We recently chatted with M. Shawn Crahan, also known as Slipknot co-founder Clown, about his recent move into the cannabis industry in collaboration with Hollister Cannabis Co. and Heavy Grass.

The collaboration will feature special-edition HashBone packs with six half-gram pre-rolls.

While we have certainly covered many musicians taking a stab at cannabis here at L.A. Weekly, Crahan’s discography represents the heaviest of the pack.

Carl Saling, the co-founder, CEO and director of Hollister Biosciences noted, “We are very excited to be launching our HashBone collaboration with Clown. We couldn’t ask for a better partner and someone who is true to the plant. This partnership is our first step in combining hard rock/metal with cannabis in a truly authentic way. Additionally, we are happy that we get to bring Clown to market in tandem with our friends at Heavy Grass – leveraging their experience in music-inspired cannabis products will amplify our overall marketing efforts.”

Heavy Grass is also offering a once-in-a-lifetime Green Ticket experience. The winner of Clown’s Green Ticket will receive unlimited entrance for two into any Slipknot shows in the world for the next three years.

As Crahan joined us for our chat, the world continued to open. Just a few hours earlier, Slipknot was announced as the headliner for Rocklohoma in September. They’ll also host Knotfest Iowa and Knotfest Roadshow Tour in the months ahead. But our talk started with adding a bit of metal to the cannabis industry in a sea of rap, reggae and jam bands. We asked what it felt like to carry the flag?

“I appreciate what you just said because it really plays into a lot of what society is and the cultural aspects of it,” Crahan told L.A. Weekly. “I’m excited for some of the same aspects that you just said.”

While cannabis has its place in rock music, drugs and the genre tend to be a wildly polarizing topic. We asked Crahan if it ever felt like cannabis got lost in the middle between the straight edge crowd and heavy opiate users.

“I don’t know if it gets lost,” he replied. “Only for the simple fact that if we feel it gets lost, it’s probably because it’s just everyday stuff. Whereas the other ones are so over the top, and not necessary.”

Crahan was quick to argue that wanting to live a straight-edge lifestyle is great for people who are into it, and his own family has dealt with the struggles of substance abuse. So it’s certainly a personal take on that end.

“I think the flower gets ignored because it’s just so widely accepted more than anyone could ever imagine. It’s like everyday stuff for a lot of humans on the planet,” Crahan said.

When we asked about Crahan’s own personal experiences with cannabis, he quickly pointed to the efficacy of medical cannabis as what led him down the road to eventually starting the brand. One member of his family that had dealt with alcoholism asked Crahan if he thought their life might have gone differently had they enjoyed cannabis instead of booze.

“And this was a heartbreaking moment for me because immediately I felt a more loving, peaceful life for this person. And it was sad. And that began the journey of the idea,” Crahan said. “This is 100% driven by the possibilities of medicine, when applied correctly.”

Crahan went on to speak of his own experience with cannabis: “In my personal life, it’s been more about behavioral health recovery. And, you know, having alternative ways than the ways that are on the shelves. And luckily, things are changing.”

Crahan laughed a bit at the irony of cannabis turning into one of those options on a shelf that he avoided. He hopes to be a part of the educational process for folks who are yet to realize the positive benefits. At home, it’s tricky to see the maximum benefit of medical cannabis. Iowa is one of the most tightly regulated markets in the country.

At one point, Crahan shared that being on tour was his favorite thing in the world. We asked how excited he is to get back out there.

“I really love this idea that we all conversed on being in this reality, before and through the whole pandemic,” Crahan said. “And then the pandemic hits, and I listen how people close to you talk about what they’re going to try and achieve during this time. And then, what I think is beautiful and what you asked was, ‘What are we going to do with it afterwards?’ What are we going to do when the floodgates are open?”

Crahan emphasized what he does is throw massive shows with lots of people. That’s what he does.

“I am so excited. I actually have a nervousness that I haven’t had in a very long time,” he admitted. “And a lot of it just has to do with the way I feel about my culture. I sort of feel like they need to know they’re okay – I want to see it for myself. I’m part of our culture and I feel the same pain. And I think music is such a gift and I can’t wait to get out and be a part of that reality again. I never did not appreciate what we do, and I’ve always held the thought that it going away at any moment is a possibility. So, it’s been challenging for all of us. I’m so excited and nervous, and I’ve sort of foreseen it in my brain, on how beautiful it’s going to be to reignite. And I’m curious what we’re going to do with that ability now that we’ve gone through what we’ve gone through. I hope that we’ve learned from all that has happened and maybe make a change together.”

Crahan explained that while Slipknot had longer breaks over the years, they were rarely this abrupt. Mostly, he found the breaks very healthy except for one three-year hiatus that felt a bit long.

“In over 20 years, you know we’re working on album seven, so we take nice little breaks,” Crahan said. “So the longest I’ve probably been off in between Slipknot cycles, that was too long, was just about three years. We usually do about two years. So lucky enough, this is coming under two years. So I’ve sort of experienced this.”

As the news was breaking early last year around the pandemic, Crahan was touring one of his favorite places in the world.

“With that said, we had a tour in Japan, and Japan is one of my favorite places on the globe. And we had to cancel all tours afterward, so we weren’t expecting this. This is a lot like 2001, Pledge of Allegiance [Tour],” he said. “We were on Pledge of Allegiance and the tragedy hit, and we got out of there. Everybody had to put the brakes on and open their brains in empathy and humanity, and that’s a lot like what happened here a year ago, boom, it just hit, and everybody had to put the brakes on.”

Crahan closed by asking us to deliver this message to Slipknot fans: “We miss you guys. We love you guys. We hope everybody’s cool. We hope you’re all helping each other, see you soon. We got some great new things for everybody. We’ve been really busy during this time off, and it’s just a way of saying hello again, and can’t wait to see what we do with all the knowledge we get in 2021.”

Clown’s signature HashBone line is currently available in California from DreamyDelivery.com, and other retail dispensaries and delivery services.

 

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