Former Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg recently discussed why you can’t compare anything to Slipknot and shared his thoughts on the future of his career during an appearance on Loyal To The Craft.
Weinberg, the son of renowned drummer Max Weinberg, joined Slipknot in 2014 as the replacement for Joey Jordison and remained with the band for nearly a decade until November 2023, when Slipknot announced they had decided to part ways with him as a “creative decision.” Since his departure, he has toured with Suicidal Tendencies, collaborated with Fuming Mouth, formed a new band called Portraits of an Apparition, and released his first solo music.
When asked if he is still looking for the ultimate gig that he can focus 75% to 95% of his time on and get back out on the road at that level, Weinberg expressed his desire to find a dedicated creative group.
“Sure, yeah. In a word, yes,” Weinberg said. “I think all of us aspire to find the playing scenarios that we can plug in and feel alive and really go the distance of channeling something that takes that focus and time in the ways that it packs your schedule and packs your life and you’re able to dig deep.”
He explained that while he has enjoyed spending time with his family and working on various projects, finding a creative tribe remains his favorite part of being a musician.
“Yeah, I think much in the way that I’ve enjoyed being on the flip side and taking some time to focus on starting my family with my wife and really just being focused on that, yeah, at a certain point, I think while it is so fun to be doing many disparate things, I think my favorite part of being a musician is finding that tribe that you can really sink your teeth into something creatively,” he continued.
Weinberg also noted that a creative life is full of unexpected collaborations and opportunities that he finds difficult to turn down.
“And that takes many different shapes and forms, and who knows what those things are? And the life of a creative person is, hopefully, long and meandering and interesting and full of collaborations that are unexpected,” he added. “All of the things I’ve ever done in my life have been unexpected to some degree. And I’ve always felt within myself a complete inability to say no to a thing that is just, like… I find many creative opportunities just impossible to shy away from, and seeing how I can sink my teeth into.”
He went on to describe the music industry as the “Wild Wild West” and emphasized the importance of creating what you want to see in the world.
“The music world has always been very much the Wild Wild West, and it’s more so that today than it ever has been,” Weinberg said. “So to take those tips of doing things that feel right, that feel like they’re based in expression and community and stuff, you then get to share that, and maybe that expresses to a younger artist out there that, like, ‘Oh, that thing’s possible. I just have to do it myself.’ If the thing that you want to exist in the world doesn’t exist, it’s on you to create that thing.”
Weinberg concluded by sharing his proactive approach to life and art, even while managing multiple projects.
“That’s kind of how I look at all these projects, and to know that my time spent in music and in art and just being at events and showing up and always wanting to be proactive in my life… I’ve never been comfortable being someone who just kind of sits around and lets life happen to them,” he concluded. “I’ve always been inspired by people who go out and do their thing. And it just seems like the right thing to do. So, yeah, that’s where a lot of these things are based in. And though it is very disparate and I have my attention on many kind of spinning plates in the air at the moment, there is something really exciting about that, that I enjoy.”
Weinberg’s comments suggest that he is not searching for another Slipknot, but for a new creative home where he can fully invest himself again. For now, he seems comfortable exploring different projects and collaborations, while staying open to the unexpected opportunity that could eventually become the next major chapter of his career.
