Watch Maynard James Keenan Harvest Grapes, Talk Artistry of Music, Wine
Maynard James Keenan discusses the artistry of winemaking and the summer grape harvest at his vineyard, Caduceus Cellars, in the second part of Revolver‘s web series, “The Art of Work.” For Keenan, the preparation of the wine and food at Caduceus, like his songwriting, is rooted in his love of puzzles.
“If I’m accurate with the broad stokes and the sacred geometry of it, you’ll have some experience that applies to this story, but I don’t lay it all out,” Keenan says of the way puzzles inform his lyrics. “It’s not just all A, B, C, therefore D. It’s gonna be all over the map, it’s going to require you to be engaged in some way.”
Keenan applies this mindset to the actual grapes he grows at his vineyard. He notes how various geological, meteorological and historical factors will make his crop of cabernet sauvignon grapes, grown in Jerome, Arizona, different from those grown in Napa.
“We’re not gonna beat you over the head with it, if you don’t want to get it, you don’t have to, you can just have some wine and food and move along. The songs, you can just tap your feet, jump up and down … No matter what the project – Puscifer, Perfect Circle, Tool – we’re trying to give you something that’s more than the sum of its parts.”