“The stupidest thing I could have done was put myself out as much as I did. I’ll never make that mistake again”: Inspired by astrology and personal tragedy, Tool’s Maynard James Keenan wrote his most personal song. He came to regret it

Tool’s Maynard James Keenan performing onstage in 2006.

Tool were the band who shouldn’t have made it. Their logo was a spanner in the shape of a penis. They’d written songs based around the Fibonacci sequence, child abuse and German baking recipes. They were often censored for extreme visual and lyrical content, riposting highbrow concepts like sacred geometry and Thelemic philosophy. Not exactly Limp Bizkit.

But across their first three records – 1993’s Undertow, 1996’s Aenima and 2001’s Lateralus – the Los Angeles four- piece morphed from alternative metal outsiders to prog rock kings. They went platinum, snaffled up two Grammy Awards, and toured with everyone from Ozzy Osbourne to King Crimson. When album number four, 10,000 Days, was announced, it seemed like the usual Tool fare. Usual as Tool goes, anyway.