Maynard James Keenan

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Maynard James Keenan (born James Herbert Keenan on April 17, 1964) is an American rock singer. He has been a member of the band Tool since 1990 and was a member of the band A Perfect Circle from 1999 to 2006. He is currently touring with Tool, and pursuing his Puscifer side project and his vineyards in Arizona.

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Keenan was born to a Baptist family in Ravenna, Ohio, on April 18 1964. He joined the Army in 1982. By that time he had lived in Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. He initially served in the army as a forward observer. He then studied at the United States Military Academy Preparatory School (West Point Prep School) from 1983 to 1984. In addition to completing a rigorous math and English curriculum, he ran on the cross-country running team and sang in the glee club. He was accepted to West Point, but chose not to attend. Instead, he chose to complete his active duty term of enlistment. He then left the military to study art at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which eventually landed him a job in Los Angeles "applying spatial design concepts" to pet stores. Before his years with Tool, Keenan sang for Green Jellÿ and Children of the Anachronistic Dynasty, and played bass guitar for TexA.N.S..

[edit] Tool

In the 1980s Keenan moved to Los Angeles, apparently to work in interior design. He formed Tool with guitarist Adam Jones after Jones talked him into forming a band. Keenan's neighbor drummer Danny Carey agreed to join after a while, and so did bassist Paul d'Amour,^[1] who would later be replaced by Justin Chancellor.

They released the Opiate EP in 1992 and toured with the bands Fishbone and Rage Against the Machine. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. saw the release of Tool's 1993 debut album, Undertow, which eventually launched the band into success. Keenan's lyrics and vocals were melodic, grim, and angst-ridden. However, as Keenan continued to record with Tool, his lyrics evolved into increasingly introspective and spiritual works that focused not only on anger but on the positive benefits of transcending it. Henry Rollins, singer for Black Flag and Rollins Band, made a guest appearance on Undertow.

[edit] Other projects

After the release of Ænima, Tool found themselves in a prolonged legal battle with their label Volcano Records (formerly Zoo Records). Following this legal battle, which resulted in a new three record deal, the members of Tool decided to take some time off. During this period, Keenan found time to work with Billy Howerdel (a guitar tech known to the band) on a different project. The band they formed, A Perfect Circle, began performing in 1999 and released its first album Mer de Noms in 2000. They eventually released a successful follow-up, Thirteenth Step in 2003. In 2004 they released eMOTIVe, an album composed mostly of covers except for " Passive " and Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums." This song is the second part of the song "Pet," a song which was originally released on Thirteenth Step.

In 2003, Keenan surfaced under the moniker "Puscifer" on the soundtrack for the movie Underworld. Puscifer is a cover name for non-Tool related work with Danny Lohner, former member of Nine Inch Nails. They contributed the song "REV 22:20". In 2006, Puscifer contributed a song to the Underworld sequel, Underworld: Evolution. This track is called "The Undertaker (Renholder Mix)". Renholder being the reverse of "Re: D Lohner" (a random email title "Regarding: Danny Lohner"). That same year Keenan explained in an interview conducted by French magazine Rock Hard, that his band A Perfect Circle is not only on hiatus due to the release of Tool's fourth full-length studio album, but finished.[1] However, in September 2006, Keenan posted on the band's website an invitation to fans to "check back soon" concerning the future of the band, sparking speculation that the band may return in the near future.

Keenan has used his voice to advance issues of special interest to him, for example making an appearance at a benefit concert for Tori Amos' RAINN (the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) in 1997. Amos had often referred to Keenan as an unofficial brother.^[2] In February 2005, Keenan appeared as a surprise vocalist at a Seattle benefit concert for victims of the recent tsunami in southern Asia, performing with the partly reformed Alice in Chains in place of the deceased vocalist Layne Staley on the songs "Them Bones," and "Man in the Box."

[edit] Personal life

Keenan is unmarried and has one son named Devo (born August 5, 1995). He was engaged to Jennifer Ferguson, but they broke up before marrying. The song "Breña," by A Perfect Circle, uses her middle name, while another song bears the name of Keenan's mother, Judith. His mother is also the inspiration for the two-part song "Wings for Marie" and "10,000 Days" on 10,000 Days.

