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Slipknot’s M. Shawn Crahan Says He Needs Heart Surgery After Tour-Related Diagnosis
Slipknot’s M. Shawn Crahan says doctors found a heart condition after tour, and he now needs surgery.
Slipknot percussionist M. Shawn Crahan has revealed that he will need heart surgery after doctors discovered a cardiac condition following the band’s recent tour.
Crahan, better known to fans as Clown, discussed the diagnosis during an appearance on Rick Rubin’s Tetragrammaton podcast, which was posted to YouTube on May 7. At 56, he described seeking medical help after not feeling well after the tour, only to learn that the issue involved his heart’s electrical system.
In the interview, Crahan, Slipknot’s only remaining founding member, said the discovery came after what he thought was a routine checkup that took a more serious turn.
“I have a skipping heart and I got to get a surgery,” Crahan told Rubin. “I found this out after my last tour. I went in, I wasn’t feeling good, and I went in and the nurse was trying to get an EKG thing going on and it just wasn’t happening. I kind of fell asleep and I woke up. I’m like, ‘Are you going to get this thing?’ And she’s like, ‘Oh, it’s not working.’ They thought I was having a heart attack right there. My heart skips and apparently I’ve taught myself to be like a cross-country runner.”
He went on to say the condition causes major swings in his heart rate, sometimes leaving him feeling as if he is suddenly shutting down. “I’m overweight and my brain is so strong that it tells this stuff what to do,” he said. “My standing heart rate at night is 43 and during the day I get down to 33. Hasn’t happened since I’ve been here with you, which is good, because I’ll go from ‘on,’ to just straight up I feel like I’m dying. I got to get a surgery. It’s a very easy surgery. You’re usually out on the same day. It’s not like they rip you open. This is something about the electricity.”
Crahan also said there was a moment when he wondered whether he might need a pacemaker, which he joked could have been a convenient way to step away from touring. Instead, he said, doctors told him the procedure would likely help him recover.
“I just I lost it. I was like, I can’t get out of this to save my life,” Crahan joked. “I’m like, there is nothing, not even my heart. It’s going to be better because of Slipknot.”
He added that his position in the band has given him access to a higher level of medical care, and that doctors expect the surgery and follow-up treatment to improve his condition. “I got a concierge doctor because I’m in Slipknot and I’m able to go to levels and they’re like, ‘No, you’re going to feel better. You better get in shape because you got to do more now at 56,’” he said. “And it’s just like I just can’t believe it, man, that this was me. It’s wonderful. I’m lucky.”
