The Police and Slipknot aren't exactly two bands you'd immediately associate with one another, but that certainly doesn't mean their respective members won't have a ton of respect for each other's artistry.
In a new interview with Wired, Police drummer Stewart Copeland answers questions from some of his biggest fans via Twitter, and one question in particular leads to him paying tribute to one of Slipknot's most beloved (and dearly missed) members.
Around six and a half minutes into the interview, Copeland is asked who is the best drummer he's seen live, and he's quick to reel off a dizzying list of all-time greats, including the great men who have sat behind the kit for Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. "Well, Buddy Rich, Mitch Mitchell," he begins. "There's a lot of drummers that I really like that aren't famous names, they just have a great lope, they just have a great feel to them. Taylor Hawkins just had a great feel to him. Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts...no chops there, but just that groove is way, way cool."
He then makes a sharp left-turn into heavier waters as he remembers the great work of Slipknot's Joey Jordison, who played with the Iowan metal machine from their formation in 1995 until his shock dismissal in 2013.
"Now, on the younger end of it, I would say Joey Jordison, sadly departed, with Slipknot," he continues. "That little bastard had chops! You know, kids these days, they start out where we left off. And it's like the Olympics where every year they can jump a little higher, run a little faster. How's that possible? Has the human species evolved in one year?! I dunno! But Joey Jordison, doing things with his feet that I aspire to with my hands."
Jordison would continue his career after Slipknot with the metal bands Vimic, Scar The Martyr and Sinsaenum. He would sadly pass away in 2021 aged just 46.
Watch Stewart Copeland's full Wired interview below.
