The mystery of the newest Slipknot member looks set to continue for some time, with the band revealing they won’t confirm his identity, even if fans correctly guess it.
Earlier this year, fans of Slipknot were taken aback to learn that longtime percussionist Chris Fehn was out of the band, having sued them over some allegations regarding the handling of financials.
While rumours about original vocalist Anders Colsefini rejoining the band surfaced, the group eventually revealed that they had a new member. Dubbed “Tortilla Man” due to his appearance, the identity of this new member has not been revealed, despite efforts from fans to unmask this new musician.
Even the band themselves noted they were surprised that no one had figured out their new member, with guitarist Jim Root conceding that Tortilla Man is indeed a rather elusive character.
“I’m actually surprised that nobody has sussed out who it is yet, but nobody has,” Root explained. “And in this day and age of social media, with phones and cameras everywhere, that’s kinda interesting.
“Eventually someday someone’s going to figure it out…”
Check out Corey Taylor’s Trunk Nation interview:
Now, Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has joined in on the fun, telling Sirius XM’s Eddie Trunk that the band are loving the hype and mystery surrounding their new member.
“I did an interview with Rock Feed news like a week ago or so, and I said that it was Tito Puente,” Taylor joked. “And people who had never heard of Tito Puente were, like, ‘Oh my God! He totally revealed who [it is].’ I’m, like, ‘Are you kidding?’
“It is amazing the level of ridiculousness that not only permeates this band but permeates the fandom of this band. I’m just sitting back going, ‘I’ll feed you guys whatever.’ I mean, it’s beautiful. Just laying those little clues and people lose their minds. It’s awesome.”
Although Corey Taylor noted he had “seen a couple” of guesses about the band’s latest addition, he explained that “none of ’em have been right so far”.
“For us, it’s more about just keeping the spirit alive,” he continued. “‘New guy’ doesn’t care. Even if somebody gets it right, we’re not gonna confirm it.
“It’s one of those things. For us, it’s more about getting the band out there. Because, to be honest, the one thing that kind of reminded us that the band is more important is that even after the album came out, people were still into the band no matter who was in it.
“So, to us, it’s a reminder that the band is more important than worrying about conjecture about who ‘Tortilla Guy’ is. So we just basically politely answer those questions, but never fully commit to any correct answers.”
In related news, Slipknot’s Shawn “Clown” Crahan recently revealed that the band are hoping to release a full album of tracks recorded by some of the group’s members during the recording sessions for All Hope Is Gone.
While the existence of the album was revealed last year, Clown explained that the band hope to release it during their current album cycle.
Meanwhile, the band are also set to hit up Australian shores later this year, when they accompany Metallica on the long-awaited Aussie leg of their WorldWired tour.
Check out ‘Solway Firth’ by Slipknot:
Metallica’s WorldWired Australia Tour 2019
With special guests Slipknot
Thursday, October 17th
Optus Stadium, Perth, WA
Sunday, October 20th
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, SA
Tuesday October 22nd (Sold Out)Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, VIC
Thursday October 24th
Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, VIC
Saturday October 26th
ANZ Stadium, Sydney, NSW
Tuesday, October 29th
QSAC, Brisbane, QLD
Thursday, October 31st (Sold Out)Mt. Smart Stadium, Auckland, NZ
Saturday, November 2nd
Mt. Smart Stadium, Auckland, NZ
Tickets available through Live Nation
