Slipknot's Jim Root may be giving his life to the band, continually helping to deliver crushing riffs, but that doesn't mean his tastes lie exclusively metal. During a chat with Ireland's Joe, which can be heard in the player below, he shares some musical interests you might not expect.

Root revealed, “I love pop music — not necessarily modern pop music, but I was introduced to Britpop, kinda found that later on after it bloomed and happened ... When we first started touring, we’d do these in-stores constantly, like in the U.K., these crazy in-stores all over Europe. They were at the record stores that were around at the time, and they’d let you pick CDs out when we were done."

He says that record store shopping led him to discover some pretty iconic acts of the '90s British music scene. “That’s when I started discovering Björk and Portishead, then Radiohead, Blur and Oasis, that type of pop music,” recalled the guitarist.

But his pop adoration doesn't stop there, with Root sharing a more modern interest for Ariana Grande. “One of the girls at our management company was listening to some Ariana Grande, and I didn’t know that that’s what she was listening to. I was like, ‘What is that? That’s awesome! That’s got, like, a vibe to it, you know?’ She told me what it was, and I was kind of mind blown,” admits the guitarist.

Root reveals elsewhere in the interview that he’s taken the opportunity to share his appreciation for acts outside the metal genre, singling out a chance meeting with Sting.

“I was in New York City and I saw Sting walking with a guy, and I was like, ‘You know what, I gotta try to talk to him.’ I’m not going to fanboy out on him, but I was just like, ‘Hey how ya doin?,” recalls Root, who inquired if Sting was playing in town. The guitarist recalls the pleasant exchange, in which Sting acknowledged that he had heard of them and felt they were “a great band.”

“I was like beside myself,” said Root. “Guys like that, obviously they’re musicians and as musicians you can appreciate other musicians, but to me that’s like a whole other level of music. You think back to the Police and all that stuff and it’s just incredible songwriting and the hugeness of it all.”

Slipknot will be on the road plenty in 2020, not only playing headline tours and fronting festivals, but there will be more Knotfest-branded performances this year, including the inaugural Knotfest at Sea. Get details on all of their touring here.

Slipknot's Jim Root Talks to Joe

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