Slipknot Frontman Defends Smacking Phone Out Of Distracted Fan’s Hands

Slipknot's Corey Taylor recently smacked a cell phone out of a distracted fan's hands at a show, which may or may not be reasonable depending on where you stand on the whole "Technology Is Ruining Everything" debate. The band later posted a video of that memorable moment on their Facebook page to ensure that their…

Slipknot’s Corey Taylor recently smacked a cell phone out of a distracted fan’s hands at a show, which may or may not be reasonable depending on where you stand on the whole “Technology Is Ruining Everything” debate. The band later posted a video of that memorable moment on their Facebook page to ensure that their fans got the message. Taylor also responded to a Twitter mention about the incident:

… and he’s since responded to the debacle in a recent interview with the Las Vegas Review Journal. Here’s what he has to say about those pesky cell phones:

You were recently involved in a controversial situation where you smacked the cell phone out of someone’s hand at a show. What is your personal take of the connectivity/disconnectivity of cell phone usage?

You watch people walk down the street, and they can’t get their beaks out of their stupid phones to cross the street. I love watching people get buried in their tiny little technological worlds, and then reality comes and smacks them in the face.

I don’t mind people who take pictures. I don’t even mind people who shoot video. I love that because you’re still engaged in the show. A lot of people get the wrong idea, they think that if I just see someone on their phone, I’m trying to rage quit their fun. I’m not trying to do that at all.

But if I see someone, and it’s so obvious they’re not even there, you’ve got to poke them with a stick to get their attention sometimes. Sometimes that means smacking the phone out of their hands. You can hate me all you want. It’s not going to stop me from smacking those things out of people’s hands.

This particular Slipknot tour has been a rough one. Fans have been ejected from their shows more than once, and Taylor took a spill onstage last month after getting spinal surgery. To make things worse, Marilyn Manson has been steadily losing his mind on the same run. The only good thing Slipknot seem to have going is Deafheaven opening for them in September.