Iowa History Daily: On March 24, 2004, Slipknot hosted an open-call audition for in Des Moines for the music video “Duality.” Held at a hotel on Interstate 80, the open-call gave the loyal fanbase of Iowa’s unofficial heavy metal band a chance to show up and show out.
Joey Jordison, a gifted drummer and songwriter for both Slipknot and Murderdolls, started hammering away at the drums at the age of eight. A performer with various acts early in his career including Des Moines trash metal band Modifidious, in the summer of 1995 Jordison joined a group called the Pale Ones. Debuting as a six member act called Meld on December 4, 1995, the band schemed toward success while Jordison manned the graveyard shift at a Des Moines Sinclair station. In late 1995 the band changed names a final time, settling on Slipknot before self-financing their debut album “Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.” on October 31, 1996, to critical acclaim and commercial success.
The band described the time working on “Iowa” as difficult, as pressures to build on their initial success created tension. Working at Sound City and Sound Image Studios in Los Angeles with producer Ross Robinson, the album featured a more technical edge than their first release. Featuring an opening track paying homage to their home area-code (515), the band kicked off the “Iowa World Tour” in late August 2001 to promote the record.
In 2004, the band decided to shoot the video for ‘Duality’ on a Saturday evening in Des Moines. “When you’re from Iowa, you are Iowa. You can’t really change,” said Jordison in advance of the audition which drew legions of devoted fans. #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryCalendar
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