Vended frontman Griffin Taylor has opened up about the surreal experience of seeing his father Corey Taylor in his Slipknot mask for the very first time.
Speaking to Metal Hammer (as per Louder Sound), Griffin recalled the moment from his earliest years when he encountered his father transformed into his masked persona. The younger Taylor, who was just a baby or toddler at the time, described his father’s appearance as resembling “part goldfish, part potato”.
The encounter took place during Slipknot’s face stitch mask era, around the time of the band’s 2004 album Vol 3: The Subliminal Verses. Griffin explained that his babysitter had brought him backstage while the band prepared for their performance. “I got handed to him… and I was obviously taken aback, very curious, like, ‘Who the fuck is this guy?'” Griffin recounted. The confusion didn’t last long, however, as recognition dawned when Corey began speaking. “Then he started talking, like, ‘Hey buddy,’ and I just started feeling his mask and was fine.”
This early exposure to the theatrical side of metal clearly didn’t traumatise the young Griffin, who went on to follow in his father’s musical footsteps. Born in 2002 to Corey and his then-fiancée Scarlett, Griffin founded Vended in 2018 alongside Simon Crahan, son of Slipknot percussionist and co-founder Shawn “Clown” Crahan.
Vended have already made significant strides in the metal scene, supporting Slipknot on multiple occasions and self-releasing their self-titled debut album in 2024.
Corey previously discussed his feelings about his son’s musical pursuits in a 2023 interview with Metal Hammer, expressing both pride and paternal concern. “The dad in me is constantly worried about him,” he said. “He’s gonna be 21 this year, and I’m still, like, ‘Oh god…’
At the same time, I have to let him do his own thing, and I love what he’s doing – nobody is more proud than I am. Have I tried to give him advice? Sure, but he’s got that Taylor gene where you don’t learn anything unless you’ve had the shit kicked out of you.”
