When Alex Honnold free soloed Taipei 101 last month, the world watched with collective clenched buttholes as it was streamed live on Netflix. What nobody quite expected was that the soundtrack to the whole thing would lean so heavily on Tool.
Tool, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer frontman Maynard James Keenan has now weighed in on his indirect role in Honnold‘s death-defying climb, after the climber revealed he’d powered through the skyscraper ascent with a carefully curated playlist — one dominated by Tool‘s catalog.
That playlist, since shared publicly, includes eight Tool tracks: “Forty Six & 2,” “Ænema,” “The Grudge,” “Lateralus,” “Schism,” “Parabola,” “Invincible” and “Pneuma.” Other artists on the playlist included Linkin Park, NOTHING MORE, The Used, Chevelle, The Offspring and Senses Fail, but yeah – lotta Tool.
Speaking to ABC about Honnold‘s accomplishment — and his own unintentional contribution to the moment — Keenan leaned into the absurdity. “Not everybody and their mother texted me every three seconds telling me about it or anything,” he joked.
The awe, though, was real. “What the heck were you thinking, dude?” Keenan continued. “It’s impressive! It’s extremely impressive, but, I mean, I wouldn’t make it past the first floor. I would fall to my death.”
Asked whether he’d ever be tempted to get more directly involved if Honnold attempts another high-profile climb, Keenan was quick to shut that down. “I’ll be the guy down below eating french fries making fun of him,” he said, firmly positioning himself as moral support only.
The timing of the comments is fitting. Just yesterday, February 6, Puscifer released their latest studio album, Normal Isn’t, adding another chapter to Keenan‘s ever-expanding musical universe. One that apparently now doubles as extreme-sports fuel.
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