Why Maynard James Keenan thought Nirvana got lucky: “Just timing”
How Maynard James Keenan became central to a fan phenomenon as loyal and unwavering as those surrounding Tool will always be one best defined by a combination of mystery, resonance, and, oddly, inaccessibility.
The fans are no doubt some of the most passionate of all music spaces, fixating over Keenan’s magnetism like devotees of some kind of enigmatic cult. While the band’s estimated record sales of around 14million might not put them in the upper echelons – Nirvana, for instance, have sold around 75m despite Kurt Cobain passing away aged 27 – their fanbase is head over heels.
Most of this appeal can be pinned down to Keenan’s meticulous attention to detail and ability to strike a balance between vagueness and relatability. In his world, cryptic themes and lyricism earn their place among broader notes of personal reflection and intimacy, all enhanced by a shadowy mystique that presents the perfect canvas for endless interpretation. The complexity of the music mirrors that perfectly, too, weaving between genres and even time signatures as well.
Another aspect of Keenan’s appeal is his seemingly unwavering commitment to authenticity. As a perfectionist, Keenan holds high standards, whether writing or in the studio, which adds to the meticulousness of his disposition, proving his refusal to pander to mainstream expectations by doing only what he wants to do.
Sometimes, this brutality even lands him in hot water, ever-proving the unpredictability and seemingly erraticism of his own thought processes.
However, Keenan’s observations of those around him also reflect many facets of his opinions towards the changing tides of the music scene, particularly with the role of luck among many bands that achieved fame at the crux of a new movement. While it’s no secret that commercial success hinges on a mix of talent, ability, and prowess, Keenan also knows better than anybody that timing also plays a big part in it.
Many of the biggest musicians and bands of all time have managed to enjoy their successes and achievements by appearing at exactly the right time and place. The Beatles, for instance, emerged during a time when the landscape was absent of a globally resonant, unifying force, which also could rally those from all over to symbolise a bigger cry for change in society.
There are many groups that epitomise this coalesce with crucial cultural turning points, and, according to Keenan, Nirvana was no different. In his view, the Kurt Cobain-fronted entity accrued fame mainly because they arrived at the perfect juncture, with Cobain’s emotionally charged lyrics resonating deeply with a youthful generation who had become disillusioned by the excess of 1980s pop and hair metal.
Explaining this to Yahoo, Keenan said Nirvana’s success came as a “perfect time” because “people were tired of hair bands”. He unflinchingly added: “It might have had nothing to do with Nirvana. It was just timing. I’m not taking anything away from any of the musicians that were on those waves that were about to crest.”
Before boldly continuing, “All due respect to all of those musicians, but I feel that the problem then is that generally those musicians feel like they actually created the wave, when they were just on it and were prepared as it crested. That starts to be the poison.” The rest is history.
On the other hand, many artists took an inverse look at the band and their billowing popularity. As Bruce Springsteen put it, “That’s a band that reset the rules of the game,” the ‘Glory Days’ singer said. “They changed everything, they opened a vein of freedom that didn’t exist previously. The singer did something very similar to what Dylan did in the ’60s, which was to sound different and get on the radio.”
In the Boss’ view, “Your guitarist could sound different and get heard. So there are a lot of very fundamental rules that they reset, and that type of band is very few and far between.” But Keenan would argue that it took apathy with ‘hair rock’ for Nirvana to press that reset button, then it was a matter of time before one of the Seattle bands showcasing their new subversiveness would be snapped up by the public at large.
While Nirvana undoubtedly revolutionised the grunge scene with their raw, unfiltered honesty – transitioning rock from a polished force to a more sobering, roughshod variety – there’s also no disputing the fact that they mirrored many facets of the collective angst and frustration of the youth at a pivotal cultural crossroads, all while challenging the stale music landscape of the previous decade. There’ll always be a right time for ‘something’ to take hold. It’s finding that ‘something’ that proves the hardest task for all artists.
