Maynard James Keenan has shared that he contracted COVID-19 back in February, and is still battling after-effects from the virus.

“I’m still dealing with the residual effects,” the Tool/Puscifer/A Perfect Circle vocalist tells The Arizona Republic. “But it was ugly. I survived it, but it wasn’t pretty.”

Those effects include coughing and lung damage.

“Every other day, I have these coughing fits because my lungs are still damaged at the tips,” Keenan explains. “And I just got over the inflammation that was going on with my wrist and hands.”

“I had an autoimmune attack on my system in the form of, like, a rheumatoid arthritis,” he adds. “Basically, from what I understand, it attacks weird spots and it’s random.”

Keenan also addresses the way wearing masks has turned into a political issue, calling the situation “ridiculous.”

“I feel like there’s this twist on the idea of personal freedom where somehow freedom is you being able to walk into anybody’s house and take a dump on their meal or shout ugly things at their grandma,” Keenan says. “That’s not what freedom is.”

“Freedom is the ability to pursue your lifestyle, pursue what you want to do for your family, for your future, what education you want to get,” he continues. “And with that freedom comes a responsibility to look out for yourself, for your neighbor, for your family, for everybody. So there are some compromises that come along with freedom. I’m not sure why that’s so difficult to grasp.”

Keenan and Tool had been scheduled to tour the U.S. this year, but the dates were canceled due to the pandemic. A new Puscifer album called Existential Reckoning is due out October 30.

By Josh Johnson
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