I could care less if Maynard subscribes to a certain type of religion for the same reason I can still watch a Tom Cruise movie if I think it'll be good enough: Because the two things can be and probably will be seperate entities. Now, I didn't watch MI:3 but I did consider it when I was bored. I have no fear that there's going to be hidden Scientology messages within Cruise's dialogue and even if there was, I still wouldn't be afraid or probably even be bothered by it. Nor would I feel as though going to watch a film that he's in is acknowledgement or acceptence of his personal views, be they religious, political, or even sexual.

I don't feel as though Maynard has ever once used his lyrics as a blatant form of preaching a specific set of religious beliefs, and I certainly don't feel he's done so anywhere within 10,000 Days. If you feel as though he is, it's likely because you yourself have a pre-described set of beliefs that it is either resonating or conflicting with way more than it really should.

It's about as meaningful as boycotting Toby Keith because of his political views. If you like his songs then like his songs. From what I know, his political agenda is actually non-existent in most of his music so it shouldn't matter. I myself don't agree with the war all that much. I also don't listen to Toby Keith. The two concepts are mutually exclusive however, as they should be. It just so happens Toby Keith's yet to write a song I don't personally consider shitty. That's the only reason why I don't listen to him. Because I think his music sucks.

MJK "infinitely" more gifted musically than Trent Reznor?

Um. No.

Maynard can sing a lot better, and his lyrics are better, but, y'know... Trent can play a whole bunch of instruments really well. So, he's much more musically gifted than Maynard.

i think maynard is more talented vocally, but trent is more talented instrumentally. lets just leave it at that.

some of the people posting here sound like they are still in kindergarten.

if you like tool, it doesn't mean you can't like nin. if you like nin it doesn't mean you can't like tool. debating who is better makes you sound like two kids in the playground - my dad's bigger than your dad. you do not have to agree with someone's political or spiritual views to like their music.

and i thought tool fans were supposed to be intelligent and open minded.

^ kidergarden indeed.

MJK still kicks Reznor's ass... lolz

if thats your stance then youd better stop paying your taxes

Live, and let live...

MJK has not "pulled a Reznor", whatever that could possibly mean. Also I'm not sure how With Teeth could convince anyone that Reznor has converted to Christianity... all it made me think is that he's not sure he exists, but if he does then you don't exist, and either way every day is exactly the same.

i think that MJK is secretly a door-knocking Jehova's Witness on the weekends. Trent Reznor is a bicycle-riding Mormon. Eat that, doubters! Praise jeebus!

You have got the be joking. Just because James ahd a beleafe your going to turn you back on him? "Who are you to wave your finger?" Have you never had an even that changed your life? Now James has one and you are ready to toss him aside. Jerk off.

yea, what exactly does "pulling a reznor" mean>? If it means making a great cD, then yea, I guess Maynard has pulled a reznor!

ha! that made me laugh out loud, which has attracted the attention of my colleagues who now wonder what i'm doing. i did see nin live twice last year. does that mean i don't exist?

Oh, so you're one of those. Why is this such a shock to you now>? Why didn't you start this piss-&-moan campaign with Lateralus>? Why did TOOL not lose your so valued support when Maynard sang "In this HOLY experience" from Parabola>? Did that not strike one of your ever so sensitive nerves. Get something str8 and understand. TOOL makes no claim to one of yours and my own personal distastes: religion. They do however accept the spirit. There are more than 4 dimensions.....there are many....spirituality being a gateway....using words like HOLY experience only as a way to use a word that we can identify with....that's the way I look at it...

I once believed that the institution of "c"hristianity was the cause of so much death and suffering in the world and in history. But I came to realize that it is the ignorant, the jealous, and the power hungry within the institution that use the idealogy to achieve their own ends that cause this suffering, not the moral foundations of (insert any religion here).

Any school of thought can be hijacked... remember Waco, TX? Jesus reincarnate says we should arm ourselves with automatic weapons!? Religion is the preferred propaganda medium, because the the majority of the population is already on board.

I don't see any spiritual messages in "With Teeth". If I had to pick between the two, I would say "10,000 Days" has a lot more religious meaning behind it. As it is I don't have to pick and I don't think either CD has any strong affirmative message about religion. As for "The Hand That Feeds", it's about GWB. No interpretations are necessary; "Nine Inch Nails will not be performing at the MTV Movie Awards as previously announced. We were set to perform 'The Hand that Feeds' with an unmolested, straightforward image of George W. Bush as the backdrop. Apparently, the image of our president is as offensive to MTV as it is to me. See you on tour this fall when we return to play in America." (from NIN.com)

LOL youre an idiot

the craziest thing is that christianity has produced so much imagery and anectdotal material that its hard for any artist to ignore it, let alone utilize it... people relate to it, it carries impact on its shoulders AND (the craziest of craziest) it can be used for a dual purpose. like words, imagery doesn;t always have to mean the same thing, or something like that.

and comparing maynard james keenan to trent reznor is like comparing fettucine to pulling your hamstring

your a fucking idiotic prick.

