Corey Taylor Felt a ‘Responsibility’ to Speak About His Childhood Sexual Assault
A couple weeks ago, Slipknot / Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor opened up about being sexually assaulted at the age of 10. Taylor’s heart-churning session on The Therapist was obviously difficult for the musician to get through, but Corey felt a “responsibility” to offer “inspiration and guidance” to fans who may be going through tough times.
While sitting down with Dr. Siri Sat Sam Singh, Corey revealed, for the first time on camera, that he had been raped by a 16-year-old boy. “He would invite me over to his house to play music and one day it became something else,” Taylor said. “I didn’t tell anybody for a long time because he threatened to hurt me and threatened to hurt my mom … I didn’t tell anybody until I was, probably, 18.”
In a new interview with Revolver, Corey spoke about recording his episode of The Therapist and why he chose to put himself on display for the world to see. “There’s an unwritten responsibility that comes with this gig, that people, they look to you for inspiration and guidance whether you like it or not,” Taylor said. “And I know a lot of people that don’t like that responsibility. I take it very, very seriously. So in a lot of ways, I try to lead by example. And yeah, it’s uncomfortable to open up like that, but at the same time, if you can’t talk about an issue, how are you going to fix it?”
The singer continued, “I also know there’s a giant stigma that comes with therapy and dealing with issues, with demons. A lot of people don’t want to talk about it or look down at it or tend to make fun of other people for having it or engaging in it. I’m trying to break that down by showing people that, yes, I go to therapy as well and I’m still trying to work out my demons and the things I went through in my life. Will I ever get it all figured out? Probably not. But that’s why it’s a process. So if me bearing my s--t and laying it all out helps people start to work on theirs as well, then where’s the negative part of that?”
Corey’s episode of The Therapist can be viewed with a subscription to Viceland. As for Corey’s music, Stone Sour have been gifting fans with new music throughout the last month, offering up cuts like “Song #3”, “Fabuless” and “Taipei Person/Allah Tea.” Stone Sour’s Hydrograd will be released June 30 with pre-orders now available to grab.
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Corey Taylor Explains Stone Sour's New Tracks "Fabuless" + "Song #3"