|
List of Frequestly Asked Questions
This Version: January 30. 1999
Compiled, Written and Edited by: kabir@down.net ("Your pal" Kabir Akhtar)
Last version release date: December 11, 1997
Changes since last version: A1 A2 A4 A5 C9 C11 D1 D2 D3 D4 D6
E4 E6 E9 G5 G25 G34 X1 X2 X3 Y1 Y2 Z1
Z1 Z3 Z7 + numerous slight revisions
Additions since last version: C14 C15 D8 D9 G20
Previous version release date: July 5, 1997
Changes since previous version: A4 A5 C11 D2 D3 E4 E6 E9 F1 F6 F11
G3 G4 G11 G21 G24 G25 G44 G63 X1
X2 X4 Y1 Y2 Z3 Z5 Z7
+ numerous slight revisions
Additions since previous version: D6 D7
,----------------------------------v-----------------------------------.
( CONTENTS: KEY:
(
( A. Tool Resources on the 'net * = updated since last time
( B. A Note About Salt ** = new question / answer
( C. The Band and Their History *** = corrected since release
( D. Brief Release Info ***** = read me or risk ignorance
( E. "Opiate"
( F. "Undertow"
( G. "Ænima"
(
( X. Tool Side Projects = Formerly Section H
( Y. The Future = Formerly Section I
( Z. Info About This Document
`----------------------------------^-----------------------------------'
+-------------------------------+
| A. Tool Resources on the 'net |
+-------------------------------+
* A1. Before I read this giant thing, how do I know that this is the most
current version of this FAQ?
As a good rule of thumb, if the date at the top of this document is over 3
months ago, there is likely a new version. While this FAQ is available
at many sites online, you can always find the most
current version of at http://toolshed.down.net/faq/.
If you do know the whereabouts of an old version,
please contact me (kabir@down.net) or the owner of the page with the
outdated version. Thanks a lot! More info on this FAQ in Section Z.
Also please note, there are MANY interpretations
possible for each of the songs; the ones given here are just to start you off.
* A2. World-Wide Web Pages:
The Tool Page (also known as t.d.n), featured on MTV, Rolling Stone
Online, Alternative Press, the official Lollapalooza magazine, radio
stations worldwide, and the New York Post, can be found at http://toolshed.down.net; this site
offers current / semi-official news, images, lyrics, articles, tablatures,
video, audio, and all that other stuff you'd expect from a band page,
as well as answers to questions not asked here! Some guy named Maynard
has been known to help out on occasion. It was down for the last three
months of 1998, but it is back and running strong.
Larrikin Management runs "The Official Tool Website" at http://www.toolband.com, the high
points include direct email to the band (see Question C8) and some
interactive WWW animation.
Various other pages exist; notably, the Tool Biography Page, linked
from t.d.n. Check Yahoo!, the Ultimate Band List (www.ubl.com), or the
Tool Page for further info.
²/dl>
A3. Is there a discography somewhere?
Sure is; maintained by Shane
M. Brouse, it can be found in a couple places; notably, at the
first site listed above.
* A4. Is there a mailing list?
The List's main purpose is discussion of all things related to
the band, but it also serves as a forum for people who tend to have the
same interests.
Run forever by Greg Thompson, then briefly by Josh Lowe, it is
now run by Reuven Bell. Once you subscribe, messages will be sent
directly to your mailbox; other than that, it works much like a newsgroup.
You can post, followup, reply, and all that fun stuff.
To join, send e-mail to majordomo@unr.net. Make the body
of the message only one line: "subscribe tool-list"
OR, you can subscribe to digest mode (one message per day
containing all of that day's posts), saving you time, energy, and mailbox
clutter. To do so, send mail to the above address, make the message
"subscribe tool-list-digest".
* A5. Is there a newsgroup?
There is an alt.music.tool; you may need to ask your system administrator
to start carrying it if you do not already receive it.
A6. Is there an IRC channel?
From time to time, Tool fans meet on #tool, appropriately enough, on
EFnet, Undernet, as well as other networks. If nobody is there,
hang around, someone might show up!
+----------------------+
| B. A Note About Salt |
+----------------------+
It is worth mentioning that much of what Tool says, you need to take with
a HUGE grain of salt. A lot of it is made up (a recent interview hinting
at 24-minute songs, and an April Fools' prank about a highway accident
come to mind), so be careful when you choose to believe something you are
being told. If anything, it is probably a good reminder that we should
exercise our best judgment and not be sheep in the herd. (One of Tool's
main messages seems to be that people need to think for themselves more.)
After all, the falsehoods are usually well told, but do tend to seem a bit
peculiarly off-the-wall. Best of luck.
