Before the door rose precarious stone steps, steps Spirito and Clementina and baby Louisa had climbed, and Maynard and Lei Li rested there. In the distance were sun-washed green hills, and farther, snowcapped mountains, and across the narrow street, a weathered wooden fence laced with grapevines.
It all unfolded because of that one connection I made in Denver five years before. It happened because I kept in touch and opened my mouth at the right time. I had put my faith in just going. And then people put the pieces together that led me right where I was supposed to go. And my family was waiting for me.
Maynard stood in the wings of the Greek Theatre. He watched them arrive, singers and musicians, comics, family and friends, and a capacity audience. They’d come to L.A. for Cinquanta, a celebration of his 50th birthday.
The evening was a wave of contagious energy that spanned decades and generations, a seamless segue from Failure to A Perfect Circle to Puscifer. Boundaries blurred as the players changed partners in the spiraling dance. Carina stepped to the mic on APC’s “The Package,” Failure’s Kellii Scott and APC’s Jeff Friedl collaborated in a drum duo, Maynard lifted his voice in the second verse of Failure’s “The Nurse Who Loved Me,” and Billy Howerdel joined him on Puscifer’s “Monsoons.” And when Justin Chancellor opened the Tool favorite, “Sober,” or Matt McJunkins kicked off APC’s “Orestes,” the crowd took its part and sang every word. And the evening was Devo, his dark, wavy hair framing his solemn face, in his debut solo before so large an audience, his cello shimmering in the splash of white light.
Green Jellö burst on the stage in all its masked chaos, Manspeaker a looming Big Bad Wolf and his son Damien a player in oversized puppet head. “I was so nervous,” Manspeaker would recall. “There’s all these serious songs about changing your life in positive ways, and I’ve got a song about pigs.”
But the act was integral to the show’s circling to a long-ago evening at Hollywood High. Manspeaker howled “Little pig, little pig, let me come in!” and Maynard delivered his falsetto response—his gold record response—“Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin!”
The moshing pigs exited the stage, and Laura Milligan stepped out as Hildy. She summoned Billy D from the Airstream, and Maynard in leisure suit and wig joined her in the old Libertyville campfire song, “Country Boner,” while Danny kept the beat. “We’ve been able to stay together as long as we have because of the trust in each other,” he would explain. “The end product will always be something more than the sum of the parts.”
Cinquanta was just that, a collective of sound more complex and nuanced for the selfless collaboration.
A show like that is not possible if people are unable to set aside their egos. It works when they look at a bigger common goal. Each band played pieces from their own heart and soul and then transitioned to the next set of people who shared each other’s work. It made me want to do it all over again so even more people could feel this. That kind of magic can happen if you pay attention to where you are and where you’re going—and where you’ve been.
They stood together—Maynard and Devo, Carina and Mat Mitchell, Jeff and Matt McJunkins and Billy, Danny and Juliette Commagere and Justin and Laura, Todd and Lei Li and Manspeaker and his family in the wings. They formed an arc across the stage, and the audience completed the circle’s circumference. Their harmonies filled the night, and the gibbous moon rose higher in the sky.
Nature, nurture, heaven and home
Sum of all, and by them, driven
To conquer every mountain shown
But I’ve never crossed the river
Braved the forests, braved the stone
Braved the icy winds and fire
Braved and beat them on my own
Yet I’m helpless by the river
Angel, angel, what have I done?
I’ve faced the quakes, the wind, the fire
I’ve conquered country, crown, and throne
Why can’t I cross this river?
Pay no mind to the battles you’ve won
It’ll take a lot more than rage and muscle
Open your heart and hands, my son
Or you’ll never make it over the river
It’ll take a lot more than words and guns
A whole lot more than riches and muscle
The hands of the many must join as one
And together we’ll cross the river
Epilogue
Lei Li Agostina Maria is just tall enough to see over the bottom rail of the porch. Jerome is an idyllic place to be a little girl named in part for the grape her father brought back from the Tamale Ladies. Some call the Luglienga strain Agostenga, but it doesn’t much matter: Luglienga and Agostenga, from the Italian words for July and August, the first months of the harvest.
The child stands on tiptoe and strains for a glimpse of her father’s car. Across the road are apricot and almond and plum trees, an orchard just as magical as the ones her mother reads her stories about. Beyond are wisteria and star jasmine and the vineyard, where vines and leaves twist and turn in the most curious patterns. And in the yard hops Chet, the toad who faithfully returns every summer—tame as a house cat and all hers.
The first wave of the tour is over. Maynard will be off again all too soon, but he’ll have plenty to do in the meantime. He must check on his submerged cap fermentations and ask his bandmates about their progress on the next Tool album. There are jiu-jitsu sessions to schedule and a photo shoot to prepare for, and he still hasn’t reserved the back table at the Neighborhood or reminded Kjiirt to meet him there before the upcoming Boston performance.
