the very first member and co-founder of Slipknot alongside Paul Gray and Anders Colsefni, as well as the oldest musician in the band. Shawn is assigned the number 6 in Slipknot's lineup and wears a clown mask during the band's performances.
Masks
It was Shawn who came up with the idea of wearing masks. One day, he showed up to rehearsal wearing a clown mask. The guys laughed, but eventually they all started performing in masks themselves. With each new album, the members wore a new mask. For the album Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat, Shawn wore a regular mask of a smiling red-haired clown. For Slipknot, he wore a clown mask with a short nose and a smirk, with yellow jelly on his face. For Iowa, the previous friendly and smiling clown face was replaced with a terrifying demonic clown face. The mask had a number 6 carved on the forehead, symbolizing Shawn's position in the band. The entire surface of the mask was covered with a cut-out pentagram. The clown mask also had metal horns sticking out of the forehead, and visible brains that Shawn would douse in fake blood before concerts. For Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses, the evil clown was replaced with a pitiful and beaten clown. The mask now resembled a bandaged, bloodied head with an attached clown nose. Pieces of brain were visible on top of the mask. For All Hope Is Gone, Shawn's new mask was made of black leather and stitched with red and white threads. A large metallic clown nose was sewn onto the mask. There was a zipper on the mouth, starting from the lips and extending to the right ear. During the tour in support of the album, Shawn also wore another mask that resembled the one used in the early years: a cheerful smiling clown, but with a grayish complexion. He also wore a gray clown mask with a large nose, pink cheeks, and a straight smile. For .5: The Gray Chapter, Shawn, as always, made significant changes to his mask. The mask was large in size, with long red hanging hair and no round clown nose. Instead, there was a small red nose, with deep cuts for the mouth and eyes. A cut extended from the right side of the mouth to the right eye. During the Prepare for Hell Tour, he often modified the mask by styling the hair into a mohawk, painting it white, black, or silver-blue with different arrangements of blue stripes, painting it in black and white, creating dreadlocks instead of hair, and adding stockings, bags, and various rags to the mask. He also dyed the hair on the mask in pink and green. Currently, Shawn wears a clown mask similar to the first one, but with long red hair and distinct colors on his face, nose, and cheeks. During the summer tour in North America, Shawn also wore a mask that resembled the clown mask from the band's first album, but with pale skin and black-purple hair.
Side Projects
To My Surprise - Shawn's solo project, featuring Sa-Tone technician, One Minute Silence vocalist Brian Barry, and former Slipknot percussionist Brandon Darner (also known as Grouch).
Dirty Little Rabbits - an experimental alternative psychedelic rock band from Johnston, Iowa, presented as Shawn Crahan's side project.
The Black Dots of Death - A band founded by Shawn to create a new direction in music. Their first album, Ever Since We Were Children, was released on March 29, 2011. All the compositions can be found on their official website.
Production
Shawn served as the executive producer for Mudvayne's album L.D. 50, as well as 40 Below Summer's album Invitation to the Dance. He also produced the first album of Down the Sun.