[This note was quoted in the Official
Lollapalooza 1997 Magazine.]
+-------------------------------+
| C. The Band and Their History |
+-------------------------------+
C1. So who's in Tool?
Until September 1995, the band consisted of: Danny Carey (drums), Maynard
James Keenan (vocals), Adam Jones (guitar), and Paul D'Amour (bass).
However, Paul is no longer with the band; as is often the case,
due to "creative differences." He had apparently lost some interest in
the band, and was consequently holding up the writing process. For more
info on Paul, see Question X4.
In early November 1995, Justin Chancellor (of the band Peach --
see Question X6) signed on with Tool as their new bassist.
And he is damn good.
C2. Is Paul still on good terms with the band?
Put aside your fears; they are still on good terms.
C3. When / how did the band get together?
Tool was formed in 1990, when Danny and Paul met Adam and Maynard.
Danny explains, "I met Adam through Tom Morello of Rage (Against The
Machine). And I was living beside Maynard. I never auditioned for them
(Keenan and Jones). I felt kinda sorry for them, because they would invite
people over to play, and they wouldn't show up, so I'd fill in." Danny
had previously played drums for bands including Green Jelly. Paul had gone
to California to work in the film business, which at the time was Adam's
profession. (Adam had already done special effects for Terminator 2,
Jurassic Park and Predator 2). Early on, Tool toured with Rollins Band,
Rage Against The Machine and Fishbone. (Adam had gone to high
school with Morello). Eventually, they moved from second stage to main
stage at Lollapalooza '93, where they pretty much blew everyone away.
According to Bass Player (3/97), when Tool first
called up Justin, he at first turned them down: "Peach had broken up about six months
before, and I was forming a new band with the guitarist. It was pretty tough; I felt
really loyal to this friend of mine, whom I'd played with since I was 14. But then I
decided I couldn't deny myself this opportunity."
C4. What's the name "Tool" supposed to represent, anyways?
In a 1994 interview, Danny says that the band's name stands for
how they want their music to be a tool to aid in understanding
lachrymology. But if you don't buy the whole lachrymology thing,
there's always the obvious answer.
C5. I heard that they were called "Toolshed" before they were called
Tool...
That was only one of the names they were considering;
they were never really called Toolshed. (It was in the context
of that discussion that Maynard suggested Toolshed as the address for the
WWW page.)
C6. What's "lachrymology" and what does it have to do with Tool?
It has been widely decided that "lachrymology," the science of crying as a
therapy, is just another one of the elaborate wild tales Tool makes up in
order to keep us (or them) entertained. But because they make so much
mention of it, it is worth going into here, even though it appears to be a
total cock-up. (Go ahead, do a web search for "lachrymology" and see how
many non-Tool pages you find).
"One of the unifying forces in the band is
the philosophy/religion known as Lachrymology, founded in the 1940s by Ronald P. Vincent.
Lachrymology translates literally to "the study of crying." The basic tenet,
evident in the band's music, is that the greatest road to advancement is through
pain--emotional and physical. Hence the band's name." (Carleton Univ. Newspaper;
2/16/94). Vincent (supposedly) wrote a book in 1949 called _The Joyful Guide to
Lachrymology_ which (supposedly) was Adam's (and later the whole band's) original
inspiration. Vincent suggested that people can only advance themselves by exploring and
understanding their physical and emotional pain.
C7. Wow - where can I get a copy of that book by Vincent?
At first, many Toolophiles went scrambling all over the place to
find it, through the Library of Congress' catalogs, through used book stores,
etc. No sign that it had ever existed. Then, in the Undertow-era bio
on the band, the book was referred to in this manner:
"In the summer of 1948, Ronald P. Vincent, a
crop-spray contractor, moved from Kansas to Hollywood after his wife had been dismembered
in a bizarre snow plough accident. Inspired by the unrelenting pain he felt, Vincent
penned his first and only book, 'A Joyful Guide to Lachrymology.'"
Based on that ... interesting ... story, many
decided that the elusive book and religion were nothing but a red herring. After all, it
is a story about a snowjob.
C8. So are any of them on the internet somewhere; if so, how can I get
their email addresses?
Yes, some of them are online; their addresses are not publicly available.
You can send email to the band courtesy of their management at
toole@hooked.net.
* C9. I heard somewhere that some member of the band has AIDS ... ? I
heard somewhere that Maynard keeps corpses in his basement? I heard
somewhere that the band are cannibals? I heard somewhere that Tool
sacrifices kids for their blood...? Does one of the band members have
cancer? Does Maynard really have breasts?
Sure, and the Easter Bunny will bring you a
present this spring.
C10. There are a lot of army references on
"Undertow" - how come?
