Shawn"Clown"Crahan

Background and Facts

Michael Shawn "Clown" Crahan, born on (September 24, 1969), is a percussionists in the nu metal band Slipknot. He has a set of deeply tuned toms (drums) on which he provides a powerful backup (along with Chris Fehn #3) to the drumming of Joey Jordison. He has a height of 5'7". According to Slipknot, he was one of the first band members to wear a mask (he had an old clown mask). He found his mask sitting lonely in a shop one day and he decided "it was right."

Personal 
Because Shawn has a background in welding, his drum set, which was made by Dunnet Classic Drums , is made of titanium, with an empty beer keg thrown in for variety in the percussion. He is also one of the co-founders of Slipknot with Paul Gray #2 and Anders Coselfini . Shawn does most of the interviews and also ran www.Slipknot2.com which no longer exists. In 2003, Shawn changed his mask along with the rest of the band. He has fought Sid Wilson in some live concerts, as seen in the "Spit it Out" video. They are not enemies but have been described as having a brother-like relationship - only play fighting in order to get the adrenaline needed for shows. In a current Revolver interview where Shawn talks about Voliminal: Inside the Nine , it shows a picture where he is sitting at an oranged shell Ludwig 5 piece drumset.
Production 
Shawn was an executive producer for the Mudvayne album L.D. 50 as well as the 40 Below Summer album Invitation to the Dance . He has also made a brief appearance in the American Head Charge music video for "Just So You Know" and remixed one of their tracks for the Just So You Know single release.
History 
Crahan says he had a happy youth. His parents financed Slipknot in the early days and he professes nothing but the utmost respect for them. In the early '90s, he had a drinking problem, exacerbated when he bought a Des Moines bar, "The Safari". Frustrated by the lack of success, he says he would have killed himself if he hadn't met his wife Chantal. "My savior, my hero," he says. "She saved my life." - Q Magazine .
Filmography 
Disasterpieces ( 2002 ) 
Voliminal: Inside the Nine - Director/Producer/ ( 2006 )
Masks
Quote - "I've wanted to be a clown because there's something nice about me, and something pretty twisted as well. If someone stares at me on my way to the stage, I don't get up until they look away first."
I am on a world-domination mission. Slipknot isn't just an average band. It's not just music. It's a way of life and it's the real way of life. When I go on-stage, the rock'n'roll clich� can go die. There's no place for that anymore. My whole deal is, when we've reached everyone and everyone understands, I'm gone. I'm out. I've done it." - Shawn Crahan (Clown masked Percussionist and founding father (#6).

Shawn had a clown's mask that he found around 15 years ago. MEANING: "I'm going to fucking kill every motherfucker here! What was the question? The mask? IT represents my death."

Other Shit

Other Projects 
Shawn also is the founder of Big Orange Clown uint of Sanctuary Records , and signed metalcore act, Gizmachi . Shawn is also the drummer and vocalist for the band To My Surprise . He appears unmasked in this band.

Heads on the wall: 1993 - 1995 Shawn - Drums

Quan - Guitar: This band played four shows with Slipknot's drummer Joey Jordison 's band, Modifidious .

Slipknot : 1995 - Present

To My Surprise : 2003 - Present 

Shawn was an executive producer for the MuDvAyNe CD LD.. 50. Clown has also made a brief appearance in the American Head Charge video, 'Just So You Know'. He has also remixed one of their tracks for the 'Just So You Know' single release.
Tracklisting:

1. Just So You Know (Short Attention Span Mix)
2. Just So You Know (Clown #6 Remix)
3. Real Life
4. Just So You Know (Video)

"Crahan is the band's engine, the core of the madness. There are slogans: "I don't want to push the envelope, I AM the envelope" There is darkness: "I want to do a documentary on the slaughter and sectioning of livestock carcasses." But most of all there is the splendid hatred of society's rules. "Be a boy! Ride a bike like this! Breathe this air! No dude, I've had enough! Fuck that! I'm checkin' out!" Crahan says he had a happy youth. His parents financed Slipknot in the early days and he professes nothing but the utmost respect for them. In the early '90s he had a drink problem, exacerbated when he bought a Des Moines bar. Frustrated by the lack of success, he says he would have killed himself if he hadn't met his wife Chantal. "My saviour, my hero," he says. "She saved my life." - Q Music - Find the complete article under the articles section of the site.

CROW:
Shawn found a dead crow in his driveway, and kept it in a big, commercial pickle jar, and carried it around at shows until it turned to mush. During shows Shawn would open the jar, this would cause him to vomit all over the place and also cause fans to start vomiting all over the place. It was (sic), it was kept in the jar with all the bacteria and flesh eating creatures. It started secreting this brown liquid and became a fine sauce. Some kids broke the jar open and played catch with it for a while and now it's disposed. At one radio interview Shawn took it along and freaked out the radio person who was also afraid of clowns.
BEAVER TAIL "Rumour": 
A cop gave Shawn a dead beavers tail because the cop didn't know how to get rid of it. Shawn didn't know what to do with it so on stage he and corey squeezed all the juices out of it into their faces and then they ate it. Afterwards they were throwing up like crazy and asking each other why the fuck they did that.
Runway
Shawn was a regular attendee to the "Runway" club for which he paid $7 to enter each time. It was where the people who liked proper music gathered. However within this club Shawn was still disgraced at the number of competing cover bands that would out shine other; more original bands. Crahan did however manage to allow "all aged" shows to take place within the club on Sundays. For a while Shawn's discontent was settled with such bands as Modifidious and Body Pit, however these bands all broke up within a very short space of each other and the metal Scene had once again disappeared. Shawn now had to put up with cover bands once again. At this point Shawn knew he had to do something different and one day the concept of Slipknot came to him.
Safari Club 
Shawn owned the "The Safari Club" within Des Moines for a short time (he bought it in January 1997), one of the only places to see new rock and punk acts. As Slipknot got huge though, it became too much to manage and had to be shut down, it later re-opened as Hairy Mary's (information about club in history section of site).