Simon Crahan is often recognized as the son of Slipknot’s Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan. But while the connection is undeniable, Simon is carving out his own space in the metal world. As the drummer of Vended, he’s stepping beyond his father’s shadow, facing criticism head-on, and making a name for himself. Here, we’ll take a closer look at his journey, from his musical upbringing to his views on nepotism and his ambitions for the future.
Growing Up With Metal In His Blood
Born on January 20, 2004, Simon grew up in a house where music wasn’t just entertainment—it was part of daily life. But despite being surrounded by metal, his father didn’t just hand him a Slipknot CD and call it a day. Instead, Clown took a broader approach, exposing his son to a wide range of genres before Simon found his way to metal on his own.
“Growing up, my dad was very good about showing me new music every day,” Simon told Loudwire. “He’d show me Skrillex, and then he’d show me Helmet and he’d show me Snot and showed me all these different bands every single day. And I’m really thankful for it, because he got me to love jazz, classical music and all these different genres instead of just liking metal.”
Eventually, he circled back to Slipknot—not just as his father’s band, but as a fan. “That’s how I knew I was like a Maggot,” he admitted. “I still feel like I’m a fan even though I’m his son. And that’s the crazy feeling… I’ll listen to them all the time just because it makes me feel good.”
Getting Better Than His Father?
Simon found his own stage behind the drum kit with Vended, the band he co-founded with Griffin Taylor, son of Slipknot’s Corey Taylor. The band started making noise in the late 2010s, but their 2021 EP ‘What Is It/Kill It’ and single ‘Ded to Me’ put them on the map. Their raw energy and aggressive sound drew attention—not just because of their famous last names, but because they delivered.
Slipknot comparisons were inevitable, but Simon doesn’t mind. In fact, he’s got no problem making bold claims about where he stands. “I play drums better than my father and that’s a fact,” he once said. “And when people say Griffin sounds like his dad, well duh, that’s obvious. I honestly think he is going to be better than his dad.”
The young drummer is not shy about his ambitions, either. Confident in his skills, he believes Vended is destined to be ‘the biggest band in the world.’
Facing Nepotism Accusations Head-On
No matter how hard Simon works, some people will always say he’s only here because of his dad. But he’s not losing sleep over it. “When people say that kind of thing, I respond back with a clown emoji to be an a**hole,” he said via Loudwire in 2022.
“It’s not like my dad handed everything to us. His fans are the ones who decided to like us. If you don’t like us, you could just not say anything, but you choose to waste five minutes of your day to say something that’s going to make me laugh my f*cking a** off, because I know that I am succeeding. I say, ‘Where is your band?’”
He also made it clear to Metal Hammer that Vended didn’t just get a free ride: “My dad told me, ‘I would not put you on a tour if you weren’t good.’ We wouldn’t be playing festivals the way we do if we weren’t good. We’re a good band. We play good music. That’s why we’re here. We’ve discovered that talent ourselves. And everyone thinks it’s just been handed to us.”
Vended opened for Slipknot during their 25th anniversary North American tour in 2024 before kicking off their first full-scale headlining U.S. tour.
