Maynard James Keenan Honors Mimi Parker of the Band Low

2022-11-08

A photo of rock band Tool.

Tool – Story by Anne Erickson, photo by Travis Shinn

Maynard James Keenan calls Mimi Parker of Low one of his biggest influences

Maynard James Keenan is often referenced as an influence in other musicians’ music. Of course, the Tool, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer vocalist also has his own influences, and one of those is the late Mimi Parker of Low.

Parker passed away over the weekend after fighting ovarian cancer. She founded the indie rock band Low with her husband Alan Sparhawk in 1993 and helped define the slow-core genre.

Keenan took to Instagram to pay tribute to Parker, calling her and Low a “huge influence” on his writing style. He also told fans to check out Low’s impressive discography, suggesting to start at 2001’s “Things We Lost in the Fire.” As often with a passing, Keenan has some regrets, and he also says that he wishes he had sent a letter to the band prior before Parker passed away.

Here’s Keenan’s full message:

“This is crushing news from Alan, @lowtheband. Although I’ve never met them, Mimi and Alan have been a huge influence on my writing approach w regards to pace, space, and harmony. A few years ago right after Bowie, Lemmy, and Alan Rickman died, I began writing letters, 12 at a time, to strangers who have had a huge influence on me. This was in reaction to the outpouring of love I was reading that these dead artists would never hear. I chose to write and send those words of appreciation, along w some wine and gifts to my guides while they could still read them. Mimi and Alan were on that next round of 12 letters, and had been for about 6 months. And I fucking waited too long. I was literally going to ask mgt to track down a good address for them this weekend. I had no idea she was sick. This puts an added sting to my procrastination. The song I was listening to on loop yesterday was Congregation. My point I suppose is Do Not Wait. Life Is Too Short. Say the Words. Send the Letter. Make the Call. Also- Do yourself a favor and dig deep on the @lowtheband catalog. Things We Lost in the Fire is a good place to start. Alan, @puscifer will be dedicating Horizons and A Singularity to Mimi the next few days while we play our way through Canada. So sorry for your loss.”

In other news, Maynard is on the road with his band Puscifer right now, touring North America. The trek runs through a Nov. 22 show in Prescott, Arizona. View Keenan’s full Instagram post below.

 

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A post shared by MJ Keenan (@iamthebriefcase)

Anne Erickson
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Posted by Anne Erickson | Music, Rock, Rock News

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