The guitarist confesses to fanboying over Sting and loving pop music in a new interview.
When one thinks of Slipknot, they may not immediately assume that the band members are huge pop fans. But in a new interview, guitarist Jim Root confessed that not only does he love pop music, but he had his mind blown by Ariana Grande's music.
While speaking to Jim for Ireland's Joe, interviewer Dave Hanratty said that he considered Slipknot a pop band, clarifying that he means that "with the ultimate respect."
"I consider that a compliment!" responded Jim. "I love pop music -- not necessarily modern pop music, but I was introduced to Brit pop, kinda found that later on after it bloomed and happened...When we first started touring, we'd do these in-stores constantly, like in the UK, these crazy in-stores all over Europe...they were at the record stores that were around at the time, and they'd let you pick CDs out when we were done...that's when I started discovering Bjork and Portishead, then Radiohead, Blur, and Oasis, that type of pop music."
Jim goes on to say that he hasn't gotten deep into modern pop -- he calls himself "jaded on it" -- but then mentions that he was impressed when one of his team played him some Ariana Grande.
"One of the girls at our management company was listening to some Ariana Grande, and I didn't know that that's what she was listening to," he recounts. "I was like, 'What is that? That's awesome! That's got, like, a vibe to it, you know?' She told me what it was, and I was kind of mind blown.
Watch the whole interview below:
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Slipknot are currently on tour in the UK, so make sure you catch them -- and yell for Jim to play Seven Rings -- at one of the following dates:
January
24 Birmingham, United Kingdom – Birmingham Arena
25 London, United Kingdom – The O2
28 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome
29 Frankfurt, Germany – Festhalle
30 Paris, France – AccorHotels Arena
February
01 Luxembourg, Luxembourg – Rockhal
02 Lyon, France – Halle Tony Garnier
04 Budapest, Hungary – Sportarena
06 Lodz, Poland – Atlas Arena
08 Stuttgart, Germany – Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle
09 Munich, Germany – Olympiahalle
11 Milan, Italy – Mediolanum Forum
12 Zurich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion
14 Vienna, Austria – Stadthalle
16 Hamburg, Germany – Barclaycard Arena
17 Berlin, Germany – Mercedes-Benz Arena
18 Dortmund, Germany – Westfalenhalle
20 Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena
21 Stockholm, Sweden – Ericsson Globe
22 Oslo, Norway – Telenor Arena
24 Helsinki, Finland – Hartwall Arena
March
20 Tokyo, Japan – Knotfest Japan
21 Tokyo, Japan – Knotfest Japan
24 Singapore – Singapore Rockfest
27 Jakarta, Indonesia – Hammersonic Festival
29 Manila, Phillipines – Amoranto Stadium
July
31 Cologne, Germany – Stadium
August
01 Wacken, Germany – Wacken Open Air
07 Berlin, Germany – Waldbühne
10 Barcelona, Spain – Knotfest at Sea
22 Milton Keynes, United Kingdom – Knotfest UK
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