As reported earlier this week, A Perfect Circle and Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan was interviewed by Lars Ulrich via Beats 1.
When asked about the inspiration for the new APC record, he said (via The PRP):
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“I think, for most people – especially if you listen to some older stuff that was going around, you know, the Vietnam war, the Woodstock-era music, there is a signature. A very sonic and time-stamped signature on that music.
“And I think you do yourself a disservice by not paying attention to where your feet are. Because you might be accidentally writing something that is specific to your time that you couldn’t invent. It’s gotta be honest. It’s gotta be there. You kinda have to pay attention to what’s going on around you. We are merchants of emotion.
“We are meant to be emoting, tapping into moods and feeling, right? We observe, interpret and then report what’s going on around us. If you lock yourself in a dark, dim, studio and try to regurgitate whatever got you popular to begin with, you’re probably going to be unsuccessful.
“Your third or fourth album is not gonna sound anything like your first album because you have a maid now. There’s a disconnect. Your third album sounds like you’ve been on the road because you have been…
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“You kinda have to tap into what’s happening now and try to be honest without forcing it or manipulating it. Be honest about what your feelings are about those things because your feelings are universal, they’re timeless. So how do I truly feel about this thing without being too specific? That’s kind of how this entire album was kind of written.
“Not just what’s happening, but how is it affecting a guy who is 53. Right? Not how it was effecting a guy when he was 25. How it is affecting me now and you have to be honest with that place.
“I embrace my inner grandpa. If your ball bounces into my yard I’m gonna keep it, right? That’s my yard and now it’s my ball, sorry. Grumpy dude… So if you’re honest about that stuff and you write from that space, then it’s gonna feel more connected.”