Maynard James Keenan of the progressive rock band Tool. Control vs. Chaos Rock Star Maynard James Keenan Joins Forces With a Martial Artist to Keep the Band—and the Fans—Safe!

A note of explanation: In the interest of preserving the integrity of their operations, the mar- tial artists featured in this article elected not to offer detailed examples of their strategies and techniques. It’s a choice frequently made by those who are responsible for the safety of others to prevent potential aggressors from knowing how they plan to keep the peace.

by Edward Pollard • Photography by Rick Hustead

nyone who’s ever attended a large on around him. Concerns about personal offer protection at each of those points.” concert—whether it’s inside an arena or safety have caused him to involve himself “He understands all the exposure and outdoors—knows that the potential for in every detail of his shows. crowd-control issues,” Keenan says, “but Adisruption and injury is ever present. The Maintaining crowd control is a delicate he also knows how to control the instigat- bigger the audience and the more ener- balance of awareness that relies on a ing Tasmanian devil without anyone get- getic the act, the more opportunity there is number of factors, including the applica- ting hurt, including himself. A lot of security for normally passive people to get caught tion of physical and mental techniques guards say that they know karate and then up in waves of emotion and be mobilized Keenan has learned over the years. To get their ass kicked by some drunken kid.” by the herd mentality. What starts out as tap into some of those lessons, Black Belt Security personnel at concerts strive an expression of adulation can quickly spoke with him and his head of security, to adopt a ready-for-anything attitude. Fox morph into a deadly stampede. Todd Fox. says that’s part of his method for avoiding You don’t have to tell that to the lead conflict, which is comparable to those of singer of Tool. The brainchild of May- Layers of Awareness and Control the traditional martial arts. nard James Keenan and his musical co- Fame of the sort enjoyed by Keenan “Mine is different in application, not horts, Tool has a huge following—in fact, and his band brings many forms of atten- theory,” he says. “Many martial arts theo- they even have a name for themselves: tion, some of them wholly unwanted and ries are similar to security; some are ex- The Tool Army. The fans exhibit a broad potentially dangerous. That’s why in 2001, actly the same. Understanding the threat spectrum of tastes, behaviors and phi- Keenan brought Fox on board. is the first part of the equation. I practice losophies that the music industry loosely “During a tour, I provide personal se- several martial arts and was a profes- labels “progressive rock.” Tool’s deeply curity,” Fox says. “When Maynard’s out- sional mixed-martial arts fighter. These introspective, often dark material and side a comfort zone—when he’s outside things can help, provided that I under- percussion-heavy music creates a dense his home, when he’s outside his dressing stand their place or role in the overall se- atmosphere at its events. At the center room, when he’s interacting or moving curity/safety structure. The actual fighting of it is Keenan, shaven-headed, intense from point A to point B—he might have ex- is the last line of defense in a multilayered and acutely aware of everything that goes posure or attention that he doesn’t want. I system. Many people think that security

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Todd Fox accosts Maynard James Keenan (1) and applies a head lock (2). Keenan’s response is twofold: He places his left hand on the opponent’s face and pushes (3), and he uses his right hand to attack his groin (4). The man falls to the mat (5), giving the musician a chance to escape.

is walking around with a celebrity. In mar- mographic. You have a large base of intel- a striking skill like muay Thai.” as weapons, targets and exits.” Magnify the Power of One tial arts terms, it’s never being present for lectual kids who are there for something In jiu-jitsu competition, fighters fre- Should efforts at prevention and avoid- Verbal de-escalation and other one- the fight.” other than violence, but you’ve got that quently end up on their backs, but that’s ance fail, Fox says, jiu-jitsu is the best on-one strategies are essential self-de- Although that’s a wise approach to pre- 10 percent that are coming in and getting arguably the last place you want to find minimum-force martial art. Strikes are no fense tools, but how do you apply that to serving safety, sometimes Keenan has to riled up, especially with a general-admis- yourself in a standing-room-only concert. doubt effective, but they might not work a large audience? “The best way for secu- be in a location where danger is unavoid- sion floor configuration. On some of the That’s why Fox treats the grappling art as on a person who’s using drugs or alcohol. rity [personnel] to deal with the patrons is able. In such situations, how does Fox heavier songs, once that starts, every- a last resort for situations in which pre- Furthermore, kicking and punching can to establish a bond with them,” Fox says. defuse negative energy, especially when body’s affected by that 10 percent.” vention isn’t possible. inflict serious bodily injury, giving a con- “Simply speaking with them is a good his client’s chief talent involves stirring up “I recommend avoiding confrontation,” certgoer ample ammo for a civil lawsuit. start. Body language is the next step: buried emotions that might inspire people Arena Jiu-Jitsu he says. “Understand body positioning “If I use a rear-naked choke properly,” Don’t cross your arms. Don’t scowl or to express themselves violently? Knowing the range of danger he regu- and posturing. Learn to talk your way out Fox says, “my opponent’s pulse drops, he frown. Avoid hands-on contact. We ‘ask’ “It’s a vulnerability assessment,” Fox larly faces, Keenan chose Brazilian jiu- of a conflict.” falls asleep and can be laid down safely the patron to help us. If you get ‘buy in,’ says. “We factor in our strengths, weak- jitsu as his base art. “He sees jiu-jitsu as If that doesn’t solve the problem, more with no cuts, bruises or injuries. If he’s un- or acknowledgment, the crowd will start to nesses, opportunities and threats, then something he can use as a smaller guy immediate action is required, he says. der the influence of a chemical stimulant, police themselves.” build security matrices around it. Maynard against a larger opponent,” Fox says. “It’s “Recruit support. Understand your imme- he may not feel a strike, but a choke will In regard to known troublemakers, se- knows that the band brings in a wide de- very difficult to fight a larger opponent with diate potential assets and hazards, such still make him pass out.” curity personnel usually attempt to identify,

