Who is Tortilla Man in Slipknot?
Slipknot has been entertaining fans for nearly 30 years, and despite the lineup changing with only one founding member remaining, the energy has never dwindled. The band is known for their crazy headbanging and strange masks that help fans identify each member. Of late, the main buzz around the band is the new guy that has famously come to be known as Tortilla Man, owing to his mask. His identity has never been revealed, but the internet investigators keep speculating on who Tortilla Man in Slipknot is. So far, sound evidence has pointed towards Michael Pfaff and here is why fans think it has to be him behind the mask.
Tortilla Man joins Slipknot
Chris Fehn left the band in March 2019 after suing the manager and leaders for discrepancies surrounding his compensation. According to The Des Moines Register, Fehn sued Corey Taylor, Robert Shore and Michael Shawn Crahan for some side deals that meant he was not fairly compensated. Taylor insisted they were wrongfully accused. Still, it did not take long before Fehn quit. Finding Fehn’s replacement took a while, with some thinking that one-time member Anders Colsefni would be rejoining Slipknot. While Taylor said he would love it if Colsefni returned, the former member shut down any hopes claiming he did not know any current band members. He even added that he had a real job and made it clear that he would not be making his way back to Slipknot. However, Slipknot found another percussionist to replace Fehn, and the band went on to tease new masks and costumes for “Unsainted.” The new guy’s mask earned him the nickname “Tortilla Man”, which has stuck to date.
Speculations Begin on the New Guy
Fans were excited to see the band had a new percussionist, but they could not get rid of their obsession with finding out who he was. They searched for clues, and the first person to give fans a reason to start thinking it could be Michael Pfaff was Jim Root, Slipknot’s guitarist. According to Tone Deaf, Root described the new addition as a world-class pianist and great percussionist who is schooled in music. The description immediately had people guessing it must be Pfaff because the new percussionist also has a history with Crahan in Dirty Little Rabbits. The investigators also noticed that Pfaff has similar stature as Tortilla Man. They discovered that Pfaff’s friends and family are avid followers of Tortilla Man on social media, which fueled their belief that he must be the band new member. Just when they thought they had it all figured out, comedian Gilbert Gottfried tried to throw them off course by saying he was indeed Tortilla Man. Then again, it is hard to believe anything that comes out of a comedian’s mouth, so investigators continued digging for more evidence.
Damning Evidence
The speculations were further influenced by a photo of a neck gaiter labeled as “Pfaff Neck Gaiter Face Cover” on a site that was selling the band’s merchandise. Later on, a video of the band arriving at an airport with someone who bore a resemblance to Pfaff fueled the speculations. What cemented the fans’ beliefs that Pfaff’s the new guy was when a photo surfaced of Tortilla Man, Jay Weinberg and Crahan. The three men signed a guest book at the Postojna Cave Park and among the signatures was one that read “Pfaff” and had a heart-shaped balloon above it.
According to Loudwire, as fans had suspected about Pfaff being drawn from Dirty Little Rabbits, he stopped performing live with them as Slipknot’s “We Are Not Your Kind” album release approached. Fans had suspected Pfaff being from Dirty Little Rabbits because he also played keyboard and organ for the band. It seemed that Crahan had used his familiarity with Pfaff to get him to join Slipknot because the two men were bandmates in Dirty Little Rabbits. Regardless of how badly the fans were trying to guess Tortilla Man’s identity, none of Slipknot’s members divulged any substantial evidence about the new member. Crahan said in an interview that it was nobody’s business. On the other hand, Root said that fans had told him not to reveal the new guy’s identity. Still, he added that he was surprised that no one was yet to have concrete evidence about Tortilla Man. Root said that considering this social media age where everyone is equipped with cameras and phones, it was strange, but eventually, someone would figure out the identity.
Why Do They Insist on Wearing Masks?
The history of Slipknot wearing masks dates back to the band’s first gig, which was on Halloween, and the members asked each other what they would wear to the performance. Crahan said he would put on a clown mask which the bandmates found stupid. They complained that he could not be the only one performing in a mask, and they expected him to give up the idea, but Crahan held his ground. As a result, he wore his mask hence “Clown” became his alias while the others got their own masks. Since 1995 the masks have become part of their identity, and nothing is going to change that. Every time they put on the masks, some will wish that they didn’t have to, but Crahan cannot condone such ideas. He came up with the concept and believed they have to stick with it; otherwise, they would feel like a cheap version of themselves. He knows some members regret signing up with the band because wearing the mask is part of the packaged deal. Still, he clarifies that he has never forced anyone to wear a mask which he opines allows people to be authentic. According to NME, Taylor supports the authenticity. He said all bets are off, and they can let that animal inside, off the chain.
