Craig Michael Jones (born February 11, 1972), Following the departure of fellow bandmate and drummer Joey Jordison in 2013, Jones was the second-longest-serving member of Slipknot.
On June 7, 2023, Slipknot announced they parted ways with Jones, though the announcement was removed the same day.
Career
Jones joined Slipknot in early 1996, replacing original guitarist Donnie Steele after the recording of the band's debut demo Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. He was enlisted to the band by drummer Joey Jordison, with whom Jones had previously worked (alongside guitarist Josh Brainard) in the band Modifidious. However, shortly after joining the band, the "electronics and computer genius" moved over to the role of sampler due to the increase in sound effects, background noises/programmed samples and media samples used in the band's music. Mick Thomson replaced him on guitar. Jones' contribution to the band has been described by BBC Music as "provid[ing] samples, speeches and noises as a kind of audio garnish in the band's dark maelstrom".
Jones was given the nickname "133" as a reference to the processor speed of his computer, 133 MHz, which author Joel McIver claims "was considered the state of the art" at the time. Speaking about the situation, guitarist Jim Root explained that "We're filling his spot, we've got a picture of him in the dressing room and we miss him every day, [but] we couldn't cancel the tour".
It was announced on June 7, 2023, that Slipknot parted ways with Craig Jones. This was later changed to an astronaut space helmet with long nails hammered through it. The helmet was later replaced by a bondage mask, and a zipper was also added over the mouth area. Vocalist Corey Taylor has commented on his demeanour by describing him as "the quietly scary type". Loudwire's Graham Hartmann noted that he "almost never speaks" and "keeps people at a distance", theorizing that these qualities inspired the style of his mask. Ian Gittins of The Guardian described Jones as "patently a strange individual", as well as quoting the band's manager's dubbing of the sampler as "the Unabomber", a reference to terrorist Ted Kaczynski.
When asked early in his career about what job he might be working at if not in Slipknot, Jones responded that he'd likely be "driving forklifts in a warehouse all day long", although he has also joked that he would "probably be out killing people", which has earned him the nickname "The Killer".