SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor says that it is impossible to predict the political leanings of heavy metal fans and musicians, but insists that the people that come to his band's shows are "some of the most open-minded, encouraging, embracing, protective, and progressive" individuals he has ever come across. Speaking to Spin, Taylor said: "Obviously, the majority of guys in bands that I hang out with lean to the progressive side, let's put it that way. We tend to lean more liberal just because it's more inclusive. But I have friends in bands who are [Donald] Trump supporters, and I just choose not to talk about it. "Everything that I have read about people who support Trump suggests all their reasoning is based upon faulty research. And when you know that someone is basing their reasoning on bad research, or bad poll-taking, or other resources that skew right and drum up their own numbers, there is no way that you will win an argument." Taylor believes that metalheads actually embody a peaceful nature far removed from general public's stereotype of suicidally depressed people who occasionally listen to music that appeals to racist ideology. "I think heavy metal and hard rock were the bastion of freedom for misfits and kids who were made to feel [like they're] outside of 'normal' society," Taylor said. "So not only did you have kids of different ethnicities, but you had kids like me who grew up dirt-poor. Metal spoke for me because it wasn't until I was much older that I felt that I had a voice." He continued: "Here's where people get it wrong: The metal fans that come to our shows are some of the most open-minded, encouraging, embracing, protective, and progressive fans I have ever seen. I never worry that something bad is going to happen at one of our shows. If an accident happens, that's a different thing, but I am never worried about fights or attacks because we look out for each other. "Trump's message is so anti-SLIPKNOT, it's not even funny, because we have always tried to get people to stand together, and everything he does is so divisive. Trying to get people to equate Muslims with terrorists is just trying to control and manipulate one more group of people. His stances on Muslims and Latinos and his absolute silence on Black Lives Matter prove that he is unprepared to bring people together. He is prepared to tear them apart so he can control them." Based on his interviews with heavy metal fans in which politics was one of a number of topics discussed, sociologist Jeffrey Arnett concluded: "Generally, their positions on these issues are not best characterized as liberal or conservative, but rather as libertarian, in the sense of wishing to have as few restrictions or sanctions as possible on their behavior." (Source: "Sells Like Teen Spirit: Music, Youth Culture, And Social Crisis" by Ryan Moore) FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory last year became the first Republican-leaning rocker to express his views on the 2016 field. Others, such as STAIND's Aaron Lewis and Kid Rock, have also voiced their support for the billionaire mogul.
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