Tool frontman worried about Radiohead

November 20, 2007 11:52 a.m. by Anne Johnson

First Gene Simmons, now Tool'''s Maynard James Keenan has got something to say about Radiohead and In Rainbows. It seems Keenan thinks Radiohead is more interested in publicity and not thinking of their future as musicians. And all of this is only born only of concern for the band (''"I love Radiohead. I think they are a great band.''"). As Keenan told Spinner:

One thing that I see the musicians wanting is more independence and, you know, more control over their destiny. The one downside to it is that for the most part, the reason they make music is because they're damaged goods and they're generally not that bright when it comes to making business decisions.

Keenan also believes Radiohead (on account of their not being all that smart?) has some retribution coming their way:

So eventually the vampires that survive the aftermath of the industry collapse will figure out a way to get their fingers back into these guys.

It will be fascinating to see who survives (and who is actually a vampire). My money is on Gene Simmons. [NME]

8 Responses

November 20, 2007 at 12:19 p.m.

yo	Radiohead have waited for YEARS to do what they want and now thay are doing exactly what they want to do......don't hate!!!

November 20, 2007 at 12:50 p.m.

Anne Johnson

I am not hating, I agree with you! Mr Keenan, however...

November 20, 2007 at 1:01 p.m.

Dave Park

yo must've gotten you confused with James Maynard Keenan

November 20, 2007 at 3:20 p.m.

TODOS por radiohead

RADIOHEAD does not need money, the money is not all in the life also they got the enough money for live. oh how many millions you need for life???? many people doesn't have many millions and they live happy, oh how many millions are able to save your life or get everlasting life??? Thanks Thom E, Ed O., Colin G., P.Selway, Jhonny G.

November 21, 2007 at 6:04 a.m.

eFFIT

Gene Simmons IS a Tool. Gene shouldn't complain since nobody wants to illegally download KISS-music. The only suckers duped into wanting that fake r´n´r crap are still using walkmans and cassette tapes anyways, so don't worry mate, you'll be okay.Tool the band seem to be more artistically serious, so it is kind of discouraging to see that Keenan has joined the ranks of musicians who prefer to be exploited in the old fashioned way by their record contracts instead of trying to figure out new ways to make yourself heard and even make a little money by adapting to the changing tide of technology. Its out of your hands, wether you're a CEO at Sony BMG or Tool lead singer... Yelling at the clouds won't make the rain go away. Complain all you want, you'll still get wet without an umbrella.Cheers to groups like Radiohead and Public Enemy for being a bit bolder and more adventurous than their peers.

November 21, 2007 at 6:41 a.m.

eFFIT

One point nobody has made about the Radiohead-strategy : The media has been saying "60% of Radiohead fans paid nothing for In Rainbows". But who is to say how many of those who paid nothing were REALLY FANS? Back when you had to pay to buy overpriced CDs, you couldn't buy music on a whim. You had to limit your CD purchases to the bands that you really liked. That limitation (for economic reasons, in part) made you a fan of so-and-so group.You'd only risk your money on a few groups.You'd only hear different stuff from TV (pop crap mostly), radio (pop crap mostly), or friends (the original P2P), but you personally only followed a few groups. That was the fan-era of music...Nowadays, you can experiment. Listen to music you would have never listened to before, because we are no longer forced to pull out 14 or 15 euros every time. I never listened to Radiohead with much attention until a few years ago (yes that doesn't say much about me). I still don't consider myself a RH fan, but I love their latest album, I would pay to see them live, I will check out their catalogue. How many others Downloaded In Rainbows for free because they were not really fans but just curious music lovers? Where are the statistics that measure that?

November 21, 2007 at 9:41 a.m.

comfortably_numb

that quote was cut in a really horrible way. maynard was not referring to radiohead with the "damaged goods and they'''re generally not that bright when it comes to making business decisions" comment, he was referring to other artists that would eventually try to imitate radiohead. here's a fuller version of the interviewhttp://www.nme.com/news/radiohead/32631

November 21, 2007 at 9:54 a.m.