Maynard James Keenan and Les Claypool have different approaches to music with each band.
“It’s pretty simple. It’s different conversations with different people,” the Tool singer replied when asked by Kyle Meredith what different musical styles mean for how he uses his vocals in a recent interview. “So, if Matt’s coming at you with a Synclavier and some amazing programmable sync and then another band is coming at you with old rock and roll, like for on the just crazy amps and drums.”
Keenan added, “It’s different conversations because you’re having to navigate a different set of sounds. So naturally as a vocalist, you’re going to end up trying to find your way unless you’re gonna be the front man the same way no matter what, which is also cool for some people but not for me. I kind of like the morph a little bit.”
Claypool also responded to the same question, explaining, “I mean it just depends. It’s more song-to-song than it is act-to-act I think. When you’re playing with someone like Sean Lennon, who’s got this amazing voice and I’m just trying to keep up with that guy [laughs].”
The Primus frontman continued, “But actually if anything, he’s just there laying some silky smooth sauce on my rough chunk of meat or whatever metaphor you want to use but I kind of floundered on that one.”
“So it’s like anything else. Like I’ve said many times, it’s the musical conversation, and like Maynard just said, it’s about the conversation. When you’re talking to somebody…” Les further stated.
He concluded his words, “Well, we’re talking to you right now differently than I’m gonna talk to my buddy Tim Soya, who’s about to walk in the room at any moment now because we have a different dynamic and a different history and blah blah blah. And that’s the way you move through life interacting with human beings socially and it’s the same way musically.”
Besides Tool, Keenan is also performing with A Perfect Circle and Puscifer. On the other hand, Claypool is the founder of Primus while he’s also a member of Colonel Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, Oysterhead, Duo de Twang, and The Claypool Lennon Delirium.
