How Slipknot Convinced Me to Move to Iowa

Posted on October 17, 2022 at 10:44 AM by The Biker Lawyers

An Iowan’s Perspective

When a rock fan looks at the state of Iowa, one band usually comes to mind: the 9 masked members of one of rock’s biggest bands in modern history, Slipknot.

I remember when I moved to Iowa nearly 6 years ago and the first thing I thought about was, ‘Well, Slipknot is from Iowa, so the area clearly knows what awesome music is.’ And you know what? Past Ned was not wrong!

Anyone in the rock world knows who Slipknot is, and here in Iowa, many rock fans have a story of how they discovered the band hailing from Des Moines. For me, a Midwesternerner native to Michigan, it took a bit to hear about this band coming from Iowa in masks.

I first heard of Slipknot back in the early 2000s, probably 2002 to be exact. I was late in my Freshman year in high school and I didn’t go anywhere without my trusty portable CD player. This was also during the time that fellow students would bring their massive CD folder with them everywhere, or even better, pay a friend to burn a CD of songs from their computer and make a mix CD for a small fee.

During this time, pop-punk was all the rage with bands like Sum 41, Good Charlotte, Blink-182, you name it…it was pop-punk fun and people wearing skinny ties, like me.

One day a friend of mine had me put on his headphones as we were between classes of Phys Ed and History class, he said ‘You gotta hear this.’ I popped on his gross headphones and I heard the lyrics…

“You are all f***ed and overrated I think I’m gonna be sick and it’s your fault.”

I took off the headphones and thought, what the hell was this? I thought it was hilarious…I actually laughed out loud (before LOL was a thing)!

Just a taste to spawn an addiction

 

Little did I know at the time, this was my first taste of this Iowa band named Slipknot, off their newest album ‘Iowa’ and the song named ‘Everything Ends.’

I popped the headphones back on then an onslaught of sound took over my head…it was angry, violent, and unlike anything, I had heard at the time. I liked some metal at the time, but this was different, this was something I felt like I wasn’t supposed to be part of! There were plenty of kids in school that loved music like this and they were usually the goth outcasts-looking kids, and I just didn’t entirely run that route.

The day went on, and I asked my friend at the end of the school day…’ Dude can you burn me that CD?’ I guess that was the first time that I really was diving into this dangerous heavy metal world that my little pop-punk mind wasn’t quite sure about. I got the CD, brought it home, and songs like People = Shit, Left Behind would play on repeat…but it wasn’t until I heard ‘The Heretic Anthem’ that solidified it, I was then and forever a stone-cold Slipknot fan.

Just look up the video for Heretic Anthem from the Disasterpieces DVD and you’ll see why this band is unlike anything else out there… and they came from Iowa.

The Death of Pop-Punk

Pop-punk life kinda faded away over time, sure I listen to those old CDs from time to time, but it was Slipknot that kept going.

Bands like Disturbed, MudvayneBreaking Benjamin, Chevelle, Nonpoint, and Sevendust, all started painting a clearer picture of lastability in music for me, and it all started with a burned CD of a guy telling me that I’m f*** overrated and it’s my fault from Iowa.

About The Biker’s Ambassador of Rock

If you live in the Cedar Valley in Iowa, you probably know Ned. If not, you surely know his voice! Ned, the Music Director at Rock 108, is known for his energetic personality, wild spirit, and love for all things Live rock. In an epic collaboration with Rock 108, Ned will be presenting excellent inside experiences to our motorcycle riding community exclusively here so subscribe to the blog and check back every week to see what Ned’s up to next!

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