UncleJackson emailed me today with this quite interesting interview with Maynard on Loudwire, where he mainly discuss Puscifer, but also comments on his recent work with A Perfect Circle, and the progress on the new Tool album.
Here’s a bit I know interest the majority of you:
Tool are reportedly working on a new album, as well. In the past, you’ve expressed frustration with sitting around in the studio with guitarist Adam Jones and drummer Danny Carey’s aesthetic of going over endless combinations of song structures before committing to anything.
I’m allowing them their space to do what they do, so we’re still in that mode. Even if they told me how close they are to being done, I couldn’t tell you because if I say 60 percent people will start counting down. When it’s done everyone will know. But I haven’t done anything yet. They write forever and then we go in and knock it all out. We’re writing. We’re writing vocals. But nothing’s solid. With Puscifer, there’s ideas and then we’ll record stuff. Then we’ll go back and change stuff and fix stuff and record new stuff before we finally put it all together. But with Tool, we practice jams, but there’s no actual recording going on until it’s time to record.
Are you prepared to tour for a year for the next Tool record whenever it’s ready or have you put your foot down and said, “I don’t want to spend my life on the road.”
It has nothing to do with putting my foot down. Physically, I can’t do it, so that’s not gonna happen. We will tour, but it won’t be the old school dog and pony show of eight months of beating yourself to death.
For most bands now, staying out on the road for a year-plus and selling lots of tickets and merch is the only way to make money because their albums are being downloaded for free by file-sharers.
How much do you need, really? If we can make a living going out for a few weeks a year and keep people satisfied by making sure we play the locations we need to hit, I’m not Kirk Hammett. I don’t need to buy $10,000 guitars every day. That’s not my lifestyle. I love Kirk, but that’s not me. I have a very sustainable vineyard industry in the Valley which will eventually start to pay its own bills.
I love to go on the road and play music for people and express myself, but for it to be something where I’m out there to make money, that’s depressing to me. You end up beating yourself up. Who gives a s–t how much money you have if your back hurts so much you can’t stand up. Money’s not the goal. Having fun making the art, that’s the goal. Finding a nice, happy medium. Being healthy and still expressing what you need to express in an effective way, that’s the ideal.
The end of lengthy world tours comes as no real surprise to me. I’ve said before (at least in the forums) that I expect Tool’s touring habits will become a little less album orientated, where they hit the road for a month or two once every year or so. Though I imagine with the new album there will still be a world tour, it just may not be so tightly scheduled as it has been in the past.
See you bitches at the next tool show, where ever the fuck it is!
Bash away Mog (and the Mog-like), but that sounds like the words of a reasonable man. Sure he can be an ass sometimes, but so can you. =p
“When it’s done everyone will know. But I haven’t done anything yet.”
“We’re writing. We’re writing vocals”
eh?
That’s pretty good news. Maynard has his head screwed on. It’s probably good that they are taking the recording and touring more casual opposed to flogging it to death and getting burnt out.
Just want to gloat and say I was pretty spot on with my analysis of nay nay
Yeah, I though that was a bit funny as well. I take it to read as though he’s heard some of the work, has maybe written a few ideas down but hasn’t really added anything to the songs yet.
No gloating without evidence.
Is this the one true Maynard interview Kittaan? I am glad that the vineyard will eventually be able to support him into his dotage. lol
But yes nothing surprising here from a highly successful musician who at 50, or there abouts, can choose to do exactly what he wants. Just as this will be the last Tool album, I don’t expect that I will be afforded the opportunity to see Tool live, past another couple of times if I’m lucky.
No bashing from me. That was actually fairly decent.
