NADINE LAGGAR
Seven Deadly Sins by Corey Tayloris one of those books you need to read with a pinch of salt at the ready. You may know Taylor better as lead singer of Slipknot and Stone Sour. It is obvious that Taylor is no literary genius as he uses the book to advocate his opinions, completely secular in nature, about the human race. If you’re easily offended in terms of religion, this book is probably not for you. That said, Taylor is always aware of his blatant subjectivity. Though laden with cynicism, the book also addresses the limitless potential that is inherent in all of humanity.
There are paragraphs in which he unexpectedly reveals moments of pure brilliance and infallible logic. It is no wonder, since he has a cornucopia of experience to draw from. Like Taylorsays, “You cannot write a book about birds if you have not studied them in HD for a prolonged period of time. So, consequently, you should not be able to write an entire rambling homage to the Seven Deadly Sins without wearing a few of them on your shirt like Cub Scout badges, right?”
The crux of the book is how the Seven Deadly Sins are not, well, deadly. Or sins, for that matter. Taylorexplores the ways in which the supposed sins are really just human nature and how they can be the driving force (when committed in moderation) behind great things. The only sin Taylorseems completely against is sloth. Not because it’s deadly, but because it’s the anthrax to potential.
By no means is he advocating debauchery or anarchy. It’s more of a revision of an old ideal and an attempt to put the sins into perspective. Taylor even ends the book with his own idea of the Seven Deadly Sins. His list includes murder, child abuse, rape, torture, theft, lying and bad music which “elevates mediocrity for acceptance and praise”.
If nothing else, the book will give you an amazing insight into who Corey Taylor is and why he is the way he is: for example, the fact that Taylor was raped by his best friend at the tender age of eleven; that he lived in poverty and was brought up in an abusive household for the majority of his childhood, sleeping in bathtubs and closets. Through all his addictions, from cocaine to alcoholism, he went on to become a successful musician and to win a Grammy (which he emphatically does not care for).
In its totality, Seven Deadly Sins makes for an entertaining read and will get you thinking introspectively.Taylor says, “If music is the universal language, then sins are a universal birthright. We earn our sins through mistakes and rapture. We earn our humanity through our ability to mend.”
But don’t forget that pinch of salt. You’ll need it.
