BLOOD INTO WINE

Love him, hate him, or even if you just don't get him, Maynard James Keenan refuses to fit the mold of rock star.

Maynard is the front man for three highly successful and musically diverse bands, TOOL, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer. He typically and literally shuns the limelight. When you go to see TOOL or APC, Maynard is usually standing behind the drum riser shrouded in shadows or silhouetted in front of a mind-expanding video presentation for two hours. He rarely says more than a couple lines to the crowd and almost never does photo shoots or interviews.



Normally, I would think these actions would simply be due to the fact that he's a prick. Why would people pay to see a band they can't actually SEE? I am here to confess that Maynard gets away with it.

I've seen TOOL three or four times in concert since 1997. They are stunning as a live act, on par with Pink Floyd or Rush. I realized at the most recent show I saw at Planet Hollywood Theater in Vegas that the reason the band stays in the shadows is to let the fans (of which there were thousands that night) get their own fulfillment from the songs. Whether the fans were inebriated, distracted by the visuals, or just working out their frustrations and/or ecstasies from witnessing the music live, it was all about the artist and the audience taking a journey together. At the end of the show, I can honestly say that I felt better than when the show started.

Maynard is definitely out to tackle as much of life as he can, this being obvious in his most recent non-musical adventure, Merkin Vineyards. Yes, he makes his own wine. In Arizona, no less.


The new documentary, Blood And Wine, shows the process and struggles Maynard encountered when deciding how to shape his newfound passion. He wanted to treat wine making like he treats his music, organic, honest and uncompromising. He found a visionary partner in Eric Glomski, whom is essentially the co-star of this movie and has his own infinite passion with wine making and the environmental connection it brings.

The best thing I can say about Blood And Wine is that if you are a fan of Maynard's work, you will be satisfied and surprised. If you know nothing about the music but love wine or even just documentary films, you too will be satisfied and surprised. It's not an ego piece, but rather a surprisingly open look at how one person treats everything they do in life as an artistic expression and as a tool (pardon the pun) for working out their problems and points of view.