Tool singer Maynard James Keenan has revealed that he joined the Los Angeles progressive metal stars following a dare from someone he knew.
Talking in the new issue of Metal Hammer, the 62-year-old says that he was criticising the local alternative music scene when someone “challenged” him to do it better himself, essentially telling him to put up or shut up.
“I got challenged to be in a band, actually,” Keenan explains. “It wasn’t to do with Adam [Jones, guitarist] or Danny [Carey, drummer]. Somebody challenged me when I was being critical about the things I was seeing in LA. It was like, ‘If you think you can do better…’ I knew I could. It was an accident, but I took the call and I’m going to be here a while.”
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The singer’s confidence was ultimately well-placed, as Tool became one of heavy music’s biggest bands. They’ve sold more than 14 million albums worldwide and won three Grammy Awards. Their last three albums – 2001’s Lateralus, 2006’s 10,000 Days and 2019’s Fear Inoculum – have all debuted at No.1 on the US Billboard 200 chart.
Elsewhere in the interview, Keenan discloses how Tool’s success somewhat backfired, as he was chased out of Los Angeles by “vampires” in the music industry. He now resides in the small, remote town of Jerome, Arizona.
“Not stalkers, but we had a lot of lawyers and agents, bookers… people trying to get into us,” says Keenan. “All these vampires that wanted to financially benefit from a safe relationship with successful artists. Those vampires drove me out of LA, not the fans. There’s nothing wrong with the fans – there’s some obsessed ones who can get a bit mathy and weird, but that’s the nature of the fan. Fanatics. My exit from LA was because of this parade of vampires.”
Despite having hip replacement surgery in August, Keenan is back on the road with his avant-rock project Puscifer, having kicked off a European tour at Annexet in Stockholm, Sweden on October 25. The singer will do double duty on a Central and South American tour which kicks off in Mexico City on November 25, fronting Puscifer and his rock band A Perfect Circle for separate sets at each stop.
Meanwhile, according to drummer Danny Carey, Tool are working on a new album with a tentative 2027 release date. Carey told the Spiral Out Network in February that the band also hope to perform at Las Vegas multimedia venue The Sphere, following in the footsteps of Metallica, who are currently hosting their own residency there from October to March.
Read our full interview with Keenan in the new Hammer, which features late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton on the cover and celebrates his enduring legacy 40 years after his death. Order your copy now and get it delivered directly to your door.
