A Study On Humans
Every once in a deep and wide while, you come across something you can’t get enough of. You live it and breathe it.
It consumes every ounce of your heart, even if you don’t want it to.
If you’re among the lucky, it’s your greatest love and your soulmate.
If you’re an artist, it’s your craft.
Fortunately, I’m a Scorp, so it’s everything I do. From my best friend to the last period of the thing I’m writing.
Today, though it happens to be Maynard James Keenan.
Tool was a powerful face back in the day, but having tripped face first into it again, I’ve found so much more than I knew back then. And OMFG.
He’s insanely talented. The words always pulled a lot out of you when you REALLY listened to them. The imagery, the pain. It’s your own soul handed to you.
His tenor, haunting and soothing, puts you into another world: wakes you up and it can drive your soul if you let it.
He doesn’t want you to be MJKeenan, he wants YOUR OWN LEGEND to drive your soul. For you to think for yourself, act for the good of those around you and be the best at what you do.
For me, there’s a HUGE disconnect between what his images show and what his words say. Like, you look at Randy Blythe, you see this tall surfer/singer/photographer dude and you FEEL that. But looking at MJK is like looking at a hollow shell that carries a soul too big for this world. It’s the trippiest shit to me. You can’t look at him and get a real sense of who he is.
He challenges you to dig deep into your own beliefs and thoughts. His lyrics, haunting and dark, project images that you will either identify with or recoil from. And if you recoil, it’s likely because facing your own darkness isn’t something you’re prepared to handle.
A perfect union of contrary things, he is. Military - trained (and served), art - driven, philosophy - centered, MJKeenan envelopes a paradox that many can’t fathom. How does such a free - thinking, rule - breaking artist serve in the military and get to West Point???? Read the book. It’s fucking fascinating.
Bonus point. He’s got a fucking Scorpion tatt, big as fuck, on his back. And of all the shit that wouldn’t amaze me, that does.
Tool lead me to a Perfect Circle. A perfect circle and my own adult filters engraved by the trials of relationships and motherhood led me to dig deep into lyrics. The lyrics bled from another soul to mine lead me to the book. The book led me to all things Maynard James Keenan.
And today your lesson is this: Humans are mind - blowing creatures. Once you bleed for them, they won’t be able to get enough of them.
PS? If you someone who creates that business reader bond, Holla. I bleed for them every single day.