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Slipknot fail to set the world on fire with Zippo partnership

By | Published on Friday 24 April 2015

Slipknot

Slipknot have announced a partnership with Zippo Encore on their upcoming ‘Summer’s Last Stand’ US tour.

This isn’t just a straight sponsorship deal though. Oh, Christ no. This is a total two-way creative love-in. Because, you see, Slipknot are going to design some lighters, which Zippo will then hawk at the shows in its own pop-up shop. Fans will also have the chance to win prizes and create their own lighter designs.

“Who can think of a concert – especially a heavy metal or hard rock concert – without picturing Zippo lighters in the air, showing appreciation for the music that’s being played?” asked Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor (a generation of blank-faced young people just out of shot).

He continued: “We’re excited to partner with Zippo and put our creative caps on to ultimately create something special for our fans, something that they’ll appreciate and haven’t seen before”.

Oh, piss off. Why is this statement not telling kids to use the lighters to smoke bongs and set fire to any seating in the venue? What has happened to our rockstars?

I mean, I think that statement was actually worse than that from the marketing guy who followed. Look, here’s Zippo’s Global Brand Manager Brent Tyler: “In teaming up with Slipknot, we have a unique opportunity to pair rock royalty with one of America’s most iconic and recognisable brands. This partnership will be unlike anything Zippo Encore has done previously, and we’re looking forward to giving our fans something truly special to get excited about this summer”.

What does he mean “our” fans? Surely he means “Slipknot’s fans”. Or have the band lost so much of their edge in doing this, that he thinks that people are actually going to turn up mainly to buy lighters?

What a world we live in.



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