Chris Fehn
Background information
Birth name Christopher Michael Fehn
Height:6'1"
Also known as #3, Mr. Picklenose
Born February 24, 1972 (1972-02-24) (age 37)
Ankeny, Iowa
Genres Alternative metal, nu metal
Occupations Musician
Instruments Custom percussion, backing vocals
Years active 1997–present
Labels Roadrunner, Nuclear Blast
Associated acts Slipknot, Thunderbolt, Gasoline, Shed
Christopher Michael Fehn born February 24, 1972, or known as simply Chris, by his number #3, or by his nicknames Cockface McGinty and/or Mr. Picklenose, is an American musician known as one of the two custom percussionists of Slipknot.
Personal life and career
Fehn was born in Des Moines, Iowa and raised in Ankeny, Iowa, just north of Des Moines. Prior to joining Slipknot, he played as a kicker on the Wayne State University Football team. Fehn joined the band around April 1997, replacing percussionist Greg Welts, who was forced out of Slipknot after the band due to personal conflicts with drummer Joey Jordison which stemmed from Welts dating Jordison's sister.
As well as lending his percussion talents to the band, Fehn has also sung backing vocals on a number of songs Slipknot has both recorded and performed live. Outside Slipknot, Fehn is a very keen golfer, and evidences this on the band's 2006 DVD, Voliminal: Inside the Nine, where he is interviewed while playing golf. Fehn describes himself as a "big fan of the band" and says of Slipknot, "the world needed something like this."
Prior to joining Slipknot in 1997, Fehn was close friends with Slipknot's percussionist Shawn Crahan. According to Fehn, he had originally asked Crahan if he could be drummer Joey Jordison's drum tech. Shortly after his request was made, Fehn was given an offer to play custom percussion in the band. Fehn was then given a rough demo that contained all of Slipknot's songs. Fehn has said that "Spit It Out" was the song that stood out to him the most. Fehn then tried out on percussion and was subsequently made part of Slipknot.
In the early years of Slipknot before their signing with Roadrunner Records, Fehn was an electrician. In a recent interview with Face Culture, Fehn said that the band members gave him a hard time in his early years with the band. He described that his time during the self-titled album era was his "hazing period" with the band.
Fehn's band has a rivalry with Limp Bizkit. When Fred Durst, the vocalist of Limp Bizkit, stated: "We really like Slipknot and are very happy that they hate us, because it makes their music heavier, angrier and real!", Fehn was angered by this. He later discribed Durst as being "...scared of us (Slipknot) and that he didn't know until then that Clown (Shawn Crahan) was being serious about what he implied." Fehn's fellow percussionist, Shawn Crahan, was also enraged about Durst.
Mask
Fehn uses a Tengu-style mask, which has been seen in many different colors and styles with the nose of the mask always staying at 71⁄2 inches (about 19 cm) long. He owns six variations of the mask, his best-known being the tanned, leather mask used during the Iowa era. Another well known mask of Fehn's is the red mask used mainly during the Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses) World Tour. He briefly used a white mask during the band's Slipknot era, and can be seen wearing it in the album's cover art.
Fehn's mask design is most likely based on those worn by doctors during the Black Plague, where the nose was filled with herbs to 'protect' the doctor from inhaling the fumes of death. Another widely discussed influence is the possibility of the mask being based on that which was adorned by Alex and his "droogs" during the rape scene in the 1971 film A Clockwork Orange.
A third idea of the origin of the mask also comes from Commedia dell'arte, an Italian comedy which held its popularity through the 15th and 18th centuries. In particular Chris' mask resembles a version of Pantalone's phallic-nosed mask.
A fourth idea of the origin of the mask is the Pinocchio character.
Backstage at Slipknot's second Ozzfest show, Fehn expanded on the mask to a local interviewer, saying, "This mask reflects my comic personality. Plus I chose it for the bondage factor. When you put it on, it takes you to another place. It's very hot, it's very tight, and it hurts– that goes along with the aggression we create." In a more recent interview in London, Fehn claimed that, "The smell gets worse, it smells like puke, sweat, and piss!"
Due to the British TV show "Never Mind The Buzzcocks", Fehn has also become known as Cockface McGinty after host Mark Lamarr's comments.
The mask is also shown in the movie Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay when Harold pulls it out of Neil Patrick Harris's bag after he is shot by the prostitutes.
With Slipknot
* 1999: Slipknot
* 2001: Iowa
* 2004: Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)
* 2008: All Hope Is Gone
Filmography
* 1999: Welcome to Our Neighborhood
* 2002: Disasterpieces
* 2002: Rollerball
* 2006: Voliminal: Inside the Nine
* 2008: Nine: The Making of "All Hope Is Gone"
Equipment
* Custom Pearl timpani style drums
* Pearl Competitor FFX-style marching snare (12x14)
* Vic Firth Metal American Classic drum sticks
* Two empty beer kegs, played primarily with a baseball bat
Fehn's drums were custom-welded by fellow Slipknot percussionist Shawn Crahan. Fehn and Crahan use the same set-up for their drums; however, Crahan's set, along with Jordison's, is normally mounted on a scissor lift which goes high into the air and rotates, whereas Fehn's drum set is mounted on a swivel, allowing them to rotate 90° and tilt in numerous directions, as seen in the videos for "Left Behind" and "Before I Forget". Fehn prefers not to use the scissor lift due to his fear of heights, and he uses a different set of drumsticks for a distinguishable sound between the two drummers.
