Puscifer’s Maynard James Keenan Says Fundamentalist Extremists Can “Eat a Bag of D*cks”

Tool / A Perfect Circle / Puscifer vocalist Maynard James Keenan has opened up about the sociopolitical themes surrounding ‘Normal Isn’t’, the upcoming Puscifer album set to arrive February 6th, while also addressing how the project is often perceived within his broader catalog.

Keenan spoke with Kyle Meredith With… about the record, which marks a tonal pivot from the theatrical satire typically associated with Puscifer toward something more reflective of the current cultural climate. When first announcing the album last year, he framed its perspective bluntly:

“‘Normal Isn’t‘ reflects this time we are living in. As storytellers and artists, our job is to observe, interpret, and report. We take in our environment and share what we see, and what we see around us does not appear normal. Not by a long shot.”

Despite that framing, the record is not presented as overt political rallying. Keenan has instead leaned into character-driven humor throughout the cycle — though he didn’t shy away from discussing his broader views on ideological division and extremism during the interview.

“I’m always going… to be on the side of fck fundamentalist extremists in any way. Left, right, center, I don’t care if you’re a person who doesn’t understand humor and irony, and you mobilize on people who disagree with you. Um, sorry. That will always be the side that I go on is, fundamentalist extremists can go [fcking] suck a bag of dicks. And you can quote me on that.”

In recent days, Keenan has continued commenting on societal tensions. Puscifer released a cover of Low’s “Congregation”, tying its timing in part to unrest in Minneapolis, and he later remarked:

“‘Discovering New and Awful Ways to Treat Each Other’ wasn’t on my Bingo card for 2026, but here we are.”

Elsewhere in the conversation, Keenan addressed the long-standing perception that Puscifer is viewed as secondary to his other projects. While Tool and A Perfect Circle have achieved massive commercial reach, Puscifer remains his most prolific creative outlet — albeit one sometimes treated as an outlier due to its theatrical worldbuilding and unconventional tone.

Discussing the single “Impetuous” and its themes of individuality, he tied the message directly to how the band is received:

“Puscifer‘s definitely been marginalized and relegated to the third side project category. And people just don’t really… I guess people just don’t think like we do. And I’ve always been on the side of the underdog, that’s just kind of how I’m wired. The marginalized underdog is always going to get my vote. So, that song kind of leans into it’s okay to not think like everybody else. It’s okay.

Don’t… You’re an island. Great. If you feel like an island, then lean into it and just work with it. Don’t think of it as a flaw.”

With ‘Normal Isn’t’ arriving imminently, the record appears poised to continue that ethos — blending satire, commentary, and theatrical storytelling while encouraging listeners to embrace unconventional perspectives rather than conform to expectations.

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