For many, Slipknot‘s video for “The Dying Song (Time to Sing)” clued them in on the animatronic nature of Sid Wilson‘s former primary mask in the band, but according to Wilson, the animatronic element of the mask which now sits beside him onstage as he dons his latest mask, was always there in the first place, though some are just now figuring that out.
“It’s funny because now that I’m carrying it around, people notice that it mimics Corey [Taylor]. And not as many people noticed that when I was wearing it, it was doing that. But now that I’m carrying it around, everyone’s like, ‘Oh, it’s mimicking Corey.’ It’s singing and talking and whatever with him,” said Wilson to Knotfest.com (as seen below).
In fairness, with the mask on Wilson’s face, it looked more like the actions were happening naturally as opposed to being controlled. “It’s just funny to see it in magazines and stuff that NOW, now it’s animated,” said Wilson. “I’m like, ‘No, it’s always been animated.'”
Observant fans might have picked up on it, and in fact, working with animatronics is not something really new for the musician. “This would be the second [mask] I’ve had [with animatronics] with the band,” stated Wilson. “The first was like a robot and that was on All Hope Is Gone and it had some moving bits that was controlled elsewhere.”
Further elaborating on his fascination with animatronics where his masks are concerned, Wilson adds, “I look at humans very weird. We’re kind of like robots in a sense in that we’re like organic, right? So it’s this transition of the creator sort of thing. It’s disassembling the original piece by piece and now it’s just the head. It’s finally shedding away. There’s been little hints with different masks from different albums as well to where you’re able to intertwine them all in a sense. It’s sort of like we’re ghosts or these spirits and we can inhabit what material we want.”
Revisit “The Dying Song” video below along with Wilson’s chat with Knotfest.com. You can also catch Wilson’s intriguing masks in the live setting on tour. Get your tickets here.