I’m allowing them their space to do what they do, so we’re still in that mode. Even if they told me how close they are to being done, I couldn’t tell you because if I say 60 percent people will start counting down. When it’s done everyone will know. But I haven’t done anything yet. They write forever and then we go in and knock it all out. We’re writing. We’re writing vocals. But nothing’s solid. With Puscifer, there’s ideas and then we’ll record stuff. Then we’ll go back and change stuff and fix stuff and record new stuff before… Read more »
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Is this the one true Maynard interview Kittaan? I am glad that the vineyard will eventually be able to support him into his dotage. lol
But yes nothing surprising here from a highly successful musician who at 50, or there abouts, can choose to do exactly what he wants. Just as this will be the last Tool album, I don’t expect that I will be afforded the opportunity to see Tool live, past another couple of times if I’m lucky.
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^ Have they said it will be the last record?
[quote comment=””]^ Have they said it will be the last record?[/quote]
No, and I don’t think lizbet was being 100% serious…
ok, cheers
You’re putting it out yourself? Yes, we are. We’re a fully independent project. When you hear of people who say they have independent projects they’re usually full of shit. This is actually an independent project. I’m the guy who writes the checks for the CD duplication and we send it off to our distribution house that handles fulfilling stuff to stores. I’m the guy who uploads it online so it goes to iTunes and those places, so we’re fully in-house. 😀 The album guest credits include Freidl, Carina Round, Juliette Commagere, Matt McJunkins, Gil and Rani Sharone, Devo Keenan, Alessandro… Read more »
I’m glad he pays for everything out of his own pocket, makes me feel even better downloading his music for free
When you’re in a band for that long, the musicians pretty much know what will work and what won’t. I think they are just really trying to make a GREAT Tool album. Once the music is closer to being done, it would be relatively easy for a talent like Maynard to come up with vocals. One thing he is great at is finding a fitting vocal and lyric to melodies and riffs. That goes for the rest of the band. They all know exactly what to apply to a song with their instruments, and that is the secret to their… Read more »
How funny would it be if it ends up being an acoustic E.P! Probably not funny at all I guess. But seriously though, if a freaking earthquake ,or anything else for that matter, kills me before it comes out, I will haunt those 4 bastards for the rest of their lives.
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How funny would it be if it ends up being an acoustic E.P! Probably not funny at all I guess. But seriously though, if a freaking earthquake ,or anything else for that matter, kills me before it comes out, I will haunt those 4 bastards for the rest of their lives.
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Haha, or a dubstep remix album.
Progression is necessary and ultimately to be viewed as something positive in most any aspect of life, yet i still find it hard fighting off feelings of nostalgia and sadness, realizing there’s no “getting back” the cryptic, enshrouded tool as they once were, with the type of light exposed to the band anymore.
None the less, the article is refreshing and interesting. It’s just been so long at this point- news of tool is, while fun and amusing, no where near as exciting as it use to be.
But thanks for the heads-up either way HB ^_^
@trilobite – I think you’ve made me cry.
Most of us moved on to a new band called Radiohead a hue hue hue
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Most of us moved on to a new band called Radiohead a hue hue hue
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Never!
In the light of recent criticism, bashing & Tool fans turning on each other, I think he quite clearly said what was needed to be said. I think this was one of the better interviews I’ve read in recent times, where he laid out for all his ideas & plans for all three projects. enough said.
I really think he’s misguided in his 7 year turn around for Puscifer, I mean he thinks it’s true for APC and without looking up ticket or album sales I would have thought Mer De Nom Nom Noms outpaced every other release critically and commercially.
i am honestly sooo stoked on the new TooL album but im wondering if Maynard is gonna tone it down (vocals) on purpose knowing that he has to sing the songs live. you know, cuz he’s older and all? im just guessing that the album will be more progression/instrumental kinda like wings for marie style with great lyrics, but weaker vocals?
10,000 days mainly sucked lyrically, Maynard’s low point in regards to Tool, shit if it wasn’t for the line ‘Repugnant is the creature . . . etc’ I could say he’d been beaten with a dumb stick, just look at the quality drop between that in comparison to Lateralus.
Although The Pot does have some clever word play but ‘Eye on the TV cause tragedy thrills me’?
Fuck me dry
i feel ya, vicarious is prob. my least fav. tool song, but right in two is an epic mind fuck!
Some more high tone vocals like in the pot would be nice, seems to do well for him.
