Maynard James Keenan

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Maynard James Keenan (born April 17, 1964, as James Herbert Keenan) is an American rock singer. He has been a member of the band Tool since 1990 and A Perfect Circle from 1999–2005 (hiatus).

[edit] Biography

Keenan was born to a Baptist family in Ravenna, Ohio, on April 17, 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 studied at West Point Academy prepschool from 1983 to 1984; however, he eventually 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 TexAns.

In the 1980s Keenan moved to Los Angeles, apparently to work in interior design. He formed Tool with guitarist Adam Jones and bassist Paul d'Amour (later replaced by Justin Chancellor). The lineup was not completed until Keenan's neighbor drummer Danny Carey agreed to join.

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, appeared on Undertow.

Keenan's photo in a U. S. Military Academy Preparatory School yearbook

Keenan has repeatedly used his voice to advance issues which are of special interest to him, among them being an appearance at a benefit concert for Tori Amos' RAINN (the Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network) on 1997-01-23 at the Madison Square Garden in New York City.

So this is one of my dearest friends. This is Maynard from Tool, and uh, I call him up when I'm feeling terrible and he sings me lullabies. So I asked him to come and sing tonight. (Tori Amos, introducing Keenan to the audience at the RAINN benefit concert)

After the release of Ænima the band would find 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 an album comprised mostly of covers titled eMOTIVe.

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."

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" 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.

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)". 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]

[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 1992, when he asked the audience to look for a contact lens he'd lost. Thousands of people complied. [3] Keenan so enjoyed this joke, he repeated it on a number of occasions.

[edit] Mr. Show

When asked about the arrest of Ronnie Dobbs, Keenan in his role as Puscifer's vocalist replies "Guilty? Yeah. [...] I mean, we're guilty, and you don't know it. So who's really in jail?"

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 away 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] Finding Jesus

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." Loder also noted that Keenan had not capitalized Jesus, uncommon for someone who had just converted to Christianity. The announcement was most likely inspired by Brian "Head" Welch's 2005 decision to leave his band KoЯn to dedicate his life to Christianity.

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." When approached for comment on his recent encounter with the "Son of God," Keenan said, "That guy's a punk!" [Note: the official band Web site reported something different. It pointed out that "Jesus" was an acquaintance of Keenan's and that the two had been drinking wine together.]

[edit] Discography

[edit] With Tool

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

[edit] With 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 - Constantine (2004 movie) #Soundtrack
• 2004 - aMOTION DVD/CD

[edit] As 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))

[edit] Releases featured

• 1986 - Fingernails (Children Of The Anachronistic Dynasty) (Contributes Bass, Drum Programming, Lead Vocals, and Writer)
• 1987 - Never Again (TexAns) (Contributes Bass and Writing)
• 1992 - Rage Against the Machine (Rage Against the Machine) (Sings on Know Your Enemy)
• 1992 - Cereal Killer VHS (by Green Jellÿ) (Sings on Three Little Pigs)
• 1993 - Cereal Killer Soundtrack (by Green Jellÿ) (Sings on Three Little Pigs)
• 1994 - Kiss My Ass: Classic KISS Regrooved (by Various Artists) (Sings with Shandi's Addiction on Calling Dr. Love)
• 1995 - Replicants (by Replicants) (Performes on Silly Love Songs, a Wings cover)
• 1997 - Flyin' Traps (by Tim Alexander & Mike Bordin) (Sings on Choked)
• 1997 - Live from NY VHS (by Tori Amos) (Sings on Muhammad My Friend)
• 2000 - White Pony (by Deftones) (Sings on Passenger)
• 2001 - ...inder net...ya? (by 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 (by Various Artists) (Sings on David Bowie remix track Bring Me the Disco King (Loner Mix))
• 2004 - Axis of Justice Concert Series Volume 1 (by Various Artists) (Sings on Where the Streets Have No Name (Live)

and (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding (Live))

[edit] Other appearances

• Performed in an untitled song called "Revolution" or "Revolutionary" by fans; the nameless track is a collaboration between Rage Against the Machine and Tool.
• 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.
• 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 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".
• Contributed guest vocals to "Passenger" on the Deftones album "White Pony".
• 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 2. 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 as guest vocals in Rage Against The Machine's "Know Your Enemy" on their debut self-titled album.
• Appeared onstage with Jane's Addiction concluding their set, and performed the vocals for a live cover of "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin.

[edit] Trivia

• Trains in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is a purple belt under Rickson Gracie.
• Professional wrestler Sterling James Keenan took the second section of his name from the Tool frontman.

[edit] External links

• Maynard James Keenan at the Internet Movie Database
• Maynard's website, displaying the band Puscifer.
• Caduceus Cellars - a vineyard owned by Keenan.
• Toolband.com - the official website of his band, Tool.
• Aperfectcircle.com - the official website of his band, A Perfect Circle.
• Puscifer.com - the official website for Puscifer and other merchandise.
• http://www.thetoolhotline.com/toolnews/ - Run by the same persons who run The NIN Hotline.
• Interview with MTV's Kurt Loder
• http://toolshed.down.net - Run by an avid fan and friend of the band
• http://www.myspace.com/censorshipisacancer - MJK's myspace profile featuring the band Puscifer