Your denial is beneath you, and thanks to the use of hallucinogenic drugs, I see through you.

chris
x

I have always thought that great bands (Tool, NIN, Rage) may be giving you their opinion, or a wierd, thought provoking piece of it, but the real message they are trying to get across would be to (/me quotes live third eye Timothy Leary saying) "think for yourself, question authority". Don't let anyone else tell you what to think. Go get a lot of facts and opinions and make up your own mind. Just don't let someone else tell you what to think. You are nothing more than a cog on a wheel if you aren't aware of what is going on around you. Educate yourself in whatever it is that you feel passionate about and draw your own conclusions. I personally think that trusting whatever Maynard, Reznor, the Pres, or your pastor says without some sort of doubt is laughable. Sorry if this was pointless, I don't mean to preach myself, but I think a lot of artist's lyrical work is far different than what they are actually trying to say. Ah well. And to get childish, I think Maynard and Trent both rule.

Opinions are like assholes. Everyone's got one, but yours stinks.

forget this is a tool website for a sec and just think of NOT listening/watching/enjoying something you have fallen in love with because the creator changed a perspective in his life. would you stop drinking budweiser bc adolophus busch was a nazi, would you stop beating off to jenna jameson if she found jesus?, would you stop driving your fucking car because the gas in your tank puts money into the pocket of some fuckbag shiek who helped fund 9/11, would you stop smoking bc itll kill you....NO , but you will stop listening to some of the greatest music ever made because maynard might have changed his perspective...makes sense.

now that's what I'm talking about.

i never drank the swill 'cuz it was too much like making love in a canoe...


fucking close to water...

Why don't you just come out and say it? You think 10kd sux. It's ok, don't be shy, people say it all the time. Oh, and if are you implying that Maynard sold out, you're a dumb cock faced whore

have you noticed what he says before she demands her place in heaven......"Please forgive this bold suggestion." Who is he asking? I'm not sure but this is the one line of the song i haven't seen any discussion about. it still doesn't determine if he has became a Christian or not.

In response to BloodRedLion 727:
I'm not going to flame you but I am going to disagree with you a bit. I listen to tool because I like their music style (to be honest I can't even decipher some of their lyrics when listening), and I can be a tool fan for that simple of a reason alone. I find it hard to understand how someone would simultaneously consider the music open to interpretation and bash them for "misperceiving reality and the meaning of life." Everyone's idea of life (and we all know who we are and what we believe in even if we run from it from time to time) is different, but it seems like you are holding their music to some distinct meaning of life. I'm not saying you don't understand the meaning of life, but rather that expecting Tool's music to conform to some preordained viewpoint of life you yourself have established is a little bit unfair to them. The argument of the meaning of life is probably one of the most, if not the most, defining aspect of any culture. And its not always the same.

As far as religion goes, I agree that religion has been the cause of more deaths than anything else in history. Gangs use it as a front, you get "Blessed into" a gang, this is true for just about any gang you encounter today. This is how I see it though. 2 men have a gun, one uses it only in the instance when his life is threatened, and one uses it to kill and plunder, to justify his way of life. Religion is kind of similar, in that one man can use it because he wants to justify his existence, he feels threatened by the world and those around him and seeks guidance, and the other one uses it to kill, deceive, to create a god of himself (often people are misled into believing in a god when they are really just giving power to the people who are deceiving them). Anyways my point is this. Justification. Take Islam. Some use if for spiritual enlightenment, to justify who and what they are, while others use it to further the justification of killing and deceiving. Same tool in both cases, a gun and religion, both justified in different ways. I find this is the 2 ways in which humans define their existence, through guns and religion. The tool is always the same but the path we choose is what sets them apart from each other.

i never get to critique...

fair enough. but after this sentence...
no, not "infinitely" (to be literal). more gifted "spiritually" and "poetically", yeah (that's certainly apparent - to me, at least), but he's not "more gifted musically". if i asked mjk and reznor a series of difficult music theory questions, i'm sure reznor would beat the shit outta mjk. haha...ha.
i'm not sure about reznor's religious history ('cause who could possibily give a shit?), but maynard hasn't done anything different in this album to assume that he has converted at all. "on display" ...as opposed to the rest of tool's albums, eh? do you even know anything about tool's albums? they've been spouting "the message" since day 1 (not many people recognize this, so i'll only correct you).
they're open for reflective interpretations, but there is a single way to understand a tool song. no, nothing is known for certain just yet - we've gotta keep digging. and it's not "spelled out in the lyrics". the problem here is that people rely too much on the lyrics - then, they split it into words - then letters - then what? whatever we're doing, it's regressive. tool has that unique, omninous, and collective sound, why not interpret that? so, at least you can't be "dissapointed" 'cause nothing you said "happens to be the case".
you're questioning such a spiritually connected individual and/or band??? those "masters of communicating emotions"? really?! you may need the secret gov't to distort that bullshit. good luck with that. ...but they're living this reality better than you are, how does it feel?
the first sentence here goes in two completely different directions - you DO realize this, right? and "support"? what the fuck does THAT mean? who gives a shit whether or not you pass around a cd-r of ultra compressed wma files? and as far as i'm concerned, there aren't too many people actually supporting tool. maynard told us all "if you want to get your soul to heaven, trust in me now - don't you judge or question." just lyrics? nope. you (all) - are - wrong. this was his introduction as "the light and way". now, go put the pieces back together...

