Before he became the frontman of Tool, singer Maynard James Keenan served in the US Army.
After enlisting in 1982, Keenan did his basic training in Oklahoma, and during his time at Fort Still, he roomed with one Jeff Parks. Keenan would eventually move on to be stationed in Kansas, and the two would fall out of touch as the decades passed.
As a birthday wish this past April, Maynard asked for help in finding his long-lost roommate, and after 40 years, the two were finally reunited face-to-face. The singer shared the heartfelt story on Instagram for Veterans Day this past Saturday (November 11th).
“For my Birthday this past April, I asked for assistance in tracking down my roommate from the Army,” wrote Maynard. “You all came through. Finally got to see him face to face 40 years later. Thank you for your service, Jeffrey.”
In an accompanying photo gallery, Keenan shared photos of the reunion, along with Parks and his family wearing Tool swag.
As Keenan told Revolver in 2018, his two-plus years in the Army saw the young soldier become a distinguished marksman, and he was on the path to becoming military brass before turning away from the potential career.
“At basic training, I received the distinguished graduate award for my battery, overall,” he said. “I got a big trophy and got to shake the colonel’s hand. And then for advanced training, same thing.”
He was then offered the chance to join the class at West Point, but declined.
“In that moment, when you’re staring at this thing going, OK, is this what I want to do? Is there something else? I had an overwhelming feeling that this wasn’t what I was supposed to do,” he told Revovler. “I’m pretty in touch with my intuition, and in that moment, I had to listen to it and decline the appointment.”
Instead, Maynard became the frontman of one of the most popular metal bands in the world. Speaking of which, Tool are in the midst of a fall North American tour and are set to tour the US again in early 2024. Get tickets here.
Additionally, Keenan will celebrate his 60th birthday in Spring 2024 by touring with his bands A Perfect Circle and Puscifer, along with Primus, on the “Sessanta” tour. Tickets for that outing are available here.
See Maynard James Keenan’s Instagram post below.