Keenan's newest project is winemaking. He owns Merkin Vineyards and Caduceus Cellars, based in the unincorporated area of Page Springs/Cornville, Arizona, southwest of Sedona.

[edit] Keenan and comedy

[edit] Bill Hicks

Keenan became friends with legendary comedian Bill Hicks in the early 1990s. Keenan did stand-up comedy on improv nights in comedy clubs in Los Angeles during that time, delivering - according to a friend of Hicks - inspiring comedy.[2] They got to know each other and eventually, Bill Hicks opened some Tool concerts. Best known is a routine Hicks did on Tool's Lollapalooza tour in 1993, when he asked the audience to look for a contact lens he had lost. Thousands of people complied. [3] Keenan enjoyed this joke so much that he repeated it on a number of occasions.

[edit] Mr. Show

Keenan is featured in several segments of Mr. Show most notably in the Ronnie Dobbs sketch in the first season. In one scene he is seen being arrested with Ronnie Dobbs, then later on in that sketch he is featured wearing a wig as the lead singer of the then-fictitious band "Puscifer", defending Ronnie (pictured to the right with co-starring bandmate Adam Jones). He also appears in episode 2.6, "The Velveteen Touch of a Dandy Fop," as one of the viewers of "Coupon: The Movie," saying "Now is not the time" and waving the cameras off and slapping the microphone out of his face in disgust after walking out of the theatre. He also appears in the "music video" "sex" scene on the straight-to-DVD feature of the Mr. Show incarnation Run Ronnie Run.

[edit] April Fool's pranks

On April 1, 2005, Keenan announced as an April Fool's joke—to the shock of many of his fans and friends—that he had "found Jesus" and would be abandoning the recording of the new Tool album temporarily and possibly permanently.

Kurt Loder of MTV contacted Keenan via email to ask for a confirmation and received a very nonchalant confirmation. When Loder asked again, Keenan's response was simply "heh heh."

On April 7, the official Tool site announced that the gag was up with the statement; "Good news, April fools fans. The writing and recording is back under way."

[edit] Discography

[edit] TexA.N.S.

• 1986: Live at Sons and Daughters Hall
• 1986: Never Again

[edit] Children of the Anachronistic Dynasty

• 1986: Fingernails
• 1987: Peace Day
• 1987: Dog.House

[edit] Tool

• 1991: Tool
• 1992: Opiate
• 1993: Undertow
• 1996: Ænima
• 2000: Salival
• 2001: Lateralus
• 2006: 10,000 Days

[edit] A Perfect Circle

• 2000: Mer de Noms
• 2003: Thirteenth Step
• 2003: Underworld Soundtrack (Contributes "Judith (Renholder Mix)" and "Weak and Powerless (Tilling My Grave Mix)")
• 2004: eMOTIVe
• 2004: aMOTION DVD/CD
• 2005: Constantine Soundtrack (Contributes "Passive" From The Album eMOTIVe)

[edit] Puscifer

• 2003: Underworld Soundtrack (Contributes "REV 22:20")
• 2005: Saw II Soundtrack (Contributes "REV 22:20 (Rev 4:20 Mix)")
• 2006: Underworld: Evolution Soundtrack (Contributes "The Undertaker (Renholder Mix)")
• 2007: Cuntry Boner Single
• 2007: Don't Shoot The Messenger EP
• 2007: "V" Is for Vagina

[edit] Contributions

• 1992: Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine (Sings vocals on bridge on "Know Your Enemy")
• 1992: Cereal Killer VHS – Green Jellÿ (Sings on "Three Little Pigs")
• 1993: Cereal Killer Soundtrack – Green Jellÿ (Sings on "Three Little Pigs")
• 1994: Kiss My Ass: Classic KISS Regrooved – Various Artists (Sings with Shandi's Addiction (Billy Gould, Tom Morello and Brad Wilk) on "Calling Dr. Love")
• 1995: Replicants – Replicants (Performs on "Silly Love Songs," a Wings cover)
• 1997: Flyin' Traps – Tim Alexander & Mike Bordin (Sings on "Choked")
• 1997: Live from NY VHS – Tori Amos (Sings on "Muhammad My Friend")
• 2000: The Crybaby – The Melvins (Appears with the rest of Tool on the track "Divorced")
• 2000: White Pony – Deftones (Sings on "Passenger")
• 2001: ...inder net...ya? – Turtle Bend (Sings and co-writes "Who Leads You")
• 2003: Run Ronnie Run! DVD (Sings with Titannica on "Ass Kickin' Fat Kid")
• 2003: Underworld Soundtrack – David Bowie (Sings back-up on "Bring Me the Disco King (Lohner Mix)")
• 2004: Concert Series Volume 1 – Axis of Justice (Sings on "Where the Streets Have No Name (Live)" and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding (Live)")

