SLIPKNOT percussionist M. Shawn Crahan (better known as Clown) is featured in a new interview with Brandon Marshall at Denver Westword. An excerpt is available below:

Q: Tell us about Knotfest. What is the idea behind it, and will this be an annual event?

Clown: It's a dream we have always had. It's a festival idea that we have, trying to bring a little more of the European vibe, have a lot of fun and share our thought process with our culture. There has been talk about it going on if we're not out playing. That's not a priority right now. There is also talk about when the next record comes out, and maybe we'll start it with Knotfest, but, right now, less is more. The first show is in Iowa. The second show is in Somerset, Wisconsin. We are taking a couple of us and seeing how it goes. Whether it goes good or bad, it's another dream that we had and another notch on the board. It's something that we always wanted to accomplish, and we're doing it."

Q: This sounds like it will be the circus from hell.

Clown: "A circus has elephants, tightropes, nets, a leader in a three ring, and clown cars with thirty clowns coming out of it. I would say it's more like a carnival, not a circus. There is no circus on earth without an elephant -- you'd need to see a fucking elephant."

Q: This is Slipknot's second headlining appearance at Mayhem. How will you guys outdo yourselves from '08, and will you be wearing the original uniform and masks? Will Slipknot have the same over-the-top production that you did earlier this year in Australia?

Clown: "I cannot tell you what we're wearing. I cannot tell you about the production. We give 190 percent. As far as topping ourselves, it doesn't even occur in our brains, because we kill ourselves with every show. Every show could be our last show. I've prepared my children that if they ever wanted anything for me, it would be to die onstage, because (on-stage) that's my church, that's my altar. It's where we give our sermons. It's where we talk to the congregation. It's a culture between our fans and us. We don't have to top ourselves. We are ourselves, and we give nothing but 190 percent every fucking show!"

Go to this location for the complete interview.

As previously reported, Crahan stopped into the renowned book store Book Soup in Los Angeles last Friday (June 29th). For two hours, Crahan addressed the crowd - which included his friend and Slipknot bandmate, lead singer Corey Taylor - and signed copies of his first-ever art book and collection of photography, The Apocalyptic Nightmare Journey (MTV Books).

Video of Crahan addressing the crowd is available below:

Slipknot is currently headlining the Rockstar Mayhem Festival which kicked off this past Saturday (June 30th) and continues through August 5th. Crahan has announced he will do daily book signings for The Apocalyptic Nightmare Journey on the tour and he’ll offer the large format, stunning coffee-table book at a discounted price of $30.00 (plus $10.00 shipping from the festival) to fans onsite. All dates listed below.

The Apocalyptic Nightmare Journey is an art book collecting eleven years of manipulated medium format Polaroids, each an exploration in darkness and light, and a representation of Crahan’s second and equally powerful artistic outlet. Weird, wired, paranoid, and endlessly imaginative, ANJ is Shawn’s hand-picked collection of over 187 giant, never-before-seen images in numerous styles. For a 25-Page digital book preview of The Apocalyptic Nightmare Journey, click here.

Lars Ulrich of METALLICA penned the foreword for The Apocalyptic Nightmare Journey after seeing M. Shawn Crahan’s photography at a gallery show.

From Ulrich’s forward: “Let go of the bungee cord, do away with the safety net. Just go for it, and let the journey take you wherever the journey’s going to take you. And as you’re going on that trip through this book, occasionally imagine clown next to you. Imagine hearing his voice in your head talking about what these images and experiences have meant to him and where he was going with it. And you will end up on one fuck of a ride, that I can guarantee you will be unique, spellbinding, and potentially life altering. This book is everything that art should be.”

2012 continues to be a big year for Crahan, which started with the announcement of his new Film/TV production company Living Breathing Films at Sundance, the release of his first book The Apocalyptic Nightmare Journey, a headlining run on the Rockstar Mayhem Festival and the creation of the first-ever Knotfest music festival (August 17th and August 18th).

Current dates for M. Shawn Crahan’s The Apocalyptic Nightmare Journey book tour:

July

19 - St. Louis, MO - Barnes & Noble (Mid Rivers, St. Peters, MO) - 7 PM, Free
23 - Allen Park, MI - Barnes & Noble (Detroit) - 7 PM, Free
26 - Ridgewood, NJ - Bookends - 7 PM, Free

M. Shawn Crahan daily book signings (near 2 PM) at The Apocalyptic Nightmare Journey/Slipknot tent on the Mayhem Festival grounds:

July

8 - Denver, CO - Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
10 - Dallas, TX - Gexa Energy Pavilion
11 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
13 - Tampa, FL - 1-800-Ask-Gary Amphitheatre
14 - Atlanta, GA - Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood
15 - Indianapolis, IN - Klipsch Music Center
18 - Oklahoma City, OK - Zoo Amphitheatre
20 - St. Louis, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
21 - Chicago, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
22 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
24 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
25 - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
27 - Philadelphia, PA - Susquehanna Bank Center
28 - Pittsburgh, PA - First Niagara Pavilion
29 - Washington, DC - Jiffy Lube Live
31 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center

August

1 - Buffalo, NY - Darien Lake PAC
3 - Boston, MA - Comcast Center
4 - Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion
5 - Hartford, CT - The Comcast Theatre

Slipknot headlining dates with AS I LAY DYING supporting include:

August

8 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center, NJ
9 - Gilford, NH - Meadowbrook US Cellular Pavilion