Art & Creativity Quote by Kerry King

Hesitation is the tell. Kerry King’s “yes there is and there is not” isn’t just verbal clutter; it’s a musician trying to describe a paradox that only exists once your taste becomes your job. He’s fielding the classic question shadowing any long-running band: Are you still excited by what you make, or are you just maintaining the machine? His answer swerves away from the tidy PR line and lands somewhere more credible: the pleasure is real, but it’s complicated.

The key move is the double identity he insists on: fan and member of SLAYER. That’s not modesty; it’s a strategy. By framing himself as a fan first, King claims an external benchmark for authenticity. The music isn’t satisfying because it’s “ours,” but because it hits the same nerve it would if he were in the crowd. That’s an attempt to protect the band from the suspicion of self-parody, especially in a genre where “true” matters and nostalgia can smell like fraud.

There’s also a subtle collective shield in “the rest of the guys naturally are.” It smooths over internal differences and avoids the soap-opera version of band dynamics. “Naturally” implies that liking this music is almost biological, not a decision you can outgrow. And the final phrase, “as being in SLAYER,” carries the weight: their own work isn’t just songs, it’s a role, a legacy, a brand-name intensity. He’s admitting that the thrill is still there, but it arrives filtered through the pressure of living up to what SLAYER is supposed to mean.