Maynard changed in 10,000 Days?

by Nate Burke
Vox Pop #19: 07.02.06. Tool will play at the Gorge this August. Tickets went on sale last weekend.

For those familiar with Tool, there is nothing particularly surprising about 10,000 Days. All told, however, this latest offering from the “progressive metal” pseudo-genre is a very creative, well-executed record. In short, it rocks: an aural rollercoaster featuring moments when I feel the need to pull out a friggin’ abacus just to figure out what the heck is going on with all the time changes. Tool is so far and above the usual “chugga chugga” metal that it bears almost no resemblance to it.

If I have any beef with 10,000 Days, it’s that it drags on too dang long. The arrangements often seem as if they wanted to make sure every permutation of a riff was represented rather than just committing to three or four really good variations. Most of the eleven tracks clock in at over seven minutes. Some songs, like “Lost Keys (Blame Hoffman)” and “Lipan Conjuring,” meander and are totally unnecessary, adding nothing to the record. The first half of 10,000 Days is much stronger than the second; in the weeks since its release, I have found myself not getting past the first five tracks very often. 5,000 Days would have been plenty.

But you gotta hand it to “em: there are many elements that give Tool an edge over most other bands. For one, Tool’s rhythm section is in the proverbial pocket something fierce. Another strong asset is singer Maynard James Keenan. He has always been a creative vocalist, but on 10,000 Days he has outdone himself. The range of voices and styles he puts on is striking. He has a way of tying the songs together with unexpected melodies and phrasing (very notably on “The Pot”), while also having a great respect for the music. Unlike almost every other singer in rock music, it’s clear he doesn’t feel the need to sing when it just isn’t necessary.

The Man

Keenan is an interesting character beyond his album personas; notorious, elusive, and legendary within the music world.

Over the years I have loosely followed his musical endeavors (Tool and his other project, A Perfect Circle), read the occasional interview, and heard the random tall tale. He appears very intelligent, but also scarred in a deep way. He is also a pervert and an enemy of the gospel.

I am not claiming to know the man beyond the little bit I have seen him as presented in his records and in the media, but through those mediums he has chosen to specifically badmouth Christ and His followers on many occasions.

In April 2005, there was an announcement on the official Tool website that Keenan had given his life to Christ. Needless to say I (and probably everyone who read it) was surprised. I had prayed for him on occasion when I listened to his music, and was excited that God had grabbed him, the modern musical equivalent of Saul of Tarsus.

The post was followed by assurances of its authenticity and, in light of the conversion of Brian “Head” Welch (former guitarist for Korn), my hopes were up. It turned out to be an April Fool’s day hoax and yet one more opportunity for Maynard to mock Jesus. (The quote from Keenan on Tool’s site was, “Son of God? That guy’s a punk!”)

The Lyrics

Upon the release of 10,000 Days I decided to do a little research on the record: its origins, lyrics, etc. I discovered that the title track was written after the death of Keenan’s mother, Judith Marie Garrison, who had been partially paralyzed and bound to wheelchair for twenty-seven years (approximately 10,000 days).

His mother was a believer and Maynard was raised in a Baptist family. (Another strange factoid: Maynard’s a West Point drop-out!) This sheds new light on another song, “Judith,” which Keenan penned a few years back with his band, A Perfect Circle. The song criticizes his mother strongly for still praying to the God who “abandoned her,” and even contains the lyric, “F your God.”

When I became a Christian, this was one of the few CDs I felt that I didn’t even want on my shelf because of that lyric. I still feel like the lyrics are dumb in a “look at me I’m controversial!” sort of way, but now I also see Keenan’s response as an honest point of view of someone who doesn’t know Christ, doesn’t understand the nature of suffering, and sees his mother being what he considers foolish for so many years.

I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 1:23 and how ridiculous his mother’s faith must have seemed to him. I cannot expect any more than bald-faced blasphemy from those who are perishing, and am reminded that I have said and done much worse, only in my case it wasn’t documented and distributed to millions of people. Re-reading those lyrics was a good thing for me; to remember just how many of the unsaved feel in the face of suffering.

The Hope Which brings me to the ray of hope I see in the new Tool record. Despite Keenan’s rage against Christ and His followers, it seems that the death of his mother has begun to change his perspective.

In the two-part song which most directly deals with his mother’s passing, “Wings for Marie (part 1)” and “10,000 Days (Wings part 2),” he shows a great admiration for the same faith he used to despise: “It was you who prayed for me so . . . she never told a lie, well might have told a lie but never lived one.”

It includes beautiful imagery of this woman, once confined and now released: “I only pray heaven knows when to lift you out. Ten thousand days in the fire is long enough; you’re going home.”

It would be a stretch to say that Keenan’s views on God have changed, but if his lyrics are any indication, his view of his mother and her faith have changed greatly. It is a wonderful reminder to us that how we live our lives-consistently over a long period of time-does affect those we know and love. People are always watching-especially when we experience trial and suffering-to see how we respond and if our faith is genuine.

All of Keenan’s anger and clever words were nothing compared to the steadfast faith of a crippled mother and her prayers for her son. It also reminds me to keep praying for the artists whose records I listen to, whose movies I watch, whose books I read . . . all of those out there who don’t know Jesus.

I believe Jesus can grab any one of them, even Maynard James Keenan. His mother laid the groundwork with ten thousand days of prayer. Surely we can pick up that torch.