bruised_kiwi
05-18-2006, 12:07 AM
Admin edit: One thread per topic. Thank you. (http://toolnavy.com/showthread.php?t=48292)
Great new interview that I stumbled upon.It sheds a lot og light on the new albulm.......Maynard sense of humor is, once again very sarcastic...ENJOY!!!
Maynard James Keenan: The man with 10,000 faces
by Jeffrey Rawwin
4/29/06
For all his critical acclaim, Tool's Maynard James Keenan is perhaps the only front man in history who has been able to maintain a high level of mystery. It's an impressive feat, given that he's the lead singer of two wildly popular rock bands (he served as front man for Billy Howerdel's project A Perfect Circle) and has been pursuing a career as an actor in his downtime.
Five years after the multi-platinum selling "Lateralus", Maynard is back in full force with Tool on their fourth full length LP "10,000 Days." The album shows Tool once again evolving while keeping a firm grip on the signature sound that brought them to the dance. I had a chance to catch up with Maynard recently at one of the few listening parties the band gave the press.
Jeffrey Rawwin: Was it difficult coming back to Tool after spending so much time with A Perfect Circle?
Maynard James Keenan: You might want to ask the other guys that question. (laughs) No, if anything it feels like coming back home.
JR: I suppose that would be difficult for some people though. How did the band initially react to you becoming a part of APC?
MJK: They had some reservations. (pauses) They're not quick to admit it but... when you look at some of the other bands that started out when we did, you don't see too many familiar faces left. So I guess... yeah, naturally you have to be fearful. Us, Pearl Jam and one or two others are pretty much the only ones left.
JR: Is APC done?
MJK: On my end.
JR: Listening to the new album I felt like, lyric wise, this was a more personal affair for you than previous releases.
MJK: In many ways it is. Just like anything, as you get older you start seeing things in a different light. Especially when you're raising a family and have new interests, hobbies, needs.
JR: How long exactly did it take to record the album?
MJK: About five or six months.
JR: I think a lot of people assume that the records take longer to make because of your breaks.
MJK: I guess part of maintaining some semblance of mystery means that a lot of people won't take into account that we're older now and have families and need to spend tme on that. It's like when Metallica's fans freaked out over "Some Kind Of Monster." They didn't want to seem them demystified on that kind of level to where they appear** human. They wanted the larger than life Metallica. And when your music manages to stay pretty much timeless over the years, they forget that you've grown up.
JR: On the opening track ("Vicarious"), the last few lines, if I'm hearing them correctly say "Better you than I." It has a sort of 'live and let live' vibe.
MJK: There's only so many times you can scream warnings at people before you realize "Okay, at least I gave a kaka enough to try and make some positive difference. By now the only ones meant to hear it already have and I need to move on." A lot of the new material focuses on that. That's life. You can only try to help others so much before you need to help yourself.
JR: I detected a bit of Pink Floyd influence on the talk box solo. (From "Jambi", the record's second track) Who had the idea to use it?
MJK: Adam. We wanted to use it on the last record but there was really no place for it.
JR: A lot of the longer songs on your records take place near the end of the album but you chose to put a 17 minute monster ("Wings for Marie" and its counterpart "10,000 Days") near the beginning of the record and surprisingly it doesn't wreck the flow of the album at all.
MJK: Originally it was going to close out the record because of its length but we didn't think it gave the record a really cohesive flow. On this album more than others, we tried to construct it as if it were one long composition. (pause) Yeah, the order of the songs was way different a month ago.
JR: I think a lot of people will be surprised by the song that follows. ("The Pot")
MJK: It's probably going to be the first or second single.
JR: With an album that flows together, as you said, like one long song, is it hard to pick the lead single?
MJK: In a way, yeah. I mean we always try to pick the song that best represents the album as the lead single. On "Lateralus" it was tough because the songs basically revolved around one specific theme. But on this album things are spread out a little more.
JR: What was with the Indian skit? ("Lipan Conjuring")
MJK: Heh heh heh...
JR: The other long piece ("Rosetta Stoned") was wild. I think I heard "Sunkist" in one of the lyrics...
MJK: "Tang" didn't fit.
JR: It resembles what a cover of "Third Eye" by The Mars Volta would sound like.
MJK: Thank you.
JR: The last technical song on the album ("Right In Two") sounds like the most political stuff you've written.
MJK: I'm not so sure if I would say political. But a lot of the record is. We have an idiot in the White House whose actions are going to affect our children’s futures so of course it's on our mind. But we've always walked that line on our past albums.
JR: "Intolerance."
By now, Maynard informs me that the interview has been going on longer than expected. I beg and plead for just one or two more questions and after walking outside for a brief moment, he returns and sits back down on the sofa.
JR: In Tool's downtime, a lot of imitators have come out of the wood work. What do you think about bands like Earshot and Chevelle who seemingly break their backs to sound like Tool?
MJK: I don't mind that we influence other bands so long as they use the influence in the right way. The bands you just mentioned lack a great deal of emotional depth. (pauses) I remember Fr** Durst listing us as one of his major inspirations in an interview and all I could think of was "How can you say that? How can you take what we've given and use it to further what we've been fighting against?"
JR: It's disheartening.
MJK: It is! I think that's part of what inspir** the album. A lot of these bands see what's on the surface. Like they listen to our albums at F***ing parties or something, when we make music that you need to properly digest by being alone with the album. And all they hear is the aggressive side of things and don't stop to realize that the aggression is there for a reason, not just to make music to smoke to or whatever.
JR: I guess we should be wrapping up. I only have one more question here on my sheet anyway. In one word, describe how it feels to be a living legend.
MJK: Thank you for the interview.
