This might be the first time Maynard James Keenan has fully opened up about why it’s taken so long for both Tool and A Perfect Circle to record new albums. It has been since 2006 for Tool’s 10,000 Days and 2004 when APC released their cover album entitled Emotive. On episode 986 of The Joe Rogan Experience, the frontman revealed the reasoning behind both delays.
As far as Tool is concerned, he expressed the band have grown to be highly analytical stating:
“Their process is very analytical and I think, at some point, because so much time has gone by since the last album, there’s got to be a little fear in here. Is this record going to be as good as the last one?’ Now the pressure is huge, so I’m sure some of that goes into play.”
He continued:
“As far as the way Danny and Justin and Adam write, it’s a very tedious, long process. They’re always going back over things and questioning what they did and stepping back and going back farther and going forward and, in a way, they’re laying a foundation, they’re putting in the footings for a house. I can’t write melodies until the footings are in place, I can’t write words until the melodies are in place.”
Maynard described his writing experience with the group as well:
“I’ve had instances where I’ve started to write stuff, and by the time I actually got it around and back and actually listening and whatever, the song had gone in a completely different direction. So everything that written melody wise or lyric wise was completely irrelevant now, and I have to start over … I mean, I can sit there in that room, and be with them in that room, but their process is so tedious and so ‘Rain Man,’ that I just can’t, I just start fucking folding in on myself. ‘I’ll be right back, I’ve got to go take 5 years to plant a vineyard, because you’ll still be right where you were when I left.’ But it’s a great thing, what they’re doing is wonderful.”
As far as A Perfect Circle is concerned, he explained his issue was based on guitarist/songwriter Billy Howerdel’s process:
“He gets a little forest through the trees sometimes, and I’m the guy going: ‘Step back, look at it,’ Then I’m out the door, the poor guy is going: ‘Where did you go?’”
Watch the full episode below and you can catch the Tool/APC subject around the 1:22:50 mark:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J68gH5PiSZg
[via Loudwire]
