Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor attends 2013 Comic-Con in San Diego, Calif. (Michael Kovac/Getty Images)

Slipknot frontman and Las Vegas resident Corey Taylor is on the road with Marilyn Manson for their 2016 summer tour. The Slipknot and Marilyn Manson mashup lands at T-Mobile Arena tonight after rescheduling for Taylor’s spinal surgery in June.

Des Moines, Iowa, native Taylor, 42, answered questions over the phone Saturday and discussed the upcoming show, Las Vegas and what it’s like to be him.

Slipknot is playing at Ak-Chin Pavilion in Phoenix tonight. What’s going through your mind?

I don’t think I’ve ever been in Phoenix when it’s raining. Is it my birthday? I can’t tell you how many times we have played here, whether it was with Slipknot or Stone Sour or me doing an acoustic thing, and it’s been like playing inside a kiln in art class.

What do you think is one of the weirdest things about living in Las Vegas?

It’s almost like by law you have to have something to gamble on. Like the first time I walked into a gas station and there was a line of them [slot machines]. I was like, “Really? Even here?” Like I keep expecting to see them in churches or funeral homes, for Chrissakes. People are like, “No, that would be in poor taste.” Are you sure? I swear to God the toilet paper I use in bathrooms are scratch tickets.

How do you feel about playing at one of Las Vegas’ newest additions, T-Mobile Arena?

I’m pretty stoked that we are part of the new history of this place, and it’s a really cool venue. It’s a very cool arena. I’m really looking forward to playing there.

It’s weird because everything got rescheduled after I had my spinal surgery. Everybody was like, “Is it on?” I was, like, yes, please go. If people are there, I will be very stoked, let’s put it that way.

How did the mashup between Slipknot and Manson develop?

Both camps were looking for something to do, like a big summer tour. We had a couple of things we were looking at, and Manson was putting the finishing touches on his new album that’s not out yet.

We had known each other for a long time. When you know there is a mutual respect between those camps, there is a level of trust you can put there knowing that the only thing that matters to you is putting together the best bill and then taking out the best show.

It’s been interesting. He’s a very reactionary artist whereas we’re a little more, I don’t want to say chaotic, but there is something different between our approaches. It’s the same effect but two different approaches. I think the two really complement each other.

You were recently involved in a controversial situation where you smacked the cell phone out of someone’s hand at a show. What is your personal take of the connectivity/disconnectivity of cell phone usage?

You watch people walk down the street, and they can’t get their beaks out of their stupid phones to cross the street. I love watching people get buried in their tiny little technological worlds, and then reality comes and smacks them in the face.

I don’t mind people who take pictures. I don’t even mind people who shoot video. I love that because you’re still engaged in the show. A lot of people get the wrong idea, they think that if I just see someone on their phone, I’m trying to rage quit their fun. I’m not trying to do that at all.

But if I see someone, and it’s so obvious they’re not even there, you’ve got to poke them with a stick to get their attention sometimes. Sometimes that means smacking the phone out of their hands. You can hate me all you want. It’s not going to stop me from smacking those things out of people’s hands.

What is it like to be Corey Taylor?

I am one of the luckiest people on this entire planet. Beat the odds, got to do exactly what I wanted to do with my life, and I have been able to do it professionally for almost 18 years. I have beautiful kids, I have a wonderful wife, I have family I would lay down in traffic for, and there doesn’t seem to be a ceiling for what I am able to do.

I also beat the odds with spinal surgery. If I hadn’t caught it, I would be paralyzed. The doctor told me that not too long ago, which scared the crap out of me.

So I am extremely lucky, and I know it doesn’t show a lot, but I am very grateful for what I have. I’m humbled by the success, and it just makes me hungry for more.

So what’s it like to be Corey Taylor? It’s pretty awesome sometimes. Obviously, there’s the typical 24/7 doldrums that happen with real life, but that’s real life for everybody. Not everything is gilded. You have to get through the bull to find the gems in the sand.

Melina Robinson is a Las Vegas-based freelance writer.