Tool’s Maynard James Keenan: ‘It’s the Fanatics That Are Insufferable’
Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan recently gave an interview to the Phoenix New Times in which he was asked about the perception of his band and the serious tone people often take concerning Tool whereas his other projects don't face that sort of scrutiny. In his comments, he pointed out the absurdity of people taking Tool seriously when the band name is a reference to a "dick" while Puscifer is a reference to a "vagina," but one is taken more seriously than the other. But it's another quote that garnered headlines.
As he continued speaking about people missing the humor in Tool, he added, "It’s there, but people miss it because they’re so focused on the other bulls–t. It’s lost. Insufferable people … it’s just ridiculous, retards. I’m sorry, can’t help them. Way too serious. Too much. Lighten up."
As expected, that comment got taken out of context in some reporting of the story and was misunderstood by some readers and Keenan found himself on the defensive. But he took it in stride via his Twitter account, answering some comments and retweeting others.
When one person wrote, "Hilarious that you can flat out insult your core fanbase then s--t in a ziplock and they'd still buy it. Now THAT's talent," Keenan clarified, "Our core fanbase aren't fanatics. They're music lovers and artists and good people. It's the fanatics that are insufferable." The vocalist also told one fan that it was not true that he wanted nothing to do with Tool or their fans and simply stated "Context" when another person asked if he stood by the headlines claiming that he denounced Tool fans as "retards" that he wanted nothing to do with.
There were also a few comments that either defended the rocker or found the humor in the response to to his interview quotes that Keenan retweeted. Check out some of the Twitter commentary below:
So there you have it, Tool fans. It's the people that take Tool way too seriously that are the "insufferable" ones that Keenan was referring to. You can find Keenan out on tour with Puscifer this fall supporting the band's new Money Shot album. As for Tool, the band is still in a holding pattern concerning a new album.
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