A couple weeks ago, frontman for prog metal legend Tool, Maynard James Keenan, announced that his authorized biography will be released November 8 by Backbeat Books. The book was written by longtime friend of Keenan’s, Sarah Jensen, with a foreword by Alex Grey. Titled A Perfect Union of Contrary Things, Jensen’s book will provide Keenan’s fans a unique look into his life beyond his musical career.
Other than being a frontman for Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer, Keenan had joined the Army, attended art school, worked at a pet shop, and has made a name for himself as an accomplished winemaker. So obviously, Keenan has a lot more to talk about than just his bands; Maynard explains that “There’s always that perception that whatever you’ve done that’s the largest media-friendly thing in your life, where the world came to know of you, there’s a perception that there was no life before, and that you were nothing before. There’s a lot of stuff that went on in my life that nobody really knows about. So I feel like this is the chance to show the patterns, tell a story.”
And it seems like Jensen will represent that well, seeing that Keenan had been working very closely with the author in order to get the best representation of his diverse interests possible. Keenan refers to the book as a “semi-autobiography” saying, “I didn’t really want to write it as an autobiography, first-person — I’d rather have it be more in story form, like you’re kind of along for the journey, with sidebars by me … But for the most part, it’s just she and I on the phone a couple times a week, just going over timelines, going over stories.” Hopefully, Jensen will be able to provide a fairly complete and accurate portrayal of the dedicated and versatile musician, honoring the place and people that have shaped his life.
In turn, Keenan’s fans look like they’re about to go crazy in anticipation for the new book. Simply getting a glimpse of the cover online on a book site set off a frenzy of pre-orders for the book, especially since up until now fans have only been able to access the abridged version of the rocker’s story.
In order to promote the new biography, Keenan plans to embark on a book tour beginning in November. Only the first two dates, set in Nashville and Chicago, have been announced, but further dates will soon follow.
UPDATE 10/12: Several additional dates have been announced on Keenan’s 2016 book tour for A Perfect Union of Contrary Things, as well as the moderators for each of the event. See the complete list of dates and moderators below:
A Perfect Union of Contrary Things Book Tour
11/09: Nashville, TN – Nashville’s City Winery w/ moderators Dino Paredes (Suretone Management) & Mark Brooks (Metalacolypse director)
11/10: Wappinger Falls, NY – Chapel of Sacred Mirrors w/ moderator Alex Grey (Renowned artist/Chapel of Sacred Mirrors founder)
11/11: New York, NY – The New York Society for Ethical Culture w/ moderator Roxy Myzal (hardDrive Producer/beloved radio personality)
11/12: Washington, DC – Sixth & I Historic Synagogue w/ moderator Roxy Myzal (hardDrive Producer/beloved radio personality)
11/14: Toronto, ON – Convocation Hall (University of Toronto) w/ moderator Alan Cross (102.1 The Edge Music Director)
11/16: Chicago, IL – 7PM – Thalia Hall w/ moderator Amanda Danielson (Owner, Trattoria Stella and The Franklin/Master Sommelier)
11/16: Chicago, IL – 10:30PM – Thalia Hall w/ moderator Dirk Flanigan (Executive Chef, Ocean Cut and Il Coniglio/Former Pigface vocalist)
11/18: Portland, OR – The Aladdin Theater w/ moderator Paul Barker (Ministry/Lead Into Gold/Puscifer)
11/19: Seattle, WA – Kane Auditorium w/ moderator Kim Thayil (Soundgarden)
11/21: San Francisco, CA – Herbst Theatre w/ moderator Laura Milligan (aka Hildy Berger/Mr. Show)
11/22: Los Angeles, CA – Montalban Theater w/ moderator Billy Howerdel (A Perfect Circle/Ashes Divide)
11/25: Phoenix, AZ – Mesa Arts Center w/ moderator Kimber Lanning (Local First Arizona/Stinkweeds)
11/26: Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater w/ moderator Matt Mather (Sommelier at Frasca Food & Wine)
11/27: Dallas, TX – Texas Theatre w/ moderator Steven Drozd (Flaming Lips)
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