Maynard James Keenan has a Movie!

Blood Into Wine

So, the lead singer of Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer is staring in a documentary called "Blood Into Wine".  I recommend you watch it.  It details Maynard's most engaging and personal project to date: the making of wine.  A novice winemaker, Maynard elicited Eric Glomski to start a vineyard in Arizona called Arizona Stronghold Vineyard, bottling under the title Caduceus Cellars.  I learned about this project a couple years back when they came to the Whole Foods in Cupertino, CA.  I eagerly hopped on my bike and rode to the grocery, bought the mandatory bottle of wine (Anita and I went cheap - we bought the Chupacabra), waited in line for a half hour thinking about meeting a man we've been obsessed with for years - a man I wouldn't recognize if he shook my hand because he stays so hidden from the public both in the media and on stage (in the back, wearing a wig, wearing a dress, painted in blue, etc.).  Everyone around us was wearing black and looked tough, and they all held their wine bottles in their hands and waited their turn.  The experience was anti-climatic.  Maynard and Eric were in a little room that had paper taped all over the windows so we couldn't see in.  When you walked through the door a man with latex gloves took your bottle and ushered you in.  Maynard was doing something strange with his hands - they floated over his head while he dreamily looked up, swaying a bit from side to side.  He was handed the bottle and, in his latex gloves, signed his initials.  He then passed it on to Eric and he signed it in his latex gloves.  It was then handed to another man in latex gloves who gave it to me as I turned my back on the rock icon and left the room, still not knowing what he looked like.  Anita and I saved that bottle for a long time.  She didn't really want to open it, but I finally convinced her.  I should have listened: it was not good wine.

But... this is a killer documentary and really inspiring for any artistically and creatively inclined person!  Maynard is breaking rules here - he appears to be more interested in getting his hands dirty and taking in breathtaking views of the Arizona highlands than he is in making records with Tool.  This is sad, but inspirational.  An artist has the license to continually recreate herself.  It's what's responsible for that initial creative outburst to begin with.  For Maynard, making wine is a new craft that he's passionately interested in.  It's not a replacement for music, but a creative process in itself.  He does not feel the need to defend it, and the documentary shows a man critical of the aura surrounding famous wine critics that can make or break a winery.  This is his vineyard, his product, his blends, and his recipes.  He invites critics to taste, and he's happy if they give a bottle a high mark, but he makes it known that his taste in wine is to be as respected as anyone's.  He cares that it's liked, and that involves many unique palettes - not just that of a snobby critic.  

Eric Glomski, an old Santa Cruz resident, is quite obviously the brains behind the operation, with years of experience farming and growing grapes.  He comes off knowledgeable enough, but he steals the show away from Maynard when he starts talking about the earth and ecology and a respectful environmental attitude.  While Maynard is inspirational enough, Eric is a sage.  He departs a lot of wisdom in the film, and it's always fitting to hear him preach his gospel in front of a river.  You need to see the documentary to hear Eric preach - he loves and cares for the earth, and he has some beautiful things to say about the complexity of grapes and the ecology of vineyards.

This movie was, for me, as an artist, inspirational.  Maynard, while reserved and camera-shy, is a great showman.  He is very mindful of how things are presented visually and he takes care in conveying his intentions in a meaningful way.  He's mindful of his audience, and he also takes care to create the product he envisioned.  That's what makes the albums he's involved in so incredible to listen to.  That's what makes his live performances memorable.  This movie is very thoughtfully presented.  It intentionally blends fact and fiction, so the viewer is left to decide what to believe.  If this wasn't obvious through the many skits and interviews laced throughout the show (one in which two interviewers berate a silent and brooding Maynard as they consider wine disgusting and satanic), it becomes abundantly clear at the end when Maynard states the obvious: "You have no idea after watching this video what my relationship is to wine and Caduceus Cellars.  This video was carefully edited and thoughtfully shot, and for all you know, you just witnessed my first steps on it, even as I acted as though I've put a lot of time, energy, and passion into it" (my quotes, not Maynard's).  Why is this inspirational to me?  Because it reaffirms a truth: we have the ability to thoughtfully engage ourselves in the world - we can play rock music and, in our forties, recenter ourselves in a world of winemaking.  But the important thing: ONLY WE CAN GAGE HOW AUTHENTIC THAT PRACTICE IS.  The presentation is just that - a show.  Only Maynard understands the depth of his passion just as only I understand the depths of my own passion.  Maynard's message is clear - however you judge him and his wine, he will pursue it to the extent that he wills, and no judgment from outside can alter that commitment.  The video leads us to believe Maynard is a serious winemaker, just as my academic credentials indicate I am a serious philosopher.  But only Maynard knows how serious he is, and only I know how serious I am.  Our actions, when nobody is watching, indicate that seriousness.  The overarching philosophical notion to be taken from this documentary is an existential one - CREATE YOUR LIFE.

Check out "Blood Into Wine," and never consider yourself cornered.  Our lives can take all sorts of shapes and forms, and lead us into very interesting places.