2 Surprising Albums That Inspired Maynard James Keenan of Tool

Tool is a band that is a bit hard to describe. They’re definitely an alternative metal band with progressive rock elements. However, their sound, lyricism, and concepts stray into the existential and bizarre, and their releases are known for being particularly complex. Maynard James Keenan, the band’s frontman, is almost an otherworldly figure. But just like any other musician out there, Keenan has his inspirations. And he’s noted that at least two particularly surprising albums inspired and influenced him when he was younger.

‘Things We Lost In The Fire’ by Low

Things We Lost In The Fire was released by indie rock band Low in 2001. According to Keenan, the record inspired him to have a more patient approach to creating music. It’s certainly a dark album, but one might not expect an alt-metal artist like Keenan to enjoy this slowcore, dream pop record. Yet he did, and he sang the record’s praises in the past.

“I’m always the guy going, ‘If we slow this down, it could be such an intense thing,’” said Keenan. “That discipline is so difficult for musicians because they’re looking for the payoff right away. So in this album, ‘Things We Lost In The Fire’, there is so much patience and restraint. Just the patience between notes and hits. It’s such a gorgeous display of ‘No, there’s a bigger picture here. We’re creating a mood.’”

‘Blue’ by Joni Mitchell

I have to admit, this one is pretty surprising. Maynard James Keenan is an alt-metal artist, and he’s been penning tunes that touch on pseudophilosophy, transcendence, and spirituality for years. One wouldn’t expect Joni Mitchell’s 1971 folk album Blue to be an inspiration to someone like Keenan. Consider this an example of why judging a book by its cover is wrong.

“That was my aunt,” Keenan said of his discovery of Blue. “Now she sees me going down the spiral of Kiss and Black Sabbath, and she goes, ‘Hang on, check this [‘Blue’] out.’ I don’t know how she managed to express all this in such a short, concise period of time to a kid who was watching monster movies on Saturday. But she was actually able to convey to me, here’s a person who’s a woman, who is writing her own songs, who is producing and mixing and releasing her own songs. And it’s a woman fighting this uphill struggle in arguably a man’s rock world.”

According to Keenan, listening to this album was radicalizing in a way, as Mitchell is “somebody who is going against the grain.”

Photo by Ts/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock 

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