I've been using Pearl for so long, ever since I was a kid. Same thing with Paiste. They have both taken such great care of me, and I can't thank them enough.

I pretty much use the same stuff live that I use in the studio. I don't like the feel to change too much.

The simplest beats, on what rock music or any music has been formed on, can be the toughest beats to execute and perform, because it's really easy to not respect a simple 4/4 beat, because people always want to play fast.

The mask is a pain thing. It's clammy, and your body is moving all over, and you're locked into this thing, and you can't get out.

What better to get all the anger and stuff out for what I do in Slipknot than to play the drums? You're punching everything, really fast, concentrated.

I love listening to old records. Stuff from the '70s, even disco and funk records and a lot of early rock albums - what's great about those recordings is that you can actually hear the true tones of the drums themselves.

Playing drums is how I communicate. It's how I speak to people. That's my God-given gift.

I'm always in the right headspace! I live pretty much in isolation, so there are really no distractions. That's not a manufactured thing; it's just the way I live.

How I found out is, I landed in Des Moines from a plane ride back from the Rob Zombie tour. I was, like, 'Okay, cool, I'm home. I can finally get some rest.' Once I landed, I turned my phone on, and my manager rang, and I'm, like, 'Oh, what?' He said, 'Paul Gray just died.'

The drum records that I like are ones on which the drumming didn't repeat itself. The players didn't stick to a format or formula.

There was a time when I was beat down, and I lost my way.

Playing drums, for me, is like breathing. It's like thinking. It's like eating. It's like walking.

The riffs, lyrics, and drums of 'Open Your Omen' will tell you a lot.

Slipknot's not about who's in the band. It's a lifeblood. It's a force. It's about a connection between a bunch of people.

You meet people, and you realize that you can never judge a book by its cover.

Metal music is a very fan-oriented, fan-protected music - very sacred.

The doctors said I might not be able to walk again. Today, I can almost run, but back then, I couldn't even stand up. I was bed-ridden. If I wanted to turn over in bed, I had to move my legs with my hands. I was in and out of the hospital for months.

The heart bleeds music no matter what, and it bleeds different types of music.

'My Swan Song' - that song is so depressing but uplifting at the same time, you know what I mean?

Keith Moon was amazing as a drummer, but he was also a nut, and it reflected in his drumming. And the great thing about Who records is that you can almost get hold of the vinyl and feel his heart.

Without blood and pain, there is no Slipknot.

Slipknot is my baby. It is my life. It means everything. Everything I do means the world to me, but when it comes down to it, Slipknot... that's my blood.

Any kind of idea of fame - that has been shelved.

People lump us into the nu-metal category, and there might be a hint of that stuff, but if you really listen to a nu-metal band and then listen to Slipknot, it's so apples and oranges that it's retarded.