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The assailant (right) approaches Maynard James Keenan (1). When he reaches out to grab him, Keenan raises his arm to form a barrier (2). He then redirects the limb downward (3) and transfers it to his right hand as he ma- neuvers behind the threat (4). Once he’s in position, Keenan shoves the man (5) and pre- pares to leave the scene.

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Todd Fox approaches Maynard James Keenan and attempts to choke him with two hands (1). The jiu-jitsu practitioner positions his right arm to push and his left arm to deflect the man’s right arm (2). Keenan then twists counterclockwise (3) and uses his right arm to hyperextend the elbow of the opponent’s trapped limb (4). From there, the assailant can be taken to the ground and restrained until help arrives.

isolate and eject them with the least amount consequences of his actions. If you can of force necessary, Fox says. “Nobody put it into perspective for him in a calm Tools of the Trade should become a victim for simply coming and rational way, it usually doesn’t go Maynard James Keenan isn’t a newcomer to the ground game. The former cross-country runner hails from a grappling background—his father was Mich- to a concert. Fans pay to see a show and any further.” igan’s high-school wrestling coach of the year for two years. Naturally, Keenan was expected to participate on the varsity level, and he did, but he couldn’t have a good time. It’s not right or fair that If problems reach a critical level and stomach the competitive aspects. they fall victim to an aggressive act.” the crowd loses its peaceful cohesion, “I gave it a shot, but I’m not physically aggressive by nature,” he says. “I don’t have that mean streak. I was more social. I ended up talking to the other Fox advises people who find them- professionals like Fox have contingency team and hanging out with them after the match.” selves sitting near rowdy fans to forgo a plans. Priority one is to get the artist out of His time on the mat built up a solid physical base, one that served him well when he joined the Army. It was around that time when he watched Royce Gracie show of strength and opt for a more intel- harm’s way immediately. After that, they win the first Ultimate Fighting Championship. The images of a normal-size man defeating bigger and stronger fighters were permanently logged in his mind. ligent course of action: Walk away. “Let follow a plan that redeploys guards to After completing his tour of duty and earning enough money to attend art school, Keenan moved to Los Angeles and found out that he was living within reach a capable security guard know what’s sensitive areas, closes down concessions of a jiu-jitsu legend. happening and ask to be moved,” he and brings in local law enforcement. “When I realized that Rickson Gracie was right down the street from me, I made the trek and got my blue belt under him,” he says. “I was in town for a solid says. “Most venues have ‘relocate’ seats “In some cases, tour security would ad- two years while I was writing a record, and I could go in there and train constantly.” available for unforeseen problems. After vise the artist to make a specific statement Once touring began, Keenan could no longer maintain his workout routine. He wound up piecing together a regimen that included practicing the techniques that, we would talk with the problem pa- over the PA to calm the crowd,” Fox says. he’d learned, working out with Todd Fox and following the advice his father and Rickson Gracie had frequently doled out: Keep it simple, stupid. tron and make him aware of the potential “This works more often than not.” >> —E.P.

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Against a two-hand choke by a more aggres- sive enemy, Maynard James Keenan (right) leverages the man’s right arm down (1-2) while positioning his right hand for a standing armbar (3). After forcing the man’s head down (4), Keenan drives a knee thrust into his face (5).

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The opponent grabs Maynard James Keenan’s right shoulder (1). Keenan traps the hand and swings his right arm over the man’s arm (2). He follows up 3 4 with a kick to the back of the knee (3), which collapses the assailant and permits his escape (4).

Face Your Fame Fox says. “When we’re touring, we have When Tool performs in front of thou- layers of security. Obviously, the more sands or tens of thousands, the situation layers there are, the more effective it be- requires what Fox calls a “total security comes. Because both of us are military structure and strategy.” Does constant guys and martial artists, we’ve honed training and preparation give the musi- those skills and continue to sharpen cian a sense of calm or stability in such them. That’s our biggest asset for not circumstances? drawing any negative attention or nega- “I think that the process of rehearsal tive energy.” and discipline and drilling those things over and over perhaps gives me a false sense of security, but at the same time, I think that confidence emanates out and keeps About the author: things from escalating,” Keenan says. Edward Pollard is Black Belt’s “There are a lot of variables for him,” managing editor.

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