I’m hoping for a whole album where he’s atonal
Vicarious was poor form (lyrically). Ditto Right in Two (although the music’s great). The rest was genius – or thereabouts.
That “it’s ready when it’s ready” stuff irks me. I’m one of those types who likes to count down.
I’m guessing….late 2012 / early 2013.
I’m guessing it won’t be their last.
Maybe you misread, I was praising right in two
Also you like to eat half baked cake?
I’m not sure what that means.
Would you rather a half baked product or something that’s cooked to perfection?
Tool’s lyrics were so much better when he only sung about anal sex
You’re a sweetie-pie
Glad I’m not al
[quote comment=”48641″]@trilobite – I think you’ve made me cry.
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You’re a sweetie-pie
[quote comment=””]Tool’s lyrics were so much better when he only sung about anal sex[/quote]
Glad I’m not alone on this. +2
Or about slip rings really
Don’t give a fuck when the new album is out, just as long as their first port of call on tour is Europe. Going to see as many shows as I can, and then head back down under.
i don’t think there’s anything shitty about lyrics from Vicarious. Plus it rings even more true 5 years later than it did in 2006. With the recent beating and killing of libya’s leader on our TV’s, phones, iPads, and morons that live through it “vicariously” with blood thirst and somehow justify it cuz they think he was a “bad guy” just shows what monkeys we still are as a race of beings. Gotta love America. We’ll set up the “dictator”, and when he attempts to actually build the country up with the most modern water project, and attempted to maintain… Read more »
Vicarious gets banged on a lot not sure why. Maybe I just generally pay less attention to the lyrics but it is an interesting composition. I think it is a solid song and a good introduction to the album. Right in Two, while overall is an excellent song, has a few sections that are really choppy. Again purely from a composition standpoint. The only thing that really saves Right in Two is Danny’s drumming.
What I have found over the years is that vicarious and right in two just don’t have the emotional lyrics/moments you can connect to. Unlike songs like jimmy, the patient, and h, where you can just float away with the lyrics and they can take you do weird and wonderful places in your mind, many 10,000 days songs are a bit 1D. It’s really hard to put your finger on, but 10,000 days just didn’t get the mustard. Lets hope the new album does. Oh & before I feel the rath of many, please don’t get me wrong, still love… Read more »
@ 264zn
A younger 264zn. =p
^ haha yeah a younger me AND drugs perhaps. I’m going to watch back to the future stoned tonight and then crank 10k days…that should do it.
^Just make sure you hit play for 10K Days when the lion makes it 2nd roar before Back To The Future starts. That way it’ll sync up perfect.
gave the new Puscifer album a few listens, and it really is good if you like that type of music.
The new Tool album will drop, i assume around now (next year). No way 2013
The reason why the lyrics arent in the CD case or told until way later was just proved above. I can’t ever understand what singers are saying and I thought it was a curse. Now I love the fact that I can let the music take me somewhere without getting caught up in the content of the lyrics. Think visuals in my head form to the music and I just let it ride. I personally think Vicarious is a baddass song musically. Its fun, up beat, has a lot of cool grooves, and is technical enough to not get too… Read more »
[quote comment=””]i don’t think there’s anything shitty about lyrics from Vicarious. Plus it rings even more true 5 years later than it did in 2006. With the recent beating and killing of libya’s leader on our TV’s, phones, iPads, and morons that live through it “vicariously” with blood thirst and somehow justify it cuz they think he was a “bad guy” just shows what monkeys we still are as a race of beings. Gotta love America. We’ll set up the “dictator”, and when he attempts to actually build the country up with the most modern water project, and attempted to… Read more »
“The reason why the lyrics arent in the CD case or told until way later was just proved above. I can’t ever understand what singers are saying and I thought it was a curse. Now I love the fact that I can let the music take me somewhere without getting caught up in the content of the lyrics. Think visuals in my head form to the music and I just let it ride. I personally think Vicarious is a baddass song musically. Its fun, up beat, has a lot of cool grooves, and is technical enough to not get too… Read more »