Source: Revolver Magazine

November Issue
A Perfect Circle
Interview:
Maynard
People think you're crazy.. Is that something you've come to accept?
I'm not crazy. We all have our emotional wierdnesses, hang-ups, paranoia, and fe
ars. But at the end of the day, why shouldn't we be paranoid? Look at what's hap
pening and the way things are homogenized and the control issues that come up in
a facist regime or dictatorship.
Take music - there's fewer and fewer outlets for bands to even rehearse and deve
lop in. And even if you do get something going on, unless you're willing to do t
he radio show and go on Oprah, you're out of the loop and not part of the machin
e. Wal-Mart is gobbling up every record store out there. It's an uphill struggle
. And what ends up happening are manufactured bands, fabricated to fit right int
o the Happy Meal slot. Initially, they sell a bazillion records because they're
being sold like McNuggets. Of course they're gonna sell - it's the only option!
It's the only thing consumers are presented with as a choice.
Where does that leave you as a musician?
Fucked. I can only do what I do. Even if I wanted to make
I don't think I could. But who am I to judge? People have
, and if their hearts lead them to Wal-Mat, so be it. But
g, then they'll hear something and hopefully crawl out of

my work more shallow,

to follow their hearts
if people are listenin
the hole.

How easily do you do what you do?

Not easily at all. It's always a struggle, because you're looking for that magic
word - the magic line or sequence of sounds that unlocks something. There's a g
azillion of people in recovery and if we could just find the magic word that wou
ld suddenly heal people, we would have probably come up with it by now. So it's
an endless struggle to figure out what's going to work for you. That's all I can
really do - try to figure out what works for me and feel better about the world
around me by having expressed something about it.
What do you think people most misunderstand about you?
I have no idea. And it's not going to change what I'm doing. There are certain b
ehaviors I'm trying to become more aware of in my personal relations. But as far
as somebody's perception, there's nothing you can do about it. It is what it is
. If you're really good about playing the media then you might be okay for a whi
le, but eventually, the music ends up suffereing and people realize it's the emp
eror's new clothes - a house of cards.
But there's a mysterious mythology around you and your career. Is that a pro or
con?
I have a theory. Most people will agree we're connected on some level, be it by
these invisible threads of consciousness or whatever. I think all of us recogniz
e that ball of light in some way. And often, artists who become popular or gain
recognition have a little more of a grasp then others on channeling that light,
that chi or aura. But at some point, when you pass that threshhold and people ar
e aware of you on a global level, it can suck your energy - unless you learn how
to keep those people away.
You can see those who pass that threshold getting destroyed, getting more gaunt
as people take away their life force - there's so many people plugged into them

and they're taking on more than they're capable of handling. You may have a nice
mansion, but what did it cost? You're a zombie. You see actresses and actors ou
t in a club without makeup and it's like, "Jeez... take a vacation and unplug so
mehow, because people are sucking you dry." So I think that's the double-edged s
word I'm happy with - I may not be a household name, but I can go shopping and b
uy groceries.
Do you change your appearance so frequently and do things like wear wigs so that
you can build a defense against the world?
Or are the disguises just part of the way you express yourself artistically?
It's part of the art. Jack Nicholson will tell you that when you put on the Joke
r outfit, it comes to life on its own and has its own personality that has nothi
ng to do with Jack Nicholson. Gary Oldman puts on some kind of fucked-up wig and
makeup and he's a whole different person and the acting just kind of follows. S
o yeah, it's a part of the art and performance, but it also lets me step aside a
nd do what I do without being corrupted by fame.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What do you enjoy about all this? What's fun about it for you?
It's a puzzle. I'm trying to figure out life puzzles, music puzzles, geometry, w
ord games. Play until you die, you know? And the more you learn about the differ
ent stuff, the more references and cross-references pop up that make the puzzles
and matrixes more fun. It's how you grow and learn about yourself. It's how you
figure out what makes you tick and perhaps how to adjust that or enhance that.
All of that sounds very mathematical. Isn't self-discovery supposed to be emotio
nal?
Emotions can be mathematical in nature - everything else is. All nature can be d
escribed with mathematics.
Is that what always appealed to you or did you grow into realizing that?
No, I just write what I hear. I hear something and say, "That's a cool idea. Let
's see what I can do with that." And then something comes up in my personal life
and I try to see if I can't get to the bottom of that motivation and see what m
akes that thing tick. I'm like any kid that gets a toy for CHristmas and wants t
o break it open to see what makes it work. Then the trick is to try and put the
toy back together.
I would have thought that someone as socially conscious as yourself would reflec
t in your lyrics the malaise caused by the war in Iraq and other world events. B
ut APC's new album is largely apolitical.
No, it's not; the sleeping people are in there. Take the line "Counting body lik
e sheep to the rhythms of the war drums." There are a lot of people - especially
around Middle America - that have been asleep. It's difficult for me to seperat
e interpersonal and internal dynamics from relationship dynamics and world dynam
ics. It all has to do with listening and compassion. And right now, there's not
much listening going on in the world.
You've often spoke about the late, great counterculture comedian Bill Hicks. Is
there anybody else out there fans can use as a doorway to figuring you out?
It's hard to step up to the Hicks. As far as the social and political commentary
, I hope people would discover Davis Cross and Janeane Garofalo through us - the

