Corey Taylor: Face Tattoos Are Just Today’s Equivalent of Nipple Piercings 20-30 Years Ago

Corey Taylor is covered in tattoos, but would the singer ever get one on his face? That's what GQ asked him in a new interview and his response was classic, likening the face tattoo trend to an edgy decades-ago trend while noting this tatted appearance gives off vibes of the age-old tradition of doodling on a notebook cover.

In the five-minute video clip, Taylor, who just dropped his debut solo album CMFT earlier this month, runs through a brief overview of the artwork featured on his body and recollected his first-ever tattoo. "My first tattoo technically I have myself with needle and Indian ink in the basement of my grandmother's house," he laughed, stating his first authentic tattoo came when he was 19 years old.

In the opening moments of the video, though, Taylor addresses the all-important question: would you ever get a face tattoo? "Never," the singer sternly affirmed.

Unlike other rock and metal luminaries, he at least seems to understand the trend rather than be wholly perplexed by the idea of permanently marking your face. "I get it, you know. A face tattoo is no different than a nipple piercing from 20 years ago — 30 years ago, anyway," he offered before laying out a slice of personal criticism, "You end up looking like a shitty notebook from high school."

Even the notoriously wild and tattoo-plastered Ozzy Osbourne derided the sudden uptick in face tattoos, urging, "Anything above the collar should be stopped. To be honest it makes you look dirty."

Elsewhere in the GQ "Tattoo Tour" video, Taylor singled out the sun and moon design on his chest as by far the most painful. He's also pretty certain he's the only member of the "original band" to not have the full Slipknot logo tattooed on him. He does have the band's tribal "S" logo though.