ROADRUNNER has issued the following:

Slipknot percussionist/mastermind M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan was recently interviewed by Cincinnati, Ohio’s City Beat, and during the course of a typically in-depth conversation, he explained how the nine bandmembers chose their numbers.

“The numbers kind of just fell into place,” says Clown. “It’s kind of a weird thing. Back when we started we were going to wear a mask and I started wearing coveralls so we all started wearing coveralls, then there were so many of us, we put our bar code on the back. Then we wanted numbers—I wanted numbers. It was kind of ironic, because everyone fell into a number. I wasn’t going to tolerate any other number than six. Like if someone was going to fight me for it, I was going to fight to the death for it, but nobody wanted it. Joey wanted to be number one, Paul wanted to be number two, the original guitar player, and the other drummer three. Mick, he is like ‘I have to have seven. Fuck everyone. It’s my lucky number.’ Corey was like, ‘I want eight, infinity.’ When Sid joined the band, ‘I am not a number. I am zero. I am filth.’ It was kind of magical, honestly. The masks were more of a representation of what you wanted to present as yourself. It was one’s finding oneself, but the numbers were almost assigned to us subconsciously.”

He also discusses the band’s writing process, how and why they change their outfits every tour, the various members’ side projects, and much more. Read the whole thing!

Slipknot‘s Antennas to Hell is available everywhere now; you can buy the single-disc version, the double-disc version with the band’s complete live set from Download 2009 on Disc Two, or the three-disc version including a DVD containing all the band’s videos, and the brand-new “Antennas to Hell” clips spotlighting individual bandmembers, all from the Roadrunner webstore!

Slipknot tour dates continue through August 18; find a show near you!