Slipknot’s Clown Eased His Son Simon Crahan Into Metal

Slipknot’s Shawn “Clown” Crahan didn’t play metal for his son Simon Crahan early on when he was growing up because he wanted him to discover Slipknot on his own.

Simon Crahan and Corey Taylor’s son, Griffin Taylor, are in a metal band together called Vended. But according to a new interview the pair did with metal YouTuber Nik Nocturnal, their dads didn’t push them to pursue careers in heavy music.

Vended have gotten a lot of heat since they played their first show in March of 2020. We can understand why it’s frustrating for them to constantly be compared to Slipknot, especially because it’s their dads’ band and they want to pave their own way.

From our perspective, though, it’s really cool when the kids of rock stars follow in their parents’ footsteps. Look at Taipei Houston, Bastardane and OTTTO — all three of which feature the sons of members of Metallica. And no one has to deal with more crap on the internet than Wolfgang Van Halen and his project Mammoth WVH.

Still, Simon and Griffin keep good spirits amidst everything. During the interview, they discussed their vast array of influences growing up, and Simon recalled his dad playing a lot of different genres while easing him into metal.

Vended, ‘The Far Side’

What Simon Crahan + Griffin Taylor Listened to Growing Up

“Growing up, my dad was very good about showing me new music every day,” Simon said, explaining that the car ride to his school was the perfect amount of time for him to learn a new song from his dad on the way there and another on the way back home.

“He’d show me Skrillex, and then he’d show me Helmet and he’d show me Snot and showed me all these different bands every single day. And I’m really thankful for it, because he got me to love jazz, classical music and all these different genres instead of just liking metal.”

Griffin’s experience was apparently pretty similar, he cited growing up with Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Paul Simon, Cat Stevens and other similar artists, mainly because of his mother’s taste. Later, he was introduced to Stone Sour, Green Day and Metallica.

How Simon Crahan Became a Fan of Slipknot

“Growing up, my dad didn’t want me to listen to metal right away, he wanted me to get used to other things,” Simon reiterated. “He wanted me to discover Slipknot by myself. So he’d play songs and be like, ‘This is your dad,’ and see if I liked it or I didn’t.”

Simon dove deeper into Slipknot’s discography on his own, discovering demos and hidden tracks and growing his appreciation for the band independent of his relationship to it.

“That’s how I knew I was like a Maggot,” he continued. “I still feel like I’m a fan even though I’m his son. And that’s the crazy feeling… I’ll listen to them all the time just because it makes me feel good.”

What Simon Crahan + Griffin Taylor Hope for Their Future Children

Later in the interview, Griffin shared his hopes that if he ever has kids one day, they become doctors or lawyers or a similar profession. Simon, on the other hand, joked that he hopes his son becomes a drummer so that he’ll also have to deal with being referred to as the child of a musician.

READ MORE: Corey Taylor Says Son Griffin Taylor Is a Better Musician at 20 Than He Was

“Then all the headlines are, ‘Vended’s Sons Start a New Band,'” Simon said.

“‘Slipknot’s Sons’ Vended’s Sons Start a New Band!'” Griffin added.

Watch the full interview below.

Simon Crahan + Griffin Taylor of Vended Interview With Nik Nocturnal