Tool’s lead singer, Maynard James Keenan, has denied a claim that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old fan.
On 22 June, an anonymous claim was made on Twitter against Keenan, recounting an alleged incident from 2000 when he was part of the band A Perfect Circle, then touring with Nine Inch Nails.
The user @IWas17HeWas36 claimed that Keenan led her into a VIP area, invited her on to a tour bus and then raped her. “There was no consent made,” she wrote. “I was not high. I was clean. He did not seduce me, he forced me, quickly taking advantage of my paralyzed state.”
He tweeted today that the claim was false.
“Many thanks to those of you who saw right through this despicable false claim that only does damage to the #metoo movement,” Keenan tweeted. “And shame on those of you who perpetuate this destructive clickbait. As for my delayed but un-required response, I had my phone off. You should try it.”
The anonymous account is asking for donations to the anti-sexual-violence organization Rainn as well as putting a call out to other women to send in other alleged stories of assault. The original Twitter thread has received over 2,000 shares.
Keenan’s career has also seen him provide vocals for Puscifier, take part in improvisational comedy sketches and act in the film Crank: High Voltage and the show Comedy Bang! Bang! Tool’s most recent album, 10,000 Days, was released in 2007 and sold more than 2.5m copies worldwide.
His representatives have been contacted for further comment.
