Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
Despite appearances, Tool singer Maynard James Keenan wasn’t trying to stir the pot when he took the stage in a blonde wig, smudged lipstick and a body-hugging top that accentuated his prosthetic breasts during a set as headlining Daytona Beach’s Welcome to Rockville Festival on Sunday.
While the outfit appeared to be a reaction to a series of controversial bills recently signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis banning minors from attending drag shows, Keenan said The messenger his choice was personal, not political. “I’ve been cross-dressing since long before these clickbait junkie fools ran out of diapers,” said the singer who has been wearing flashy makeup and costumes for years, including the fake ones he first wore in the late 1990s; Keenan noted that he’s recently been shopping online for a new pair of stage breasts.
“It’s pretty crazy technology and prosthetics these days, how they’ve evolved, and I was considering bringing the look back,” added the progressive rock vocalist who has long favored outrageous looks, from fetish cop outfits to masks. of Mexican wrestlers. pilot uniforms, full body blue paint and superhero costumes. “And that’s really all there is to it. I’m not a political guy, I have nothing to do with Florida.”
While Keenan swears he wasn’t trying to upset culture warrior DeSantis, who is scheduled to announce his long-awaited White House run on Wednesday (May 24) on Twitter, because Welcome to Rockville was a fest for the ages. Technically, the singer violated the new law. If anything, Keenan said that he was a little upset by the false dot connection caused by his stage attire.
“It amazes me how every single thing you say or do gets twisted and fits into a far-right or far-left fundamentalist agenda,” said Keenan, who will return to the stage this weekend in Columbus, OH, at the Sonic Temple Festival. .
Now, with that being said, father-of-two Keenan, 59, told the outlet that he thinks the legal restrictions on drag show attendance are a bit silly. “I think limiting people’s access to anything is absurd,” he said. “Good parenting allows you to teach your kids how to be reasonable and reason and figure things out and decide for themselves what the hell they want to see or don’t want to see.”
Keenan also noted that she considers herself part of the drag community, saying, “I guess so, yeah… I’m a drag queen sometimes; I’ve been a drag queen. I’m casual, so hardcore people are going to write me off as a tourist.” He added that he has an affinity for people who use drag as a form of self-expression. “Solidarity with people who are not afraid to express themselves? Absolutely. People who want to express themselves in any way they want, as long as they don’t directly physically hurt someone? Yes, go for it. I am everything for you.
