Suicidal Tendencies/ex-Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg recently took part in his first long-form interview since his time in the aforementioned masked metal outfit. He appeared on the ‘One Life One Chance Podcast‘ with host Toby Morse (H2O, etc.). Amid the discussion, the topic of Weinberg‘s surprise dismissal from Slipknot late last year was brought up.
While both parties have remained civil in the press thus far since that split took place last November, Weinberg did initially state that he was “blindsided” by his firing. As it turns out, unexpectedly losing his post of a decade was a somewhat traumatic experience for the musician, who has been processing the matter, and the major life change it presented, through continued therapy sessions.
Weinberg told Morse of that:
“Truth be told, I’m at kind of a point where I’m not quite yet really ready to talk about it, really. And that’s not to dismiss the conversation, but I’ve spent time, and spend time, just processing the entire experience. And the experience not being the last six months, but really the last 10 years. And finally, in a way, processing all of that. And doing it in kind of what I would consider the responsible way.
I have a fantastic therapist who helps me. Before I speak on it, it’s important for me to do the right work of processing these events that you spend 10 years exclusively committed to one thing. There’s a lot to process that on the other side. And I think there is definitely a time where I’ll speak to my lived experience over those ten years — just not quite yet.”
When asked if he had sought out therapy before in his life, Weinberg replied:
“At points. Here and there. But I think anybody who embarks on trying to prioritize their mental health and pursue happiness through really tackling these things, I think anybody who embarks on that kind of a journey for themselves can understand when you find different therapists or different approaches or whatever, sometimes it doesn’t work out.
Sometimes it’s, like, ‘Oh, it’s not the way I really approach this or whatever,’ but I’m in a place where I’ve found somebody amazing where I actually feel — I’ve used this expression before but that pedal meeting the pavement of, like, ‘Wow, this helps me contextualize, this helps me process.’ And that’s huge. ‘Cause it can get a little bit demotivating when you’re trying to search for answers and search for help with when you turn over to trying to find somebody of, like, ‘Help me process this incredibly complex moment.’
It doesn’t happen overnight. And some people might find that to be a dejecting part of the process of. It’s hard to find a good therapist, but when you do, it’s a worthwhile pursuit. And it’s an invitation to anybody out there who’s in search of that, that even if it is difficult, if you hit those obstacles of, like, you don’t feel you’ve found the right person to talk with yet, they’re out there. It’s a worthwhile thing of searching for, if you need it.”
Addressing the decision to part ways with Weinberg in a conversation conducted this past spring, Slipknot percussionist M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan stated of the personnel change:
“There’s many reasons for it. It’s not to be confused. It doesn’t matter what the situation may seem like. Unless you’re in the band and understand — there’s no hard feelings; there never was. We just went our way. There was really no bad things. That’s as much as I can say. What I can say is Slipknot decided to move on, and that’s what we’ve done.”
