Maynard James Keenan has never been one to sit on the fence, and his latest comments on church and state separation are exactly as direct as you’d expect.
During a recent interview with Arizona Republic, the Tool, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer vocalist broke the concept down in his own way, cutting through ideology and landing on something more practical.
Function over belief
“The separation of church and state, I absolutely believe that, because when it comes to state, it’s like… It’s a mechanism,” Keenan said. “It’s a car, it’s an engine, it’s mechanics. There’s no faith involved. There’s a mechanics to this thing. You can have your faith, but it shouldn’t affect how your car runs.”
Rather than framing it as a moral argument, Keenan sees government as something that should operate without emotion (per Loudwire).
“That’s why separating church and state is important to me, ’cause the government should not be an emotional being,” he continued. “It should be a mechanism. It’s a machinery. No faith involved.”
It’s a perspective that lines up with his broader creative output, where systems, control and belief are constantly under the microscope.
Sound still matters
Keenan also shifted gears to talk about music formats, pushing back on the dominance of streaming and compressed audio, “I’m hoping that CDs make a comeback because I can’t play vinyl in my car,” he said.
He praised CDs as “such a beautiful, rich format,” before calling out MP3 limitations, “The MP3s, when you crank it in your car, it just doesn’t hold up. It starts to fall apart.”
For an artist whose work relies heavily on sonic detail, it’s not surprising he’s still chasing fidelity over convenience.
Tour momentum builds
These comments land as Puscifer prepares to hit the road across North America, with dates running through spring.
Puscifer 2026 Tour Dates
- March 20th, Las Vegas, Nevada – The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
- March 21st, Phoenix, Arizona – Arizona Financial Theatre
- March 24th, Austin, Texas – Bass Concert Hall
- March 25th, Dallas, Texas – Music Hall at Fair Park
- March 27th, Nashville, Tennessee – The Pinnacle
- March 28th, Atlanta, Georgia – Coca-Cola Roxy
- March 31st, Asheville, North Carolina – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
- April 1st, Durham, North Carolina – DPAC – Durham Performing Arts Center
- April 3rd, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania – Wind Creek Event Center
- April 4th, Boston, Massachusetts – Boch Center – Wang Theatre
- April 7th, New York, New York – Terminal 5
- April 8th, Hershey, Pennsylvania – Hershey Theatre
- April 10th, Mashantucket, Connecticut – Premier Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino
- April 11th, Atlantic City, New Jersey – Ovation Hall at Ocean Casino Resort
- April 15th, Niagara Falls, Ontario – OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
- April 16th, Akron, Ohio – Akron Civic Theatre
- April 18th, Detroit, Michigan – Fox Theatre
- April 19th, Cincinnati, Ohio – Taft Theatre
- April 21st, Louisville, Kentucky – The Louisville Palace
- April 23rd, Indianapolis, Indiana – Murat Theatre
- April 25th, Chicago, Illinois – The Chicago Theatre
- April 26th, Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Landmark Credit Union Live
- April 28th, Madison, Wisconsin – The Sylvee
- April 30th, St. Louis, Missouri – The Factory
- May 1st, Kansas City, Missouri – The Midland Theatre
- May 3rd, Morrison, Colorado – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
- May 5th, Salt Lake City, Utah – Maverik Center
- May 8th, Portland, Oregon – Theater of the Clouds
- May 9th, Seattle, Washington – WAMU Theater
- May 11th, San Francisco, California – Golden Gate Theatre
- May 13th, San Diego, California – San Diego Civic Theatre
- May 14th, Los Angeles, California – The Greek Theatre
Find out more and get your tickets here.
Whether it’s on stage or in conversation, Keenan hasn’t lost his edge. He’s still dissecting the systems around him, still questioning the default, and still doing it in a way that cuts through the noise.
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