Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan recently appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, to discuss his encounter with COVID-19. The discussion comes after Keenan had revealed earlier this month that he continues to suffer from lung damage following his illness.

“I didn’t have a bad [case], yes and no,” Keenan said in the podcast. “So it was one of those, you know I’m in Australia. We went out to dinner … and immediately food didn’t taste right, but this is now, this is all hindsight, right I didn’t know at the time. We didn’t know that these are the things you’re looking for, like immediately.”

Keenan had said in an interview with AZ Central that he contracted the virus back in February, and that he has had a number of friends and family who were eventually diagnosed with the virus. Keenan’s interview with AZ Central saw him discussing the long-term lung damage that was a result of having COVID-19.

During his discussion with Rogan, Keenan had joked that he was a “super spreader” on his flight to New Zealand, where Keenan was heading to play a show during his most recent tour. Upon realizing he was sick, Keenan began to self-isolate, and asked a doctor if he had COVID-19.

“I asked the doctor when I got to New Zealand ‘do you think this is COVID,'” Keenan said during the podcast. “He’s like, ‘did you have a fever?’ I’m like I don’t remember if I had a fever, well then ‘you didn’t have COVID.’ Okay”

Keenan described how he continued to feel sick, with his hands beginning to hurt and a cough lingering. Keenan left New Zealand and went to perform in Maui, continuing to feel sick. While Keenan discusses his experience with COVID-19, he never explicitly states that he tested positive for the virus.

“But when I finally got to Maui, I’m like, this is not right,” Keenan said. “This hurts I can’t fucking do this. I thought, well maybe I sprained my wrist, so months go by that they’re not healing, I’m going through harvest at this point and like nothing’s [changing], they’re not healing.”

After several months of feeling sick, his symptoms not getting any better, Keenan went to visit an arthritis doctor. He told Rogan that the doctor said he had COVID-19, and some of the side effects he was experiencing were inflammation. Keenan also stated that he continues to have coughing fits for around 10 minutes each day.

During his interview on Rogan’s podcast, Keenan also talked about the upcoming election. Keenan said he felt that a vote for Joe Biden was a vote for Kamala Harris, and that he expected she would become the next president. Rogan responded by saying “well we’ve never had a Nazi president either, would that be a step forward,” to which Keenan said “well, we already have that.”

Rogan’s podcast was expected to host Kanye West this week, however production for this week has been halted following a positive test result of COVID-19 from Rogan’s crew member, Young Jamie. Rogan said he has tested negative, however the podcast has been shut down until they receive “the all clear from our doctor.”

Photo credit: Marv Watson