Maynard James Keenan Shows Anti-Slap Technique He Says ‘Could’ve Saved Chris Rock’
A video from Tool's Maynard James Keenan on Thursday (March 31) demonstrates what the rock singer and Brazilian jiu jitsu brown belt calls an anti-slap technique he jokingly notes "could've saved Chris Rock's life the other night." He terms it the "cuck block."
Chris Rock is not dead, but the Tool singer's referring to the televised altercation between the comedian and actor Will Smith at the 94th Academy Awards last week. When Rock made an onstage joke about Smith's wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, Will walked up to the stage and slapped him in the face.
See Keenan's response near the bottom of this post.
The Tool and Puscifer rocker breaks down the move with some of his jiu jitsu partners at Verde Valley Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Cottonwood, Ariz.
"[Here's one] of the techniques that could've saved Chris Rock's life the other night," Keenan says. "First of all, he had his hands behind his back. Not smart when somebody's rollin' up on you like that."
He continues, working with instructor Chris Burns on the maneuver, "So here's the solution, alright? … What do we call that? A cuck block. I'll see myself out."
Keenan, who lives in nearby Jerome, Ariz., is also a co-founder of Verde Valley BJJ. He and the progressive rockers in Tool are currently between the American and Europen legs of their 2022 tour. They've played several older songs for the first time in years on the trek. In 2019, they released Fear Inoculum, their first studio album in 13 years.