During an interview with Music Radar, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello displayed his guitars by revealing the stories behind them. While showing one of them, he said that Tool singer Maynard James Keenan gave him guitar lessons in the past.
Maynard James Keenan initially appeared with Tool in the band’s debut album ‘Undertow’ which came out in 1993. His success with the group continued with the following records ‘Ænima’ and ‘Lateralus.’ Their latest album, ‘Fear Inoculum,’ came out in 2019. Music critics and fans have always praised the band for its distinctive sound.
Keenan has also focused on his side project, A Perfect Circle, since 1999. The band gained the achievement with the 2003 studio album ‘Thirteenth Step,’ which reached number two on the Billboard 200 chart. Along with Tool and A Perfect Circle, Keenan has also become a part of the other side project Puscifer. Their most recent release was the 2013 EP ‘Donkey Punch the Night’ as a follow-up album to the band’s 2011 record ‘Conditions of My Parole.’
The frontman has impressed the audience and other notable musicians with his writing and stage style. He has also influenced other rockers as a multi-instrumentalist playing guitar, keyboard, and piano. As Tom Morello revealed in a recent interview, he was one of them who learned about music from Keenan.
During the interview, Morello showed a guitar that belonged to his late friend Scott Tracy. While talking about that guitar, Morello recalled when they were at Keenan’s house together like other Seattle bands. The Rage Against the Machine guitarist stated that Keenan taught him about D tuning.
Tom Morello explained while displaying one of his guitars:
“This one was my roommate Scott Tracy’s; God rest his soul, he was a Hollywood musician, and we were roommates for about five years. Maynard James Keenan from Tool taught me how to do drop D tuning; I was over at his apartment, which all the Seattle bands were doing at the time. But I couldn’t do it on ‘Arm The Homeless’ because that one had a locking nut on it.”
Thanks to fronting three successful bands, Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer, Maynard James Keenan has significantly influenced other musicians. He almost became like a teacher not only with his songwriting talent but also as a multi-instrumentalist. Tom Morello was one of them who learned about guitar from Keenan, as he revealed recently.