All that can wait. First, he’ll join his family around the dinner table for homemade gnocchi and hear about their adventures while he’s been away. After the baby has been put to bed, he’ll decant a bottle of Kitsuné and talk with Lei Li, and they’ll look into each other’s eyes and whisper their joy.
On Saturday, he’ll kneel beside his daughter in the garden and teach her to plant basil and transplant tomato seedlings from starter pots. He’ll point out to her the black hawk soaring to its aerie on Mingus Mountain, teach her to identify the sound of cicadas chirring in the tree in the yard. He’ll tell her tales of trout-splashed rivers and of the woods and the deer and rabbits that live there.
And in the morning, as the sun rises from behind the mountains, they’ll watch for the day’s first hummingbird—a small speck at first, then growing larger and larger as it flies straight and sure to the feeder at the edge of the porch.
Acknowledgments
The new era of art is an egoless collaboration. We’re a huge patch of algae, single cells in a larger organism in sync. One person might coordinate it all, but they can’t make it happen unless all the other elements are working together.
—Maynard James Keenan
The authors are indebted to all who made this book possible, most especially Ann Collette, agent extraordinaire of the Rees Literary Agency; John Cerullo and the Backbeat team; and Alison Case for her dedication in reading and emending the sometimes indecipherable work in progress. And for graciously providing information, assistance, and support:
Steve Aldrich, Tim Alexander, Jim Allen, Debra Alton, Jen Ardis, Robert Arthur, Niels Bach, Nikki Bagley, Lisa McMaster Baldwin, Milan Basnet, Jon Basquez, Steve Begnoche, Nadia Bendenov, Nancy Berry, Steve Bishop, Boston Biographers Group, Mary Braman, Mike Burd, Tim Cadiente, Danny Carey, Todd Caris, Judy Carter, Stuart Cody, Fran Schulte Coffin, Carlos Coutinho, David Cross, John Crowley, Alex Cwiakala, Matthew Davis, Raffael DeGruttola, Richard Dickinson, Albert Drake, Michelle Duder.
Kathleen Cardwell Elkington, Sheila Falcey, Sheila Borges Foley, Murray Forbes, Rebecca Fox, Todd Fox, Peter Gago, Deborah Galle, Chad Galts, Leona Garrison and the Geary County Historical Society, Tim Genson, Colleen Shaw Gleason, Lori Green, Brian Greminger, Alex Grey, James Griffith, Paul Grout,
Wayne Hansen, Thom Hawley, Limão Herédia, Billy Howerdel, Daniel Hungerford, Dakota Jensen, Kjiirt Jensen, Sue Ellen Jensen, Ann Johnson, Axel Johnson III, Devo H Keenan, Jan Keenan, Lei Li Keenan, Mike Keenan, Susan Newkirk Kelly, Jeff Kiessel, Patti Klevorn, Michael Koran.
Marc LaBlanc, Linda Lawson, Sarah Llaguno, Terry Lowry and the West Virginia Archives and History Library, the Ludington Daily News, Ludington Visiting Writers, Lou Maglia, David Mallett, Bill Manspeaker, Matt Marshall, Sean F. S. McCormick, Anne Meeks, Pavle Milic, Jennifer Miller, Laura Milligan, Mat Mitchell, Tom Montag, Tom Morello, Steve Morse, Brian Mulherin, David Murphy, Jim Newkirk, Steele Newman, Lois Novotny, Jack Olsen, Anne-Marie Oomen, Mary O’Brien Overturf.
Nate Patrick, Bonnie Pfefferle, Rick Plummer, Tom Reinberg, Jack Ridl, Deb Rockman, Ramiro Rodriguez, Robby Romero, Liz Rotter, Laurie Rousseau, Julie Rowland, Richard Rowland, Jason Rubin, Ed Sanders, Monica Seide, Rebecca Solnit, Chris Stengel, Cheryl Strayed, Edgar Struble, Mark Tarbell, Chuck Tracy, Alan Trautmann, Karen Vallee, Pam Walling, Dan Whitelock, Connie Pehrson Wiles, Ted Winkel, Cindy Newkirk Yenkel, Moon Zappa, and Julia Paige Zeidler.
Photographs
Clementina and Spirito Marzo sailed from Italy in 1902 to begin a new life in America. Back row: Marzo sons Peter and Albert. (MJK collection)
Judith Marie Gridley, “the prettiest girl in the county.” (MJK collection)
James Herbert Keenan, the baby with the big brown eyes. (MJK collection)
Mike introduced his son early to the gardens and trees surrounding their Indian Lake, Ohio, house. (MJK collection)
Jim took an immediate interest in his aunt Pam’s guitar, and his friends joined him in learning simple chords and rhythms. (MJK collection)
Jim made his stage debut as a tin soldier in the third-grade class play, Mr. Grumpy’s Toy Shop. (MJK collection)
Judith allowed Jim to choose the outfit he wore for his fifth-grade class picture. (MJK collection)
“Suddenly, I’m inheriting a teenager.” Mike’s new wife, Jan, was unprepared when Jim came to live with them in Michigan.
