Tool bassist Justin Chancellor discussed Maynard James Keenan rejecting some of their new song ideas for Fear Inoculum in a new Visions magazine interview. Maynard James Keenan ‘annoying’ Tool was revealed yesterday.
Are there ever ideas that you scrapped, but that you think could’ve been the greatest song of all time?
Adam and I often feel like that. But that’s part of our deal: Just because one of us thinks it’s great doesn’t mean it’s a great Tool song. Only when everyone thinks it’s great. We have to accept that Tool Fans are drawn to what we do together. I don’t think anyone of us would have success on their own. It’s still hard though, to have an idea that you think is great but that has to be scrapped. A lesson for the ego. (Maynard James Keenan recently unloaded on his ‘frustration’ when recording with Tool).
And when the vocalist joins many things get scrapped again when a particular piece doesn’t inspire him?
Yes. But that happens even during the writing process. There’s things he totally digs and things he doesn’t. We then have to convince him or be flexible. The closer we get to the end the more we talk with him. He has a lot of ideas too! He often sends really abstract stuff without any text or ideas for new arrangements of our songs. In the end it’s about finding pieces of music that we all find interesting. A Tool member recently made a brutal Michael Jackson claim.
