Interview: Slipknot Museum Manager Caelin Meredith – Spotlight Report
Knotfest is about to tear through Australia once again, hitting Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney with its signature blend of chaos and community. But beyond the blistering performances and high-energy pits, there’s something truly special for die-hard Maggots—The Slipknot Museum.
A shrine to the band’s legendary career, the museum gives fans a rare chance to get up close with iconic masks, exclusive, never-before-seen memorabilia, and even jam on original instruments played by the band themselves.
To dive deeper into what’s in store for Aussie fans, we caught up with Slipknot Museum’s global manager, Caelin Meredith—just moments before she boarded a flight to Australia.
SR. Hi Caelin, thank you for taking the time to chat with us despite your busy schedule.
CM. No, it’s all good. Wonderful. Well, thanks for your time. I literally have to catch my plane to Australia. So, Kind of important that I make that a little bit (laughs).
SR. Just wondering what sort of surprises we have in stock for this year’s Knotfest Museum in Australia. Any special thing that you can tell us in advance?
CM. Yes. So, I mean, for me, I work for the museum. So, I have curated something that basically is really raw and primal, and we really are bringing pieces from that original album cycle and touring cycle.
I think the fans are really going to be wowed. You can see behind me, I decided to do this interview from the actual Slipknot warehouse. So, this isn’t just the museum, but this is Slipknot’s actual warehouse. So, you can see some branded items behind me. Wardrobe, some pads. I’ll just like give you a little look to see how big it is. And if you can believe it right now, it’s only a quarter of the warehouse, because all the sets are in Australia right now, so most of the stuff is actually on the road.
Normally there’s all kinds of set carts behind me. It’s like packed. You can’t even walk through here.
SR. Do you have any favorite item from the collection that you always look to put on display?
CM. Honestly, the we call it the Avengers mask from Clown is definitely, that’s a newer item and I am still so wowed by it.
I think the fact that we have an instrument station where fans can play instruments of band members that do not only belong to them but are in current rotation is also great. So, the band members are playing these instruments, sometimes in between shows. So, I think that instrument Station the Clown, that gold clown mask, and then, of course, we’ve got two amazing photo opportunities for the Australian fans this year.
I can’t talk about it too much, but something original that as soon as you walk into the museum, you’re going to be kind of hit with it, because it’s that first album cycle, that rawness, but it’s also original items.
So again, the Australian fans are getting something really special.
“…He (Clown) doesn’t only just care about the pieces though. What he cares about is the fan experience…”
SR. Speaking about Shawn aka clown. He’s a filmmaker, photographer and obviously musician. He’s always very involved into the Art of the band. How big is his input in the museum?
CM. Yeah. So basically, this was his idea. So, I’ve been with it for four years. They had a museum before I started, and then I basically came in to work on it and he has a lot of input in it. This is his baby. He cares a lot about it. He doesn’t only just care about the pieces though. What he cares about is the fan experience. So, he always not only wants to make sure that the aesthetic is good and on brand, but he wants to make sure that the fans are getting something from it, that they are getting to interact, that they are being able to download and experience within the museum because the museum really it’s like a portal.
It’s a special little world that even though we’re on a festival site and there’s so much going around and there’s crazy loud music playing inside of it, it’s almost just like really personal journey for people once they get in it. So everything’s been selected for a particular reason, but also everything in there is absolutely original and from him.
“… Something you should know about Slipknot is they care so deeply about their fans…”
So, he had a lot of decision in some of our, our key items. And then as we add more, I’ve been really lucky since I’ve worked with him for four years to gain the band’s trust. So, they let me take the aesthetic to another level. But he (Clown) does have a lot of input.
I mean, all the guys. Something you should know about Slipknot is they care so deeply about their fans, they’re so conscious of what they’re giving to the fans and that it’s something of value and it’s something that will be received and I don’t know a lot of bands that cared that deeply about how something is being received or what is being put out and what kind of energy is behind it, and whether there’s integrity or authentic and passion. Because Slipknot fans are the nicest people in the world, but they are also extremely intelligent. And I think if they were to do anything as a band that wasn’t authentic, those fans would feel it.
So, everything has to come with passion and integrity because that’s what they perform.
SR. Just one more question. I want to take more of time. You mentioned joining the Slipknot Museum team four years ago, how did you get involved on it?
CM. Yeah. So, there there’s no job application for this job. I was working on a different thing, I was in a different genre of music altogether, and I was working on VIP and then I started doing VIP for Slipknot. And when the museum was part of it, I started to learn that. And then they basically saw my passion for it and how excited I was and how I interacted with the fans, and it was just a perfect match.
I just continuously hold myself to higher standards, and I continuously just bring my A-game for the fans because I care so deeply about their experience, and I think that kind of passion nowadays is really rare. And so even though there are people that are putting that out, to have it be recognized by the band is that’s sort of what makes this work, is that they know that I care really deeply, and they also see that.
So, together it’s like there’s nothing we can’t do. And this is a dream job. And I’m so honoured. I’m so honoured I get to get on a plane right now and fly halfway around the world and bring this to the Australian fans because, you know, you guys are a little further away. So, bands don’t get to come as often. So, when we do get to come to Australia, the passion and just the mentality and the energy is so fierce and everyone’s so appreciative that it’s just sort of feeds on to us. And then we feed you and it’s just this incredible cycle and it’s a joy every time. And it it’s again, I’ll just say it, it’s an honour to come to Australia.
I can’t wait to literally get on this plane right now and bring this museum to the Australian fans!
Knotfest Australia 2025
Slipknot
A Day To Remember
BABYMETAL, Slaughter To Prevail, Polaris
Within Temptation, Enter Shikari, Hatebreed
In Hearts Wake, HEALTH, Miss May I, Vended, Sunami
Tickets From Knotfest.com/Australia
Exclusive VIP Packages Available
Packages Include A Backstage Tour And Side Stage Viewing
KNOTFEST AUSTRALIA 2025
DATES AND VENUES:
Friday 28 February 2025 – Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne
Sunday 2 March 2025 – Brisbane Showground, Brisbane
Saturday 8 March 2025 – Centennial Park, Sydney
Stay up to date on all things KNOTFEST over at https://knotfest.com/