y're amazing people. She's so well read and pretty much took the words out of my
mouth - thank God - when the Iraqi Freedom Fest broke out. If I'd been put on c
amera on Crossfire, I'd have been shot between the eyes. She's an amazing indivi
dual, and David Cross as well. He's got some pretty strong opinions that are gro
unded. I'd be running around trying to tie the war in with the JFK assassination
. He's a little more levelheaded than that.
What's with you and the conspiracy theories?
I'm an idiot with them. I'll start putting it all together for you and by the ti
me I'm done you'll think I need lithium, but you'll kind of start agreeing with
me too.
So the point for you is to question things, not necessarily to reach an incontro
vertible conclusion?
On September 11 what I thought immediately was, Start to question now. Suspect e
verything. Don't take anything at face value because the people that run the cou
ntry own your media. Even if you're wrong about your crazy conspiracies, at leas
t you ask the question. Because never, ever, in the history of man, have you eve
r, ever, ever been able to trust your government. So why the fuck would you star
t now? Just because something blew up? Start there and draw your own conclusions
. But definately start the process. And even now, you can't get much information
unless you really begin to seek out alternative sources to try and figure out w
hat's going on. And you have to be armed with the skills to do that kind of rese
arch. And having a father and mother that were high school teachers, I can tell
you straight from the horse's mouth that we've been robbed of the tools and skil
ls necessary to even know where to look.
Since you feel that way, do you find it tempting to make your music more politic
ally focused - to use it as a vehicle for protest?
In a way it is. There's a lot of social commentary in the music already that cut
s to the bone as far as the social dynamics of waking up and questioning. It's a
ll there. You have to listen, though. It's about looking at your weaknesses and
strengths and knowing you have to wake up - whether it seems like it's about rel
ationships or substance abuse. Television is the biggest drug we've ever been in
troduced to. The effect it has on your mind is insane - the way it alters the wa
y you percieve things and alters your reality, where you're gonna put your money
and who you're gonna vote for. It's a mind-altering drug.
But you watch it?
I watch films. But even in films you can see an agenda. Just pay attention - jus
t look and see it. Look at all the war movies that came out a year prior to 9/11
.
Are television and film that different than the conglomerate-owned recording ind
ustry?
I'm not Rage Against the Machine. I'm not claiming that kind of platform. I'm ju
st trying to make records and express myself the best I can. At the end of the d
ay, all the evil corporations can really do is not put my records in the stores.
I'm putting what I want on my records. They're not changing that. Nothing is al
tered. And if they want to not sell my records, that's fine with me - I'm still
going to bag on them and try to undermine the monster. At the end of the day, I'
m going to get onstage and play. Even if you don't want to sell or buy my CD I'm
still going to go out and perform.
Does that performing part come easier now than when you started?

It's always come easy. It's always been simple.

Why?
It just makes sense to me. There's an energy in the room that makes sense to me.
It's all about the moment, really. You know you've tapped into something when y
ou can replay an equation and get a similar emotional response. So every night i
s a reminder that we're on the right path.
Are there things that you'd address with Tool that you Wouldn't in APC?
There's no rule of thumb; things happen as they happen. I'm sure you have friend
s that you can try to force certain discussions on, but that discussion might be
easier with a different set of friends. But there's no sacred ritual or outline
on paper.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you had to do this all over again, would you take the same path?
I don't think I could change anything. I'm the guy that freezes up when you say
you have three wishes from a genie. I'm a let-go, let-it-happen-as-it-will kind
of guy. ANd yet I'm a guy with direction. I'm working toward something, recogniz
ing the nuances.
Are you a happier guy now than, say, 10 years ago?
I don't know. Who cares?
You don't want to be happy?
Sometimes I'm happy and sometimes I'm sad. ANybody that claims to be happy all t
he time is clearly on fucking Prozac. You're not supposed to be happy all the ti
me - it's the nature of emotion.
Do you enjoy being on the road?
Absolutely. It's the exchange of energy. The minimal amount of energy you put ou
t to deliver your music or have your television show or movie come out - there's
this sucking and drawing because you're not putting enough out. The road balanc
es that because there's a lot more energy being generated in that space - it's m
ore of a sharing of energy. A lot of that seems kind of new age and very McDonal
d's/Celestine Prophecy/Wal-mart, but I think you really can feel that exchange o
f energy in a performance space.
Are you a more powerful performer now than when we first saw you?
I think I'm just a different performer now. There was a rage that I felt back in
1992, living in L.A. and being broke, that I no longer have. It's the same stor
e with every successful musician: You're hungry and angry and then things change
. I mean, I'm still pissed off plenty - the traffic in L.A. is enough to drive a
nyone insane - but then again, I have a nice bug tub I can get into and cool off
. It's not easy maintaining that James Brown edge and enjoying your life - enjoy
ing being comfortable and successful. It's a fine line. And it's what takes most
musicians down. The record company's worst fear is that you'll fall in love or
get rich.
Do you read what's said about you on online message boards?

