Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash was asked about the #MeToo sexual misconduct movement and it’s involvement in rock music in a new Classic Rock Magazine interview. The interviewer references a discredited June 2018 accusation against Maynard James Keenan, which he denied, and Alternative Nation was able to debunk an accuser via email. It’s unclear if the interview may have taken place before the information debunking the claim came out. Below is an excerpt from the article:
The day before our interview, Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan’s reputation was on trial on Twitter: a woman had anonymously claimed that the singer had raped her when she was seventeen. Has the #MeToo movement affected the music business? “It’s a good question,” he says. “I think the Me Too movement is definitely justified – it’s actually way overdue.” But obviously, he says, it’s complicated “in the context of being in a fucking rock and roll band. Fortunately, I’m taken, so I’m not dealing with all that, but I have to admit there were times I looked into my past and [as if he’s talking to himself]: ‘Well that was consensual.'” “I never had a working relationship with anybody that I was, you know, trying to pressure into having sex or anything.” “The problem is that you could be falsely accused of something, but it almost doesn’t matter – it’s out there. Even if you were to get your name cleared, the damage is already done. And that’s pretty sad.”
Keenan tweeted in June, “Many thanks to those of you who saw right through this despicable false claim that only does damage to the #metoo movement. And shame on those of you who perpetuate this destructive clickbait. As for my delayed but un-required response, I had my phone off. You should try it.”
We reported in June that fans on Tool’s Reddit page uncovered details that totally debunked the anonymous Twitter users. The Twitter account that started this was created within an hour of an account that responded and tried to bring Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor into the story with a tweet. The account that mentioned Trent Reznor laid dormant for 5 days before responding. The original account liked the Reznor tweet by this other account. The Reznor tweet was later deleted. Another account trying to make claims was created just a few days later along with another, and has been restricted. The original account liked a tweet from this account.
You can view the research below done by fans on the Tool Reddit page.
Many thanks to those of you who saw right through this despicable false claim that only does damage to the #metoo movement. And shame on those of you who perpetuate this destructive clickbait. As for my delayed but un-required response, I had my phone off. You should try it.
— Maynard J Keenan (@mjkeenan) June 28, 2018
