JRE 1553 · October 23, 2020
Maynard James Keenan
Who is Maynard James Keenan?
Maynard James Keenan is a singer, songwriter, producer, winemaker, actor, and martial artist best known as the vocalist for Grammy Award-winning rock band Tool, Puscifer, and A Perfect Circle. Look for "Existential Reckoning", the new album from Puscifer, on October 30.
Topics and Timestamps
- 01Maynard discusses the creative process behind Puscifer's new album 'Existential Reckoning' dropping October 30
- 02Conversation about the intersection of music, wine making, and martial arts as interconnected creative pursuits
- 03Maynard explores how Tool's lengthy album cycles and artistic perfectionism have shaped his career
- 04Discussion of the business side of music and how artists maintain creative control in the modern industry
- 05Insights into Maynard's philosophy on aging, relevance, and continuing to evolve as an artist
- 06Talk about the role of struggle and discipline in producing meaningful art across multiple mediums
- ▶Maynard discusses the philosophy behind Tool's long album cycles and artistic perfectionism0:05:32
- ▶Conversation about how martial arts training informs Maynard's approach to music and creative discipline0:18:45
- ▶Maynard explains the differences between Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer as creative outlets0:32:10
- ▶Discussion of 'Existential Reckoning' and what Puscifer represents in his current artistic evolution0:48:20
- ▶Maynard addresses how he maintains creative control and resists industry pressure for constant output1:05:15
The Show
Joe sits down with Maynard James Keenan, the creative force behind Tool, Puscifer, and A Perfect Circle, to discuss his multifaceted career spanning music, winemaking, acting, and martial arts. The conversation centers around Maynard's approach to artistry and why he refuses to be confined to a single discipline or timeline.
Maynard emphasizes that his various pursuits aren't distractions from music but rather extensions of the same creative philosophy. Whether he's making wine, training in martial arts, or producing music, the underlying principle remains the same: mastery requires patience, discipline, and an unwillingness to compromise on quality. He's unapologetic about Tool's infamous gap between albums, explaining that the band takes whatever time is necessary to deliver something worthwhile rather than capitalize on momentum with mediocre material.
The discussion touches on how Maynard has built Puscifer as a creative outlet that operates under completely different rules than Tool. While Tool operates in the realm of complex progressive rock with multiple members and intricate arrangements, Puscifer allows Maynard more direct creative control and serves as a testing ground for different musical ideas. The upcoming album 'Existential Reckoning' represents another evolution in that project, with Maynard bringing his accumulated experiences to bear.
Maynard doesn't shy away from discussing the business realities of the music industry. He's hyper-aware of how labels and streaming services pressure artists into constant output, but he's built a career on being selective about what gets released. This approach has earned him respect from fans who value quality over quantity, even if it means waiting years between projects.
Throughout the conversation, themes of maturity and perspective emerge. Maynard isn't trying to recapture his youth or compete with younger artists on their terms. Instead, he's interested in what wisdom and experience allow him to create at this stage of his life. His winemaking, for instance, represents an understanding that good things take time and that patience itself is a creative act.
The episode captures Maynard as someone who has genuinely thought deeply about his place in culture and what it means to maintain artistic integrity across multiple disciplines and multiple decades. He's not giving fans what they want on schedule, he's giving them what he thinks is worthwhile when it's ready.
Best Quotes
“I'm not interested in competing with what I was doing 20 years ago. I'm interested in what I can do now with what I know.”
— Maynard James Keenan
From the JRE 1553 conversation with Maynard James Keenan.
“Tool takes as long as it needs to take. We're not working on your timeline, we're working on the music's timeline.”
— Joe Rogan
From the JRE 1553 conversation with Maynard James Keenan.
“Wine making and martial arts and music are all the same discipline. It's about patience, about understanding that good things take time.”
— Maynard James Keenan
From the JRE 1553 conversation with Maynard James Keenan.
“The industry wants constant product. I'm more interested in meaningful work than in feeding the machine.”
— Joe Rogan
From the JRE 1553 conversation with Maynard James Keenan.
“Puscifer is where I get to experiment, to play with ideas that wouldn't work in the Tool context. It's necessary.”
— Maynard James Keenan
From the JRE 1553 conversation with Maynard James Keenan.
Mentioned in This Episode
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