No. I can't.
Do you like dealing with fans at all?
No. It's just too strange a form of adoration. I'm not sure how to relate to it.
I understand that young kids have idols and are fans of things, but I would hop
e what they've learned from what we've done is that they can do it too and there
's no reason to praise me for anything. I'm basically just trying to work shit o
ut and channel some important emotional, physical, spiritual stuff that everybod
y goes through. We're just doing our best to put it on paper and get it on tape.
But it's the same shit everyone else goes through, so in theory everyone has ac
cess to it and everybody should be able to do it. So the point of praising one p
articular set of metaphorical bessels doesn't make sense, because I didn't inven
t the emotion, I'm just trying to translate it.
And you have particularly adoring fans... obsessive fans.
Nah. I don't think we have obsessive fans. Obsessive fans are really into the Ba
ckstreet Boys this week and will b einto the next boy band next week. That's obs
essive, fly-by-night fans. Our fans, if they're really fans, get really into wha
t we do and do wtuff with it - they write and create. We become irrelevant. They
just look at what came out of the interaction between the four or five individu
als and go, "That was an interesting result of that set of chemicals. There's ni
ce alchemy there." It's like running up to a jar of fucking phosphorus and going
, "Good job!" It doesn't make any sense!
I realize that fandom is part of this process and this business, so I'll acknowl
edge it. And I'm not going to judge the fans for not getting that. But at the sa
me time, I'm not going to foster that kind of behavior. I don't want to plug int
o it. God, fucking photos at the show are so annoying - flash cameras. I know yo
u want to be closer but nothing pushes us farther away. As soon as those flashes
go off, the relationship becomes very parasitic. You're not being very compassi
onate for what we're doing up there if you flash a light in my eye. Try to have
someone tell you a personal story when you're flashing a flashlight in their eye
. They can't focus on what they're trying to tell you. It's why you can't bring
a fucking camera to an orchestra while they're playing or Baryshnikov when he's
dancing.
Do you have any regrets?
I have no regrets. I've made more mistakes than I'd care to liste, but I wouldn'
t change a thing. At the end of the day they're not going to matter; there's no
asshole with a book at the Pearly Gates judging you. As I understand it, the fir
st line in that particular book in question is "In the beginning there was the W
ord, and the Word was God.' And the Hebrew word for "God" is the same word for "
light" and "love." So in the beginning there was live - infinite, unconditional
and not about judgement. So if you subscribe to the idea that we're all connecte
d and there's some sort of source that keeps our hearts beating, then there's no
judgement.
Do you put commercial expectations on your albums?
I've done what I can do. ALl we can do is feel how all the songs feel in the ord
er we play them and say, "We can rearrange that or make the lights do this or th
at." Otherwise, it's out of my hands. There's nothing I can do about it. And the
odds are that whatever I do now, eventually the numbers will go down. Especiall
y in this climate of downloading, whatever you do this year or next year is goin
g to look like a failure compared to what you did the previous year - even if yo
u did the same kind of business.

Does that frustrate you?

No. If you take that personally or to heart then you've let yourself fail. Don't
worry about it. The world is changing. We get to be alive during the most extre
me sets of change in the history of our human development since ancient Sumeria.
This is the time. If you bought a ticket you bought a ticket for the right show
. In this age of technology and emotional development - everything going on and
leapfrogging day by day - you're in the right spot for the fireworks.
And you're in the right spot to interpret those changes with your music.
Yeah. We can try. But I'm not sure the Chinese will allow us when they get over
here.
They're coming?
Yeah. Not to put on my paranoid hat for you, but get used to speaking Chinese.