{"id":300302,"date":"2026-02-16T03:19:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T03:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/300302\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T03:19:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T03:19:08","slug":"maynard-james-keenan-takes-aim-at-fundamentalist-extremism-discusses-puscifers-new-album-normal-isnt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/300302\/","title":{"rendered":"MAYNARD JAMES KEENAN Takes Aim At Fundamentalist Extremism, Discusses PUSCIFER’s New Album, Normal Isn\u2019t"},"content":{"rendered":"

Maynard James Keenan has never been one to mince words, and in a recent interview on Kyle Meredith With\u2026<\/a>, the Puscifer frontman spoke candidly about politics, extremism, and the mindset behind Puscifer’s new album, Normal Isn’t.<\/p>\n

While much of Puscifer’s past catalog leaned heavily into absurdist satire, theatrical lore, and tongue-in-cheek humor, Keenan says the new record is more directly shaped by the moment we’re living in. When the album was announced last October, he made its intent clear: “Normal Isn’t reflects this time we are living in\u2026 what we see around us does not appear normal. Not by a long shot.”<\/p>\n

That doesn’t mean the album is a blunt political manifesto. Keenan has still embraced a deliberately campy persona for this cycle, layering humor and irony over the darker themes.<\/p>\n

But when asked about the rise of tribalism and ideological absolutism, he was unambiguous \u2014 especially regarding fundamentalist extremism: “I’m always going to be on the side of fuck fundamentalist extremists in any way. Left, right, center\u2014I don’t care\u2026 fundamentalist extremists can go fucking suck a bag of dicks. And you can quote me on that.”<\/p>\n

Later in the conversation, Keenan also addressed the long-standing perception of Puscifer as the “lesser” Keenan project compared to Tool or A Perfect Circle. Despite being his most prolific creative outlet, Puscifer’s dense mythology, characters, and theatrical framing have often alienated parts of his broader audience.<\/p>\n

Discussing the track “Impetuous,” the final single from Normal Isn’t, Keenan framed the band’s outsider status as a strength: “Puscifer’s definitely been marginalized and relegated to the third side project category\u2026 I’ve always been on the side of the underdog. The marginalized underdog is always going to get my vote.”<\/p>\n

He added that the song embraces the idea of being different \u2014 and being comfortable with that difference: “It’s okay to not think like everybody else\u2026 If you feel like an island, then lean into it. Don’t think of it as a flaw.”\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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