Hay dos cosas que incluso las personas a las que no les gusta Slipknot saben sobre Slipknot. Uno, usan máscaras. Y dos, durante gran parte de su carrera fueron nueve integrantes, actualmente son ocho . Excepto que el cantante Corey Taylor revela que había casi un décimo miembro: Ozzy Osbourne , el mismísimo principe de las tinieblas .
En una entrevista en el nuevo número de la revista Classic Rock, Taylor, recuerda el momento en que el cantante de Black Sabbath, ofreció sus servicios a la banda de metal de Iowa cuando Slipknot apareció en el Ozzfest de 1999 .
“La razón por la que Slipknot entró en el Ozzfest, en 1999, es porque éramos la banda favorita de Jack (el hijo de Ozzy)”, dice. “Sharon nos dio un poco más de libertad por eso. Hicimos algunas locuras, pero ella decía: ‘Está bien, es Slipknot’”.
Taylor luego recordó la primera vez que conoció a Ozzy.
“Estaba sentado en una mesa con Jack, Kelly y Sharon”, dice. “De repente, Ozzy llega saltando: ‘Sharon, ¿puedes ayudarme con mis aretes?’ Y Sharon dice: ‘Ozzy, este es uno de los miembros de Slipknot, es Corey, él es el cantante’.
“Él me mira y dice: “¿Ustedes son los chicos con nueve miembros? ¡Quiero ser el número diez! Yo estaba como, ‘amigo, eres Ozzy, ¡lo que quieras!’ Fue como conocer a Superman”.
The contrast between Slipknot’s instantly recognizable visual identity and its changing lineup is worth emphasizing. The masks may be the detail most casual listeners remember, but the shift from nine members to eight also shows how the band’s identity has had to remain flexible over time. That context makes the Ozzy and Corey Taylor anecdote feel less like a random rock-story aside and more like part of a larger conversation about membership, persona, and longevity in metal.
The Ozzy-and-Corey Taylor anecdote works because it frames Slipknot’s famously distinctive identity through an unexpected outsider’s question. The article also notes the shift from the band’s long-standing nine-member image to its current eight-member lineup, which gives newer listeners useful context. That change makes the story feel less like a random metal anecdote and more like a reminder that even iconic bands continue to evolve.
The detail about Slipknot moving from nine members for much of its career to eight now is a useful reminder of how strongly the band’s identity has been tied to its lineup. Even listeners who do not follow every album tend to recognize the masks, the large ensemble, and the collective stage presence. That context also makes the Ozzy story more amusing: imagining an already-iconic figure stepping into such a tightly defined group adds another layer to the anecdote.
The story works because it highlights both the larger-than-life humor around Ozzy Osbourne and the unusually recognizable identity Slipknot built over time. The detail about the group having nine members for much of its career, and eight now, is a useful reminder that a band’s lineup can evolve without erasing what listeners associate with it. Those changes often become part of the group’s broader history rather than a footnote.
The idea of Ozzy Osbourne asking Corey Taylor about joining Slipknot is especially revealing because it plays with the band’s public mythology without changing the facts that define it. The masks and the shifting member count are often reduced to trivia, yet they help explain why the group remains instantly recognizable. Noting that the lineup moved from nine members to eight gives this anecdote a little more context than a simple headline can provide.
The idea of Ozzy Osbourne asking Corey Taylor about joining Slipknot is fascinating because the band’s identity has always depended on more than a single recognizable frontman. The article also highlights a detail casual listeners may overlook: Slipknot operated with nine members for much of its career and now has eight. That unusually large lineup helps explain why adding even a legendary artist would raise creative questions about roles, sound, and stage presence, rather than simply creating an obvious supergroup moment.
La anécdota funciona porque conecta dos figuras con identidades escénicas muy definidas: Slipknot y Ozzy Osbourne parecen pertenecer a mundos compatibles, pero la posibilidad de un décimo integrante cambia por completo la imagen habitual de la banda. También ayuda que el relato sitúe el dato dentro de la historia de una formación que pasó muchos años con nueve miembros y ahora cuenta con ocho. Ese contraste da contexto y evita que el detalle quede solo como curiosidad.
The near-miss of Ozzy Osbourne joining Slipknot is compelling because it highlights how unusual the band’s lineup already was. The detail that the group spent much of its career with nine members makes the possibility of a tenth feel less abstract, while Corey Taylor’s account gives the story its central human angle. It also invites reflection on how the band’s identity might have shifted with different integrantes.
The near-miss of Ozzy Osbourne becoming a tenth member adds a striking counterfactual to Slipknot’s already unusual identity. The band is widely associated with its masks, and its long-running nine-member lineup made that number part of its public image before it became eight. Corey Taylor’s account makes the Ozzy question memorable precisely because it never became part of the group’s records or history.
La anécdota de Ozzfest da pie a una pregunta musical: si Ozzy hubiera cantado una sola canción con ellos, ¿qué tema habría dejado espacio para que se distinguieran las dos voces? Con una banda tan densa, me imagino que un intercambio de frases entre los cantantes habría funcionado mejor que cantar juntos todo el estribillo.