Inspiration by Jordan Smith
Inspiration—a topic each student approached with a unique blend of creativity and emotion. JORDAN finds it in a heavy metal drummer with a big heart.
I’m inspired by a lot of things. I connect with the way lines are drawn on a piece of paper, the feeling of anger or sadness from colors on a painting, and the weight of a clay sculpture. In the past year, there’s been one person that inspired me the most. His name is Joey Jordison and he used to be the drummer for Slipknot. Since I grew up as Christian, I used to think that something bad would happen to me if I started listening to metal music, like I wouldn’t go to heaven in the afterlife. I was scared of metal because I was taught that it was evil.
I was scrolling through the internet one day and I found this show on Netflix. It’s called Aggretsuko and it’s about a red panda named Retsuko who has an average office job in Japan. People in higher positions treat her like she doesn’t know anything and insult her at work. Some of her co-workers constantly annoy her by giving backhanded compliments or invading her personal space. She gets rid of her stress by venting through death metal at a karaoke bar. Watching a few minutes of the show made me pause for a moment.
I could relate to this character because she bottles up her emotions and acts as a doormat for other people at her job. I started watching the show every weekend and I grew more and more attached to it each day. My perspective on metal music changed. It wasn’t satanic or evil like people around me said it was. Metal puts everything that makes you angry in a form of music so you can channel it in your mind and release it. From that moment on, I started to explore different bands that I could listen to.
After I did some research, I found a band that looked interesting. Their name was Slipknot and they started making music in 1995. Each member of the band had a creepy mask and a jumpsuit. The first album I listened to was Vol.3: (The Subliminal Verses). I listened to the album during a car ride with my cousin to her grandfather’s house. I didn’t understand the music at first, but I was trying to keep an open mind. As I listened to each song, I started to get really into it.
I never knew that music could have such intense feelings. One thing I noticed was that the drumming was very fast paced and precise. The guitar has a crunchy, heavy feeling, and Slipknot uses a lot of samples from other songs and movies. I was curious about each member of Slipknot, so I did a lot of research on each of them. The drummer was way shorter than anyone else in the group and he had a fun personality. He was quiet most of the time, but when he did speak, it was relaxed and friendly.
He instantly became my favorite member of Slipknot. I watched his performances with Slipknot and other bands. He had so much energy when he played on stage with Slipknot and he would still be able to play, even when the platform for his drum kit rotated sideways. I was upset when I found out that he passed away on July 26, 2021 due to a neurological disorder. He was loved and celebrated in the metal community and is known as a legend.
Joey is someone that I will never forget. He would still play on stage with Slipknot, even when he was in pain from his disorder. He inspired me to be a kinder person and enjoy what I do in my life. He taught me that people who made metal music weren’t bad at all, they were just doing what they loved. I wouldn’t be who I am today without learning about him. Inspiration can come from anywhere. For me, it came from a guy in a band with a big heart.
Jordan Smith
2/14/25