Back in 2021, Slipknot’s Corey Taylor said of Machine Gun Kelly on a podcast, “I hate all new rock for the most part. I [hate] the artists who failed in one genre and decided to go rock — and I think he knows who he is. But that’s another story.” Kelly responded by dissing Taylor on stage and starting a feud.
Now, though, Kelly wishes he took a different approach. In the new Life In Pink documentary, Kelly says of the Taylor situation (as The Pit notes):
“It’s funny, the whole Slipknot issue (which really isn’t a Slipknot issue, it’s a Corey issue). That situation’s unfortunate because I think both of us let our egos get in the way. You know, I was a fan of Slipknot. I was a fan of Corey. That’s why I’d asked him to get on Tickets To My Downfall. He obviously had mutual respect, too, because he cut a verse. I kind of tried to give notes back, like, ‘Oh, you know, this wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, can we try this?’ And respectfully he was like, you know, ‘No.’ And I was like, ‘OK, cool.’ So we didn’t use it. You know, then I heard him on a podcast.”
He also addressed Taylor’s specific aforementioned comment more directly, saying, “That narrative always confused me. My most successful album was the album I just put out. Hotel Diablo, that’s a rap album that has a billion-plus streams. I could have handled it differently. I should have just picked up the phone and been like, ‘Hey dude, why would you say that?’ But instead, we all acted ridiculous.”
Slipknot is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.