23 Facts About Shawn Crahan

Shawn Crahan helped form Slipknot in 1995 alongside bassist Paul Gray and former vocalist Anders Colsefni.

Outside Slipknot, Shawn Crahan had two side project bands called To My Surprise and Dirty Little Rabbits.

Shawn Crahan married his wife Chantel in June 1993, in Des Moines, Iowa.

Shawn Crahan is a filmographer and photographer, having published a Slipknot photo album "The Apocalyptic Nightmare" in 2012.

In 1995, Shawn Crahan formed a metal band known as the Pale Ones with fellow musician Paul Gray, which featured himself as the band's drummer.

Shawn Crahan felt that the original vocalist for Slipknot was too guttural, and was the primary reason for Slipknot's inability to get a record deal.

Shawn Crahan brought in Corey Taylor from another local band called Stone Sour, whose vocals were more melodic.

In Slipknot's early years, Shawn Crahan brought several dead cow heads on stage.

Outside Slipknot, Shawn Crahan has founded Big Orange Clown Records, a vanity label within Sanctuary Records, which has so far signed the metalcore band Gizmachi.

Shawn Crahan acted as director for, and assembled Slipknot's 2005 DVD, Voliminal: Inside the Nine, while the band was on hiatus.

Shawn Crahan performed with To My Surprise, recording guitar and vocals for the band's self-titled debut album.

In 2007, Shawn Crahan began performing as drummer for Dirty Little Rabbits.

Also in 2009, Shawn Crahan remixed Coheed and Cambria's "Welcome Home" and a Suicide Silence track on their Wake Up EP entitled "Wake Up ".

Shawn Crahan is the director of many of Slipknot's music videos, DVDs and other artistic projects.

Shawn Crahan directed the "We Are" videoclip from the band Hollywood Undead.

Shawn Crahan generally wears clown-style masks while performing with Slipknot; however, on occasion, when performing the band's song "Vermilion", all band members will wear their own death masks instead.

Shawn Crahan featured as the carny "Tamer" in The Devil's Carnival, a full-length feature film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman which was screened on their tour beginning in April 2012.

Shawn Crahan has been credited with several things that Slipknot is known for, such as their large percussion section and their masks.

Shawn Crahan began wearing a clown mask to rehearsals when the band was still fairly unknown, spawning the mask theme that the band is known for today.

Shawn Crahan has had several masks throughout his career with Slipknot, all of which are clown themed except for his "death mask", which was used in the video for the song "Vermilion".

Shawn Crahan's earliest known mask and perhaps his most referenced one is one that he used during Slipknot's earliest self-titled album which is a happy looking clown mask, balding with long orange hair.

In June 2016, Shawn Crahan made his directing debut with the film Officer Downe based on the graphic novel Officer Downe written by Joe Casey and illustrated by Chris Burnham.

Shawn Crahan directed the music video for the song "A-M-E-R-I-C-A" by Motionless in White and "We Are" by Hollywood Undead.