Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan explains why there's been such a long wait for new music from the band.
It's the question we've all been asking since the release of Tool's 2006 fourth studio album 10,000 Days: why the massive wait for its follow-up?
Now, in a new interview on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, frontman Maynard James Keenan has explained – among many other topics across the near-two-hour chat – why the band's new record, Fear Inoculum, has taken so long, while also addressing why it's taken forever for their music to be able to purchase digitally and hit streaming services (which it finally will, as of this coming Friday).
“The four of us are a lot of fucking work, just to get anywhere, oh my God. Everything’s a fucking committee meeting and it always gets shut down,” he says. “[The hurdle is] success. When you get successful, you think you’re right about everything and you’re pretty sure as that individual: ‘I am right and you are wrong, because I’m successful and we’re successful because of me, not because of you.’ It’s not that bad with us, but there’s a dynamic of, like, ‘I want this and I’ve always gotten my way and that’s why we’re successful, because I don’t compromise on this or that.’ I’m the same way. I’m totally the same way.”
Watch the full interview below. It's a hell of a ride…
Maynard had previously spoken to Kerrang! about how much speculation there is surrounding his work – not just with Tool, but also A Perfect Circle and Puscifer – and how people seem to want him to tell them that their theories about the meanings behind his works are correct.
“Yes and I’m not going to do that (laughs), and that’s mainly because there isn’t just one explanation,” he said. “Some things are subjective, and some things are not. Some things are logical: take a step back, take away all the grandiose stuff and the idol-worship part, and look at something practically and you’ll come up with an answer that’s fucking reasonable – rather than this crazed Twitterverse of horseshit. Shut the door to the shit room.”
When asked about his creative process and if it compares to working on the layouts for pet shops (something he used to do as a job) or making wine, he explained: “All of the answers to those kinds of questions are about being conscious and aware, and ready to respond according to the situation. It’s about being connected enough in a pet store to understand, ‘We could probably sell more shit if we put this at the back.’ I didn’t just come in one day and say, ‘Hey! Put this back there – it’s an idea I have!’ You have to be there to witness people come in to the front of the store and realise they never see another aisle.
“When you’re planting grapes and realising that it’s colder than it is hot, it’s going to be more about avoiding cold and moisture than it is heat. It’s a conscious decision that you have to be present for and pay attention. If you’re not, you’re going to miss it.”