SINCE DAY ONE
...fuckers.

so, someone JUST told you that beliefs are dangerous. reading up on it, you found out that this notion has been downplayed over and over throughout history (which i'm sure most of us already knew inside and out), and you felt it necessary to throw in the regurgitated message. to wake us up? good job. you're doing what tool has been trying for nearly FIFTEEN YEARS! congrats. "believe in nothing". i hate tool fans, i.e. newbs, i.e. not-iAMtheMA!'s.

It is amazing that one mans opinions and view on the world/religion/spirituality should be considered such a deep truth, by so many. However inspirational, interesting, and however deeply they affect you emotionally, it's almost scary what a dogma they seem to have become to some. Even to the point of condemning him for potentially having changed his mind. It seems to me that this person Maynard is one that is exceptionally private when it comes to his opinions, and one of the few things he seems to have stated with any certainty is that he wishes people to think for themselves. Poor Maynard... heh

No hating on Trent, remember he does all of his instrumentals, Maynard does not.

from the messages in tool's music, i believe that Maynard does believe in God, the one true god who reins down uncomditional love on all people. there is alot of (ALOT) references to this throught the music. however he does not belive in the shit that comes with organised religions.

a point of refernec would be the book 'the ancient secret of the flower of life' by drunvalo melchizedek.

after reding this book (which incedentially is a very good trip on its own, well worth a read) i started hearing the whole true 'meaning' which many of the songs focus on.

chris
x

y r al da smert wuns not frum roun her %






"Poor Maynard."..hell yeah brother. Peace.

Too many people are in love with Tools image, dont fuck with the image.

But Tool is not your bitch, you're Tools bitch.

RECOGNIZE NIGGA!

I'm glad this guy's got opinions, but hating someone because they believe in God, Allah, Yahweh, Buddha, multiple gods, or are agnostic is absolutely shallow and superficial. This is only another way to spread intolerance in our society. Next you'll be hating on gays with T.V. shows and African Americans that play professional sports. Give me a fucking break.

ever heard of puscifer? listen. retract.

where do i go to see 10,000 boobies???

Same here, I too believe that there has to be something else out there that's simply beyond human comprehension. However, in the last couple years, I've really started to question why so many people feel they need to go to church every Sunday in order to believe in God.

^^I hear ya....I have my spiritual beliefs, but, I don't feel the need to go to church or belong to any religion in particular to prove that I have faith.



Dude....First of all, who cares if Maynard is religious or not. I don't think thats any reason to say, "I'm not gonna listen to his music anymore". Please...I will support Tool and APC as long as he continues to write great lyrics and come through town to rock the house.

I think he was raised as a christian and probably felt like the people who were trying to instill these beliefs in him were blind followers and hypocrites. I really doubt that he is 'reborn', but, I could give a shit either way. Whatever the guys in the band might believe in is not important to me, it's a personal choice that everyone makes, and it has nothing to do with making great music.

I would like to know what song that was, you weren't specific. The hand that feeds is political, the part about god is really with bush's relationship to god.

I ASK THAT QUESTION TO MYSELF I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO
CHIN IS RESTING IN MY HAND FEELS LIKE IM ON 42!

TOOL FANS SHOULD DEFINETELY GET INTO DSICO BISCUITS

oh yea, and I'm stunned how all these people who are passionate enough about the most important band of our time (tool) would actually get into heated arguments about what another human being (mjk) has faith in or believes...unless you meet him and acutally ask him, you'll never know for sure, just enjoy themusic and don't stress yourself out on something none of us will probably ever find out.

It was said somewhere earlier about the difference between being "religious" and "spiritual." Now, I can definately hear references to God and perhaps Christ (benevolent son). I don't think this means that Maynard is a Christian. I definately don't think he is religious, which means he adheres to the man-made belief systems. I think he as always been spiritual, always looking for "something" to give him the answers to questions he has. I think this album, particularly Wings and 10,000 Days, shows that, in search of this "something," he recognizes that his mother's beliefs gave her answers for her life. With this recognition I think he is exploring some of the fundamental beliefs his mother had to see if maybe what she believed can help him. I'm not saying that he has converted to Christianity, or even adopted any of the Christian beliefs. I'm suggesting that he is searching for something, and the Christian belief system is just another stop on his journey.

And to the original poster: I am a Christian. Well, let me rephrase that because I know that the word "Christian" evokes a lot of negative feelings for people. I am a follower of Christ. Which if you think about that for a sec, you will see the difference, especially if you know a bit about Christ's teachings. Anyway, I am a follower of Christ and I love Tool. I love the feeling behind their music and I am inspired by MJK to search my own beliefs and make them my own. To say that you won't support Tool if there is some sort of conversion is very narrow-minded. Take Tool's music for what it is: Amazing art that is meant to inspire and guide the listener to question the norm, question their beliefs (whatever they may be), and enjoy life in spite how horrible it can be.