Slipknot are back rocking stages across America this summer, but the band had a bit of a scare earlier this year when frontman Corey Taylor underwent emergency spinal surgery. The tour start was delayed a little bit to allow Taylor the chance to recover, and in a new interview, the rocker admits he might have rushed the process a bit.

Taylor tells Minneapolis-St. Paul Station 93X host Pablo (as seen in the interview above) that the doctors told him he could return after two weeks so long as he avoided jumping and headbanging. Taylor gave himself three weeks, but says, "I probably should have waited a little longer, but I didn't want to."

In the interview, Taylor details how he came to need emergency surgery. He explains, "I went in for an old man physical. You hit 40 and it's like, 'Okay, I've got all these issues and I'd like to know why.'" During the visit, his doctor noticed a potential issue with his spine and recommended him to a spinal cord specialist. Taylor knew something was wrong for a few years, feeling that the strength on the right side of his body was gone. “I had the strength of an 80-year-old basically. In fact, I probably would have lost a fight to an 80-year-old. That’s how bad it was – and it sucked," stated Taylor.

When asked what they found and what caused it, the singer revealed, "There was a host of different things, but essentially what happened was, and the only thing I can think of is, I fell offstage in '99, and landed on top of my head. I fell four feet off stage, landed. Being 25, I just kind of brushed it off – ‘I can still feel everything, I must be fine.’ Meanwhile, what had actually happened, my C5 and C6, basically it was compound fracture pressed together and crushed the disc and then slowly but surely began growing into my spinal cord. And the doctor couldn’t believe that I was walking. I don't know how you walked in here. It literally went from zero to surgery like that. That's why it was emergency spinal surgery."

Taylor also spoke about the hard fall he took in Atlanta shortly after returning to the stage, stating that it looked worse than it actually was. "I jumped up, and I knew as soon as I jumped I knew. I was like, 'Yeah, I'm not gonna clear this,' and it was wet, and that’s why, and my feet went out from underneath me, my leg first and then I fell over," says Taylor, who remained motionless for a bit before being helped to his feet. "The reason I took my time was because I just wanted to make sure I didn’t break anything, that I didn't re-aggravate it. The video looks terrible -- but I’m laying on the ground just laughing my ass off," said the singer.

Slipknot are currently touring the U.S. with Marilyn Manson and Of Mice & Men. Remaining dates for the run, as well as Slipknot's future touring schedule, can be seen here.

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