[edit] Other appearances

• He is to collaborate with singer-songwriter Daniel Ingram on the song "Possibilities" for Medium's debut album.
• Sang the bridge section of the Rage Against the Machine song "Know Your Enemy".
• Performed on an untitled song, as a part of a collaboration between Rage Against the Machine and Tool. The song circulates on certain p2p-networks under the title "You can kill the revolutionary, but you can't kill the revolution".
• Contributed the line "Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin" to the comedy song "Three Little Pigs" by Green Jellÿ (singer/dancer Hotsy Menshot was Maynard James Keenan's roommate, and the receiver of the death threats in the segues "Message to Harry Manback" and its sequel). Also, in the video for the Green Jellÿ song "Misadventures of Shitman," the line "For a good time, call Maynard at 1-800-555-JOCK" can be seen scrawled in a bathroom stall.
• Collaborator for the now cancelled Tapeworm project (side project of Nine Inch Nails bass player Danny Lohner and vocalist Trent Reznor). "Vacant," the one track to come out of the project, was performed live by A Perfect Circle on the Mer de Noms tour. "Vacant" became the track "Passive" on A Perfect Circle's 2004 release eMOTIVe.
• Keenan along with the other members of Tool, collaborated with The Melvins on track 7 of The Melvin's album The Crybaby, titled "Divorced."
• Also appeared on screen in Bikini Bandits (2002) in the role of Satan.
• In 2005, he appeared in a film called "Sleeping Dogs Lie" as deputy police officer Lance alongside Ed Asner and Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave drummer Brad Wilk.
• Sang for Alice in Chains at a 2005 benefit concert in Seattle, replacing the deceased Layne Staley. He sang the songs "Them Bones," "Man in the Box," and "Rooster."
• Did a cover of KISS's "Calling Dr. Love" with Faith No More bassist Billy Gould, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, and drummer Brad Wilk as "Shandi's Addiction" for the tribute album KISS My Ass: Classic KISS Regrooved.
• Director David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club) offered Keenan a lead role in his film Panic Room, but he had to decline due to his commitments to Tool. The role ultimately went to Dwight Yoakam.
• Appeared on recurrent posters in the PC game Fallout. The picture was taken from the liner notes of Undertow.
• Has appeared live with Tori Amos, performing vocals on her track "Muhammad My Friend" at "The Concert for RAINN."
• Appeared onstage with Jane's Addiction concluding their set, and performed the vocals for a live cover of "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin.
• As of June 2007, Keenan has contributed vocals to a version of King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man."^[3]

[edit] Notes and references

1. ^ Turman, Katherine (1994-05-31). "A Sober Look At Tool". Circus Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-04-09. “Danny Carey, was an accomplished drummer who agreed to sit in with them. Someone who knew both Jones and original bassist D'amour introduced the two, and soon D'amour completed the line up of the soon to be named band, Tool.”
2. ^ Jay S. Jacobs (2006-07-01). Pretty Good Years: A Biography of Tori Amos. Hal Leonard, 74. ISBN 978-1423400226. 
3. ^ Robert Fripp (2007-06-02). Robert Fripp's Diary. Retrieved on 2007-06-08. “Jeff Fayman of Immediate Music has sent the latest mix of Schizoid Man (with Maynard Keenan on vocals) on MP3.”

[edit] External links

• Maynard James Keenan at the Internet Movie Database
• Maynard's website, displaying the band Puscifer.
• Interview with MTV's Kurt Loder
• http://www.avclub.com/content/node/55757 - Interview with The Onion's A.V. Club

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