Joey Jordison: How KISS 'Alive!' Changed My Life | Page 3 | Revolver

Joey Jordison: How KISS 'Alive!' Changed My Life

"One of my favorite records of all time came out the year I was born!"
joey-jordison-by-getty-jesse-wild.jpg, Jesse Wild / Rhythm Magazine / Getty
photograph by Jesse Wild / Rhythm Magazine / Getty

Not surprisingly, considering the wide-ranging sounds and aesthetics of his various projects — from Slipknot and Murderdolls to Vimic and Sinsaenum — Joey Jordison has been shaped by all kinds of music over his lifetime and career. Count among that list makeup-slathered party rockers KISS, and particularly Alive!, their classic 1975 live LP. When we talked to Jordison about the 10 albums that have most shaped him as a person and an artist, he included that seminal record among his picks. Below are his thoughts on its profound impact on him.

"I saw KISS on The Dick Clark Show in like, 1980 or something, and KISS Alive! was the first record of theirs I had. This was back when you bought cassettes or records, and I still have my original cassette copy of it. And I tell you what, it just blew my mind! The cover tells you everything you need to know — it just makes you want to listen to the whole fucking record. And these guys look like fucking demons — you don't know when you're a kid and you're watching them on TV that it's just guys in makeup. So yeah, it was inspiring back then. They were a huge influence on me when I was a kid. And that record came out in 1975, so I was always like, 'That's fucking badass — one of my favorite records of all time came out the year I was born!'"