Maynard James Keenan, vocalist of Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer, returned to the Steve-O’s Wild Ride! podcast for a second appearance, this time in a far more casual discussion published on January 22nd. The longtime friend of the ‘Jackass’ star discussed a wide array of topics, including his upcoming Puscifer album Normal Isn’t (due February 6), veganism, human consciousness, religious extremism, AI, and his personal struggles with aging, self-doubt, and songwriting.
Keenan opened up about the challenges of performing in his 60s:
“I saw a video somebody posted of me doing some sht with my body. I’m like, ‘Oh my god, that would be, I would be out for a week, if I did that sht now.’”
He credited Puscifer co-vocalist Carina Round for helping him develop longevity in his singing:
“I think [my voice], it’s actually not, I don’t want to say better. I think I’ve figured out how to work with it better… Those kind of things… the next night and the next night. But there’s some songs I can’t… at my age, there’s just songs I can’t even do no matter what I try.”
Keenan also addressed Tool’s infamous no-filming policy at concerts:
“It’s not about us. It’s about the person in front of you… This person paid like 70 bucks for a ticket and now I’m back here trying to see the show through your phone… That’s why we pick a couple songs and go, ‘you can film these.’ But don’t ruin somebody else’s experience for the rest of the show.”
On “Failed” Tool Songs
Keenan reflected on songwriting missteps, singling out an early Tool track:
“There’s some old Tool songs that I don’t like playing… I feel like I failed them. They’re popular songs, but I just feel like I was trying to make a joke and it was a dumb joke. I should have moved on… I don’t feel like the lyrics hold up under scrutiny. ‘4°‘ is a stupid song… The song’s beautiful. What those guys did musically is great, but the words are just dumb [laughs]. I don’t know what I was thinking… fix it and make a song like ‘Stinkfist.’”
Personal Struggles & Self-Doubt
The vocalist also opened up about childhood trauma, trust issues, and crippling self-doubt:
“I have such insane trust issues from, you know, childhood f*cking trauma… I have no self-worth. So when people are trying to praise me, I apologize for saying ‘okay.’ I just have such crippling self-doubt that it doesn’t register with me.”
He added that for strangers, a protective wall remains:
“I just feel like… all I can do is let you down ‘cause I’m not whatever the fck you think I am… It’s circular. You go around in fcking circles.”
Views on AI & Environmental Threats
Keenan shared his skepticism about AI, citing early experiments with ChatGPT, and warned about environmental vulnerabilities:
“The Ring of Fire is going off right now… solar flares coming off the sun… those are the kind of things that just completely level the field… If a large-scale EMP hit the globe, it’s like caveman days… They can’t Google it now.”
On Musical Legacy
Keenan humorously reflected on generational differences in fanbases:
“All the kids… huge Puscifer fans… They view Tool as like when your uncle is into Steely Dan… It’s this other thing… We’re officially the Rush of fans that are like, ‘I don’t want to listen to Rush.’”
The full podcast runs just over an hour and a half, offering an intimate look into Keenan’s creative mindset, personal struggles, and reflections on music, aging, and society.
If you’re rocking with The Mosh Network, hit the link and add us as a Preferred Source on Google. That’s the easiest way to keep our latest metal, hardcore, and alternative news, tours, and releases showing up directly in your feed.
2 Comments
Read more:
https://springgreen-caribou-353428.hostingersite.com/maynard-james-keenan-tool-podcast-failed-songwriting/
There is a song By and Down the River by a Perfect Circle that gives me an Eerie feeling that something happened him. I feared it was his step father that did something because that is the only person I have heard Maynard have ill will towards. Listen and tell me if you hear it. I could be wrong but I have always thought that.