‘Slipknot’ Members Bring a Smile to Dog Mauling Victim; Heard of the Injuries and Called Last Friday, Will Meet Later This Summer While on Tour

There haven’t been a lot of happy moments for Revere’s Brandon Marchetti since the 14-year-old was brutally mauled three weeks ago by two Rottweiler guard dogs behind Northgate Shopping Center – resulting in life-altering injuries.

However, last Friday, as he took the telephone from his sister, and realized he was talking to his idol – drummer Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan from the internationally known band Slipknot – there was a smile that couldn’t be erased.

“He lit up like a Christmas tree,” said his mother, Silvana Marchetti. “He had no idea what was going on. We had kept it a secret from him. At first, he didn’t believe it. For the first few minutes he thought it was his sister’s friend playing a joke on him. Then, he listened closely to the guy’s voice and realized he was really talking to ‘Clown’ from Slipknot. He started asking him questions about the band and where they were touring. ‘Clown’ talked to him for at least 17 minutes. He told him to ‘Hang in there’ and to ‘Stay strong,’ and just gave him some uplifting advice. Brandon’s excitement and expression were priceless, especially with all he’s been through.”

The band is currently touring in Japan, and heard about Marchetti’s tragic incident through a ‘Facebook’ connection via their manager, an introduction initiated by Revere High School (RHS) teacher Nancy Barile.

Marchetti has been following the band for about six years, his mother said, and actually was motivated to learn the guitar from listening to the Iowa-based hard rockers.

“He taught himself the guitar based on their music and can play a couple of their songs,” said his mom.

Not only did he get a lift of the spirits, but also he got something to look forward to this summer. Crahan promised to send Marchetti some exclusive merchandise that no other fans can get, and he also sent backstage passes and onstage tickets for Marchetti when the band comes to New England this summer.

“He said that Brandon will get to go backstage and meet all the members and talk to them before the concert,” said Silvana. “I appreciate what he did for my son. My son was really hurt and his spirits weren’t that high. This made his day.

“It was shocking, not because the guy called, but because you don’t get that kind of thing from band members all the time,” she continued. “They travel so much and have to play all the time. For him to take the time to call my son; he really went out of his way.”

Barile told the Journal that she had really been affected by the news of Marchetti’s injuries.

“I love dogs and I love kids and it really tore me up hearing about what happened to him,” she said. “I really wanted to try to do something to lift his spirits.”

She said she didn’t know him personally, but knew his sister from the high school. Though not many people are aware that Barile was into the rock scene during her younger days, she said she actually managed a handful of rock bands and her husband was in several well-known bands in the 1980s and 1990s. Through those old connections, she sent out some feelers via the Internet.

One of those inquiries landed in the hands of Kevin Lyman, the creator of the Warped Tour and Mayhem Tour. Only 13 minutes after Barile e-mailed him last week, he responded and the wheels began turning.

The next thing everyone knew, ‘Clown’ from Slipknot wanted to talk to Brandon on Friday – which is exactly what happened.

And late next summer, the two will meet here in New England – something that still brings a smile to the face of the young man who has had to persevere through a great deal of adversity over the past three weeks.

“It’s so shocking to me that it all happened, so all I can really say is thank you to the band and thank you to Nancy for wanting to help out,” Silvana  said.