Tool’s Maynard says the quest to stay relevant “turns to desperation very quickly”: “It reeks”

Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan has shared his thoughts on bands and their quest for “relevance”, saying such desire “turns to desperation very quickly.”

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In a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Maynard admitted that he’s cool with not being on the average TikTok-er’s radar, a marker often used to gauge a band’s popularity among younger audiences.

“I won’t be relevant with the TikTok-ers of the world because it’s just not on their radar,” the singer said. “Those people that listen to the thing they listen to, and the people that respond to the things they respond to now, I’m not necessarily relevant.”

“But there’s an entire generation of people that’s not just my generation. There are people older than me and much younger than me that have grown with this thing. So as they’re ageing, they’re going to be discovering it.”

Being in an industry where people clamour for attention — often by any means necessary, the metal icon pointed out the importance of staying true to oneself and ignoring the noise, saying he’s not one to dwell on whether or not he’s “relevant” to those who might not know him.

Responding to Rogan’s remark about bands and their “quest for relevancy”, Manyard said, “You can’t [think about that], because you’ll start being desperate and getting plastic surgery, and looking like a fucking alien and trying to insert yourself into some stupid fucking thing.”

“I’m not talking about anybody. I’m not talking about my peers,” he added. “It turns to desperation very quickly. It reeks. So just maintain your art, dude.”

Watch the interview below.