Jim, always the sartorial rebel, returned to the wrestling team for his fourth season in 1981. Coach Keenan held his son to the same standards he did the other members of the team.
Under coach Steve Bishop, Jim excelled in high school track and cross country, winning his first varsity letter when he was a freshman.
His classmates named Jim Most Talented in the mock election senior year—as well as Most Artistic and Most Pessimistic.
In 1982, Private E-2 Keenan graduated from Fort Sill the distinguished basic training graduate in his battery.
PFC E-3 Keenan in a moment of levity while bivouacked with the 82C survey team in Fort Hood, Texas, 1984. (MJK collection)
During their time at USMAPS, Sarah Llaguno and Jim ran on the cross country team and shared a passion for cutting-edge music. (MJK collection)
Jim returned from the military with a new name and a Mohawk. Among the few friends who accepted his outré persona were Kjiirt Jensen and Kjiirt’s cousin Julie Vanderwest. (Photo by Sue Ellen Jensen)
Maynard vamped with fellow Kendall School of Design students at a 1985 Halloween party. (MJK collection)
C.A.D. performs at Maynard’s Evans Street apartment in Grand Rapids in 1986. Left to right: Maynard, Tom Geluso, Kevin Horning. (MJK collection)
C.A.D.’s 1986 CD featured album art by Maynard. (MJK collection)
Maynard took a break between TexA.N.S. and C.A.D. rehearsals to tag the wall behind his Cherry Street apartment. (MJK collection)
In the late ’80s, Maynard was introduced to fine wines that Kjiirt brought to holiday dinners in Boston’s North End. Right: Fellow Midwesterner Tracy Nedderman, their Ludington friend who’d joined the community of Midwestern expatriates in Massachusetts. (Photo by Sarah Jensen)
After his walk from Massachusetts to Michigan, Maynard was met by a welcoming committee at the Scottville Café, including Kjiirt’s father, Viggo. (MJK collection)
The August 14, 1989, issue of the Ludington Daily News featured a story of the 800-mile journey. (Reprinted with permission)
Zippy the schipperke would be the perfect companion until Maynard put down roots in L.A. (MJK collection)
Tom Morello (far right) was in the front row for Tool’s performance at Raji’s in early 1991. (Photo by Bob Blackburn)
The November 1991 show at Club Lingerie celebrated Tool’s signing with Zoo Entertainment. After the party, Maynard hobnobbed with his longtime idol Gene Simmons and Matthew and Gunnar Nelson. (Photo by Lindsey Brice)
Maynard’s understated announcement informed family and friends of his latest achievement. (Sarah Jensen collection)
When his son was born in 1995, Maynard began wearing wigs and costumes onstage in order to remain incognito in street clothes when he and Devo went to the park or the corner store. (MJK collection)
The ambiguous Perfect Circle logo invited a shift in perspective to decipher its layered meanings. (Photo by Tim Cadiente)
Maynard performed with A Perfect Circle in 2003 wearing what he called his “Cousin Itt” wig. (Photo by Tim Cadiente)
The idiosyncratic frontman takes the stage in a Tool concert. (Photo by Tim Cadiente)
The Rev. Maynard rocks it at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. (Photo by Meats Meier)
The Merkin Vineyard Judith block, named in honor of Maynard’s mother. (MJK collection)
Maynard’s work in the vineyard is hands-on, from operating the forklift to inoculating the fruit to racking and rinsing barrels in the bunker. (MJK collection)
Tim Cadiente has been Maynard’s photographer and partner in shenanigans since shooting Tool’s 1994 show at the Hollywood Palladium. (MJK collection)
Maynard looked to Penfolds winemaker Peter Gago for advice and wisdom when he began his vineyard, and the two have remained friends. (Photo by Milton Wordley)
In 2015, Maynard attended a jiu-jitsu seminar with Rickson Gracie in St. Louis. They’d worked together since Maynard’s early days in L.A. (Photo by Ariel Amores Belano)
Luca Currado of Vietti winery in Castiglione Falletto, Italy, set Maynard on the path to discovering his Italian ancestors. (MJK collection)
Maynard reunited at the Neighborhood restaurant in 2012 with his childhood pastor Paul Grout. After 30 years, he had important matters to discuss. (Photo by Sarah Jensen)
During their honeymoon in Italy, Maynard and Lei Li visited the Venaus house that had been home to four generations of Marzos. (MJK collection)
Maynard reprised his Green Jellö “Three Little Pigs” role during Cinquanta, his 50th birthday concert at L.A.’s Greek Theatre. (Photo by Tim Cadiente)
Lei Li Agostina Maria helped with the first Agostenga harvest on her first birthday in 2015. (MJK collection)
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