Answering an anguished nation’s cry of, “But what does the guy from Slipknot think about Kanye West?,” last week Corey Taylor released a scathing video stating that Kanye West is not the world’s greatest living rock star. The new acting president of rock ‘n’ roll (Dave Grohl is currently nursing his broken leg) had spoken. Still, there were more than a few detractors, and the Slipknot frontman loved every minute of it.
Now Taylor, who presumably made the video so that reporters would have something to ask him about while he’s out promoting his book, You’re Making Me Hate You, tells Billboard—with presumed false amazement—“It’s so funny, man; it was like one little comment and now everybody’s talking about it and it’s just getting funnier and funnier.” Of course, plenty of people make little comments every day, just not all of them are said in videos shot on a soundstage featuring a guy about to go out on a promotional tour taking digs at one of media’s favorite loudmouths.
While the whole thing reeks of a publicity stunt, Taylor is not completely off base: The sometime Stone Sour frontman goes on to say that “Getting a Grammy is like getting a Teen Choice Award. Figure it out.” Having dropped that particular mic, Taylor continues: “If you’re gonna tell me (that) with Keith Richards still alive, with David Bowie still alive, with Paul McCartney still alive, that there’s even a comparison to Kanye West, then you just need to shut up and never try to say anything smart ever again.” (Maybe if either Kanye or Taylor would try to emulate any of those stylish rock stars who know their way around a hook, people wouldn’t think this was just a competition to see who’s the bigger asshole.)
Or maybe it’s not about the book at all. Perhaps this public feud is all leading up to the return of rap-rock—’90s nostalgia is big right now—as Kanye and Slipknot join forces for a new tune. It can be assumed that Taylor Swift will be brought in to sing the hook.