Blood Into Wine

Maynard James Keenan

Last night I watched one of the most inspirational, uplifting and funny films I have ever seen. Blood Into Wine is a documentary about wine making in the Arizona desert and as absurd as this sounds, it's a booming business because of the passion and dedication of the winemakers. Of course this is no ordinary bunch of winemakers. One is Eric Glomski but his partner is none other than Maynard James Keenan (MJK), frontman for my favourite band Tool and also A Perfect Circle (APC) and Puscifer. I like to drink wine and I enjoyed Sideways with Paul Giamatti, but I would never have watched this film if it hadn't been for MJK.

Before watching the film I had always found it rather strange that this man would do such a thing and that here was another example of rock stars indulging in ludicrous past times. I read so many quotes from other fans who were up in arms at the time MJK spent on his wine when what we (and I include myself in this) wanted was another Tool album, swiftly followed by more APC. We put him on this pedstal, now it was time for him to deliver. What he wanted to do with his life was inconsequential.

What became apparent from the start of the film was that MJK had a sense of humour, indulging in spoof chat shows and generally not taking life too seriously. Ten minutes into the film and I was loving it as he spoke with great passion about his wine and why he did made it, viewing it as much of an art form as creating brilliant music. If you know the complexities of Tool's music then making wine seems to be just as complex.

The film alternated between his philosophies on wine and the practicalities and technical processes involved in making it. Naturally, there was some discussion of his role as a musician but my opinion about him making wine was now changing. I felt some sympathy for him when he talked about coming back from a Tool tour and being ill and burnt out and how returning to his vineyard brought him back down to earth. MJK mentioned his mother Judith and the anurism that crippled her, something well documented and included in several songs (Wings for Marie and Judith). It was an emotional moment in the film when he talked about scattering her ashes over the vineyard in the hope that it would imbue the fruit with her essence and allow her to travel the world, something she had never done as a person. He duly named one of his wines after her, simple entitled Judith.

MJK was quite accepting of the fact that a lot of fans were buying the wine just because he was a rock star but he believed that this was a good thing because it was exposing them to something that they might never have tried before. There was also no pretension on his part about the wine and both men hated the whole notion of wine scores, even though their wine scored high and has recently won awards in Arizona. In the end, I had enjoyed a film featuring one of my favorite musicians and came away revering him even more because of his commitment to his wine and his continual desire to work hard. It was such a life affirming movie and I can see myself watching it over and over again, especially if I need a bit of inspiration or a boost when I am feeling down.