It’s been a bad year for Slipknot thanks to a series of incidents on tour: Frontman Corey Taylor slipped and fell on stage not long after spinal surgery, and several fans have been ejected or had phones smacked out of their hands. But perhaps no one associated with Slipknot has had it worse than percussionist Shawn Crahan, otherwise known as Clown.

Clowns, as you may have heard, have been responsible for a series of attacks across America in recent months. The situation has escalated to the point that the Insane Clown Posse felt the need to speak up, and now Slipknot’s Clown is taking action as well: According to Taylor, Clown is changing his name to Mime “until the coast is clear.”

NME points out that frontman Taylor announced the name change on BBC2’s topical comedy show No Such Thing As The News: “Even our dear Clown has downgraded himself to Mime, in order to distance himself from these hedonistic doppelgängers until the coast is clear.” Taylor added, “Remember, a real clown doesn’t need a knife to intimidate — just a bat and a good cold stare.”

Thank you, Mime, for standing in solidarity with America’s clown-addled populace.