Paul Gray Interview

"Our brother will be greatly missed. The world will be a different place without him". 

PAUL: Yeah, I was born and raised in LA, and I love Los Angeles, I really do, but I met the greatest people out here. I have some of the best friends in the world out here. So, yeah, I'd never move I don't think from here. My family's here too. My brother, my nieces, my mom, and uh my stepdad. And uh, yeah. you know it's...I mean, this..this..this town actually saved my family in a way, saved my family's life in a way, and mine, so I really really owe. So, I owe this city and state. So, I'm not leavin'.   

(CUT to backstage footage - Paul and wife)

PAUL: Yeah, yeah, I had a fuckin' crazy childhood, crazy growing up, you know, I mean uh pretty fucked up childhood. I've been kind of like living on my own since I was fourteen, doing my own thing and everything. Um, living with friends. Homeless. Uh, had my own actual apartment when I was almost seventeen, like, sixteen and nine months. I grew up a poor fuckin'...you know, we had no money. Livin' in shitty fuckin' roach infested apartments, you know, my whole fuckin' life. So, uh, you know the little bit of money she had was enough for a down payment on a house out here. You know what I mean? It was like our first actual house. And I got out here, and uh met some people. I didn't know anybody for about six months actually, I was down in a music store, and uh, met our original singer for Slipknot, um, down there. They were talking about needing...he was talking about needing a bass player for a band, and I never played bass in my life, but I was like 'I don't know anybody, so fuck it, I can play a bass. I'm like here, right?. Yeah, I know how to play'. I never even touched a fuckin' bass...yeah, I never played a bass before in my life.

(CONCERT FOOTAGE)

PAUL: Fuck, it's Clown. I mean, have you ever seen a show? I mean, come on, it's Clown. I mean, dude, he was one of the founding members of the band. I mean his energy, his whole...his live show, his..dude, he's just a talented fuckin' awesome individual, you know, and he brings...I mean...sometimes he brings fuckin, you know, shit to make people pissed off or whatever, you know, or as happy as fuck. I don't know, you know, it's all kinds of different things. You know I mean like, he's just Clown man, and it's uh...you know, without him, there would be no Slipknot.  

(BACKSTAGE FOOTAGE OF SLIPKNOT, SHAWN AND PAUL EMBRACING BEFORE A SHOW)

PAUL: Joey's the fuckin' best drummer in the fuckin' world. Hands down. And fuckin' my best friend you know, so there you go.

(CRACKLY concert footage)

PAUL: What does Corey bring to the pan? I mean, he brings some of the fuckin'...you know, the best fuckin' vocals I've ever heard in fuckin'...the best...some of the best lyrics I've ever fuckin' read, and you know, just one of the greatest fuckin' human beings I've ever met, you know. 

(CONCERT FOOTAGE - PAUL and COREY sing "SPIT IT OUT", JOEY'S drum kit revolves in the background)

PAUL: Jim, fuckin' coolest dude, sweetest dude you know. I mean, amazing guitar player. Dude can fuckin' shred. Me and him both have a little OCD complex, so we get along really well on that. We used to have to share rooms, you know back in the day when we were all like packed in, whatever, and it was always like me and Jim together, because fuckin' like that room would be spotless, and fuckin nice and organized, so yeah, Jim's awesome. I love Jim. 

(CONCERT FOOTAGE - PAUL and JIM)

PAUL: Mick's awesome too. A fuckin' great guitar player. Fuckin'...and he's also...you know, I've known Mick for for...fuck...you know, longer than some of the guys in the band, you know. I've been in other bands with Mick, so you know, me and Mick have come a...you know, been together for a long time. So you know, he's like one of my old like...like one of my oldest bro's.

(CONCERT FOOTAGE - PAUL and MICK headbanging)

PAUL: Fuckin...he brings...you know what, uh...his youth still, you know what I mean? He's still...even though he's, you know getting up there in age with everybody else, like I mean his...his fuckin' weird ass energy man. He's got a weird energy you know, and it's awesome...you know it's like uh...just the way he thinks about things and stuff, and Sid's, I mean...watching, seeing Sid change over like over the years like from when he first joined this band, to where he is now, and like growing up, you know what I kind of mean? He joined the band when he was a kid and uh...

VOICE OFF: How old was he?

PAUL: Fuck, I think he was like twenty when he joined the band...twenty...yeah, he had to be like twenty, and uh...or twenty-one, twenty-one actually you know, and uh...but twenty-one like going on thirteen, you know what I mean? It was awesome to see him actually fuckin', you know, fuckin' just grow up into Sid, man. You know, just badass. It's really cool. He's a smart guy too. Sid's a fuckin' really smart guy, a lot smarter than people give him credit for. 

(MANIC CONCERT FOOTAGE)

PAUL: Craig's my fuckin' drinking buddy, dude. Me and Craig will be at the bar later on tonight, so you know that's another thing. You know, it's like, all these guys, I have known them forever because we've all been in bands. You know, like in different...I mean, everybody in this band has been in another band we've all played together in different bands, you know, different shows, everything like that, so it's like, all these people I've known forever, it's like I mean, like I said, they're in my family so Craig, he's...he's like fuckin' Craig, he's the silent fuckin' (laughs) he doesn't talk, he doesn't whatever...but we get, you know, we know what's up, you know. Like I don't have to say a word to Craig, but I know what's up with Craig.

VOICE OFF: Right...

PAUL: And see, he doesn't have to say a word back, you know, just kind of can sit there and drink our beer, and we just know what's going on. 

(BACKSTAGE FOOTAGE - PAUL and CRAIG)

PAUL: Chris is "Bud", he's hilarious. Chris brings, I think, some comedy to...Chris is, I think, yeah...you know, Chris was like yeah you know, the...I guess kind of like...we put Chris through some hazing in the beginning, you know what I mean, and the way he stuck it out...and then we put Chris through a lot of hazing, during touring too, not intentionally, but uh, you know, man, he's he's a great guy. You know, he really is, and uh, and um, you know he really bring a lot of laughter to the band. He like lightens up the whole thing. You know like nine people together constantly, you know, you're going to get friction, so you know yeah, to break the ice sometimes, yeah - you definitely need that guy. Definitely need that guy (laughs) you know? And also, dude, he's just awesome you know? I mean, fuck.

(BACKSTAGE FOOTAGE - PAUL and CHRIS)

PAUL: I mean every person in this band, I mean, uh, you know, they're elementally alive dude, you couldn't you know...we couldn't have the band without...I mean, we've done shows without people. You know, obviously like when people gotten hurt, or you know Shawn's had some family problems you know, and stuff like that, and it's never the same. You know it's like fuckin', does not feel like the band, until everybody's there, so you know so as far as that goes, you know, uh, everybody makes up this whole thing.

(CONCERT FOOTAGE)

PAUL: We all kind of, you know, uh, got each other's back, and always have a shoulder for somebody to put their head on, you know what I mean? It's kind of like that, you know, it's like we're family, so, yeah, we do need each other (pauses, takes a long drag of cigarette) I don't see a day that I won't want to do this anymore, but I mean eventually I know, I'm, you know...this is going to end sometime, you know, fuck...I can't do it forever, and when it does you know, I'm going to be proud of what we've done, you know, cuz it's amazing, you know, but uh I don't, I don't, like, I don't even think about that day, you know what I mean? It's not anything in my head right now, so you know, I don't...I don't even want to fuckin' even go near that thought.