LINK:http://www.rockfm.gr/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=202&whichpage=78
Great new interview that I stumbled upon.It sheds a lot og light on the new albulm.......Maynard sense of humor is, once again very sarcastic...ENJOY!!!
Maynard James Keenan: The man with 10,000 faces
by Jeffrey Rawwin
4/29/06
For all his critical acclaim, Tool's Maynard James Keenan is perhaps the only front man in history who has been able to maintain a high level of mystery. It's an impressive feat, given that he's the lead singer of two wildly popular rock bands (he served as front man for Billy Howerdel's project A Perfect Circle) and has been pursuing a career as an actor in his downtime.
Five years after the multi-platinum selling "Lateralus", Maynard is back in full force with Tool on their fourth full length LP "10,000 Days." The album shows Tool once again evolving while keeping a firm grip on the signature sound that brought them to the dance. I had a chance to catch up with Maynard recently at one of the few listening parties the band gave the press.
Jeffrey Rawwin: Was it difficult coming back to Tool after spending so much time with A Perfect Circle?
Maynard James Keenan: You might want to ask the other guys that question. (laughs) No, if anything it feels like coming back home.
JR: I suppose that would be difficult for some people though. How did the band initially react to you becoming a part of APC?
MJK: They had some reservations. (pauses) They're not quick to admit it but... when you look at some of the other bands that started out when we did, you don't see too many familiar faces left. So I guess... yeah, naturally you have to be fearful. Us, Pearl Jam and one or two others are pretty much the only ones left.
JR: Is APC done?
MJK: On my end.
JR: Listening to the new album I felt like, lyric wise, this was a more personal affair for you than previous releases.
MJK: In many ways it is. Just like anything, as you get older you start seeing things in a different light. Especially when you're raising a family and have new interests, hobbies, needs.
JR: How long exactly did it take to record the album?
MJK: About five or six months.
JR: I think a lot of people assume that the records take longer to make because of your breaks.
MJK: I guess part of maintaining some semblance of mystery means that a lot of people won't take into account that we're older now and have families and need to spend tme on that. It's like when Metallica's fans freaked out over "Some Kind Of Monster." They didn't want to seem them demystified on that kind of level to where they appear** human. They wanted the larger than life Metallica. And when your music manages to stay pretty much timeless over the years, they forget that you've grown up.
JR: On the opening track ("Vicarious"), the last few lines, if I'm hearing them correctly say "Better you than I." It has a sort of 'live and let live' vibe.
MJK: There's only so many times you can scream warnings at people before you realize "Okay, at least I gave a kaka enough to try and make some positive difference. By now the only ones meant to hear it already have and I need to move on." A lot of the new material focuses on that. That's life. You can only try to help others so much before you need to help yourself.
JR: I detected a bit of Pink Floyd influence on the talk box solo. (From "Jambi", the record's second track) Who had the idea to use it?
MJK: Adam. We wanted to use it on the last record but there was really no place for it.
JR: A lot of the longer songs on your records take place near the end of the album but you chose to put a 17 minute monster ("Wings for Marie" and its counterpart "10,000 Days") near the beginning of the record and surprisingly it doesn't wreck the flow of the album at all.
MJK: Originally it was going to close out the record because of its length but we didn't think it gave the record a really cohesive flow. On this album more than others, we tried to construct it as if it were one long composition. (pause) Yeah, the order of the songs was way different a month ago.
JR: I think a lot of people will be surprised by the song that follows. ("The Pot")
MJK: It's probably going to be the first or second single.
JR: With an album that flows together, as you said, like one long song, is it hard to pick the lead single?
MJK: In a way, yeah. I mean we always try to pick the song that best represents the album as the lead single. On "Lateralus" it was tough because the songs basically revolved around one specific theme. But on this album things are spread out a little more.
JR: What was with the Indian skit? ("Lipan Conjuring")
MJK: Heh heh heh...
JR: The other long piece ("Rosetta Stoned") was wild. I think I heard "Sunkist" in one of the lyrics...
MJK: "Tang" didn't fit.
JR: It resembles what a cover of "Third Eye" by The Mars Volta would sound like.
MJK: Thank you.
JR: The last technical song on the album ("Right In Two") sounds like the most political stuff you've written.
MJK: I'm not so sure if I would say political. But a lot of the record is. We have an idiot in the White House whose actions are going to affect our children’s futures so of course it's on our mind. But we've always walked that line on our past albums.
JR: "Intolerance."
By now, Maynard informs me that the interview has been going on longer than expected. I beg and plead for just one or two more questions and after walking outside for a brief moment, he returns and sits back down on the sofa.
JR: In Tool's downtime, a lot of imitators have come out of the wood work. What do you think about bands like Earshot and Chevelle who seemingly break their backs to sound like Tool?
MJK: I don't mind that we influence other bands so long as they use the influence in the right way. The bands you just mentioned lack a great deal of emotional depth. (pauses) I remember Fr** Durst listing us as one of his major inspirations in an interview and all I could think of was "How can you say that? How can you take what we've given and use it to further what we've been fighting against?"
JR: It's disheartening.
MJK: It is! I think that's part of what inspir** the album. A lot of these bands see what's on the surface. Like they listen to our albums at F***ing parties or something, when we make music that you need to properly digest by being alone with the album. And all they hear is the aggressive side of things and don't stop to realize that the aggression is there for a reason, not just to make music to smoke to or whatever.
JR: I guess we should be wrapping up. I only have one more question here on my sheet anyway. In one word, describe how it feels to be a living legend.
MJK: Thank you for the interview.
LINK:http://www.rockfm.gr/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=202&whichpage=78