Seven years ago today, extreme metal music lost one of its most radiant beacons – Paul Gray of Slipknot. In tribute to Paul’s indelible legacy and legend, we’re going to look at a side of the man that was rarely seen, let alone written about.
Although Slipknot’s Paul Gray was known to many simply as #2 or the Pig and was rarely pictured with his face uncovered, there was a man behind that mask, and I count myself blessed to have had the chance to know him, sans disguise.
In addition to being a founding member of a groundbreaking act and being referred to as “the essence of Slipknot” by his bandmates in a moving press conference, Paul was a talented bassist and songwriter. He was also incredibly driven and passionate — all those qualities are common knowledge. One quality that isn’t commonly known is this. Despite the dark, foreboding image that his band and his mask put forth, Paul smiled — a lot! Simply put, he was a gregarious, funny, and highly likeable guy who enjoyed life and loved metal. In fact, it is my bet that he spent much of his time onstage with Slipknot sporting a broad grin behind his menacing mask!
I was lucky enough to get to know Paul at Dimebag tribute events and had the incredible pleasure of performing with him at the first Black Tooth Bash at the 2006 NAMM show, along with the likes of Scott Ian, Ripper Owens, Jason Bittner, and Vinnie Paul. We jammed out a couple of Pantera tunes before launching into some of Dime’s favorite Judas Priest and Kiss tracks. Paul kicked major butt, throughout and yep, he smiled…a lot!
The photo at the top of this article is one of my favorites from that gig (thank you, Chad Lee) and it highlights that grin. That’s how I’ll always remember Paul — unmasked, kicking major butt, and smiling as he did so.
As we were both southpaws, Paul was toying with the idea of us working together on a project we referred to as Left Hand Drive. Sadly, that never came to be…
Recently, Paul’s widow, Brenna, auctioned off the late, great bassist’s belongings to help support their daughter, October, who was born several months after her father’s passing. A close friend of mine purchased a good deal of it, and I was fortunate enough to be at his house when it was delivered. Here’s a picture of yours truly with Paul’s go-to Warwick 5-string bass and also the first platinum disc he ever earned.
Rest in peace, my fellow lefty brother — it was an honor to have you consider me a friend. You will be missed both on and off stage, Paul, but you will never be forgotten. And I know you’re jamming with Dime as I write this!
Thanks for all the unforgettable menacing metal you created and also that wonderful disarming smile. Mr. Gray, rest in peace.