INTERVIEW: w/ M Shawn Crahan
Shawn Crahan, also known as Clown, is a multi-talented artist who is best known as the co-founder, percussionist, and creative visionary for the metal band Slipknot. But his artistic expression goes beyond music, as he also explores photography, painting, film, and podcasting. In a recent interview at Los Angeles Comic Con 2023, he shared his insights on his artistic process, his views on AI, his upcoming movie project, and his love for cameras of all kinds.
Shawn described himself as having “artistic schizophrenia” or being a “Renaissance man”, who uses various mediums to create one medium known as meaning. He said he likes to work with all things, especially things that have reached their limits or their expiration dates, and to transform them into something new and unexpected. He said he has a “neat way of taking all things to make one thing known as me”.
He also talked about how he deals with creative blocks, which he said are inevitable and painful. He said he waits for the “glass to break” or the “soul to break” and then he starts creating again. He said his art is “violent and painful” and that it is “trying to gnaw out”. He said he likes to challenge himself and to go beyond the boundaries of conventional art.
He also expressed his strong opinions on AI, which he said is a tool that he uses for his art. He said he understands the concerns of some artists who feel threatened by AI, but he told them to “shut the fuck up” and to “be a master”. He said AI was created by humans and that it is a brush or an instructor that needs human touch to make something good. He said he respects the masters of traditional art, but he also thinks they should embrace the change and the possibilities that AI offers. He said he hates it when people disrespect AI or the artists who use it.
He also revealed some details about his movie project, which he said is called Demon Werk. He said he has been writing it for 10 years and that it has changed so many times. He said he needs someone to come in and pay for his movie, and that he is ready to put his whole life on the line for it. He said he wants to employ everything he does in his movie, such as performing, music, writing, recording, poetry, photography, and wardrobe. He said he wants to tour his movie and to show it to his people in his own way. He said he is not making his movie for the corporate world or for anyone else, but for his own culture.
He also shared his passion for photography, which he said is his favorite medium. He said he likes Polaroid and medium formats, and that he likes to manipulate and experiment with them. He said he can use any camera, even a phone, and put his own world into it. He said he knows the programming and the limitations of cameras, and that he knows how to glitch them out. He said he is interested in pinhole cameras and in all processes of printing. He said art is everywhere and that he wants to capture it.
Shawn Crahan is a fascinating and prolific artist who has a lot to offer to the world of art. His interview was a glimpse into his mind and his vision, and it left us wanting to see more of his work and his movie. He is a true original who does not conform to any rules or expectations, and who pushes the boundaries of creativity and expression.