Maynard was at West Point Prep School / United States Military Academy
Prep School for a time, hence references to the Honor Code ("I will not
lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do"), to the term for
first-year cadets (4 degrees) and to the term for brownnoser (tool).
* C11. What kind of equipment do they use?
The answer here is by no means definitive; this information has been
collated from various magazines as well as observant people, may not be
complete, and is quite subject to change. Special thanks to
Greg Pepin (gpepin@fsc.edu).
Adam uses Gibson Les Pauls, 3 Different Stacks (a
Marshall bass head, a Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier, a Dieselhead amp), Seymour Duncan
pickups. Ernie Ball, Slinky strings. Effects (mostly Boss pedals): Delay, Flange, Chorus,
EQ, a channel switcher for clean/distortion, a wah pedal, and an Epilady occasionally (!).
Adam has 2 rare 1979 Les Paul Customs with Green
and Silver metallic bursts. They were discontinued by Gibson because of complaints that
the metallic paints was giving the guitar an odd tone. He also uses a Natural finished LP
Custom when playing "Prison Sex" live.
Justin uses Wal basses (which he fell for while
recording "Ænima"), cabinets by Mesa/Boogie (8 inch speakers), pre-amp by
Demeter. Effects: Boss Delay, Chorus, Flanger, and Distortion pedals, and a DigiTech Bass
Whammy pedal, used occasionally (for example, at the beginnings of "Third Eye"
and "Eulogy".)
This list of Danny's equipment comes from Modern
Drummer Magazine (2/97):
Drumset: Sonor Designer Series 8x14 bronze snare
14x14 floor tom 18x16 floor tom
18x24 bass drum 18x22 bass drum
8x8 tom 10x10 tom 14" RotoTom
Electronics: Simmons SDX pads Hardware: Sonor
Heads: Remo Emperor + Ambassador Pedals: Axis
Cymbals: 14" Paiste Dry Crisp hi-hats 22" Novo China
12" S.F. Flanger Bell 13" Sound Formula Mega Cup Chime
8" Paiste splash 18" Sound Formula Thin crash
18" Paiste Full crash 22" Paiste Dry Heavy ride
20 & 22" Paiste Thin China 20" Paiste Power crash
6" + 8" Signature Splash 14" Signature Sound Edge Hi Hat
18" Signature Mellow Crash, Power Crash
20" Signature Full Crash, Thin China
5" Bell Chime on top of an 8" 3000 Bell
Sticks: Trueline 5A, 5B, Signature. Vic Firth Buddy Rich + SD9.
C12. Where do the band members stand on drug use?
Some of them have definitely dabbled in drugs in the past; however,
specifics on who is into what (if anything) are not available.
C13. Are any members of Tool gay?
Only the flutist.
** C14. I heard they had a bongo player on stage with them ...?
At various shows on the west coast, Danny's tabla teacher played during
"Pushit" / opened for them. Aloke Dutta's Eastern style gave the song a
whole new feel. For any of you drumming types out in LA, check out his
book "Tabla: Lessons and Practice", which comes with a 60 min. tape.
He has a tape of tabla music out also, called "Rain on the Lotus." You
can get the book & tapes from the Ali Akbar College of Music store in San
Rafael, CA (phone 1-800-74TABLA).
** C15. What's this lawsuit I heard about?
In late 1997, Volcano Records filed suit against Tool, claiming the band
had violated their contract by seeking / entertaining offers from other
labels. Tool filed suit against Volcano, saying that the label had failed
to exercise a renewal option in their contract, and so they were free to
leave. This ugly deadlock lasted for over a year, when finally, at the
last minute, both parties agreed to terms (including a three-record deal),
rather than going to court. The band didn't work on much new material
during this period, not wanting it to wind up in the hands of the wrong
label. Luckily, it all worked out.
+-----------------------+
| D. Brief Release Info |
+-----------------------+
(the complete discography can be found at the location listed in A3).
* D1. What CD's have they put out?
The band has released an EP "Opiate" and two full-length albums,
"Undertow" and "Ænima." There have also been various import singles
released for "Sober" and "Prison Sex", all of which are listed in the
discography. The singles can be obtained either at your local import CD
store, or maybe at www.gemm.com, www.cdnow.com, or www.cdeurope.com.
(This is not an endorsement, btw). Various audio bootlegs exist, which
can also be found in the discography. As far as where to find those
bootlegs, the only recommendations are: used CD stores, and maybe online
traders. Call around!
"Sweat" (a track from
"Opiate") has been released on the "Escape From L.A." soundtrack, as
well.
One highlight of their catalog: the song
"Ænema" won a Grammy Award in early 1998 for Best Metal Performance.
* D2. What videos have they released?
There have been five official videos released: "Hush", "Sober", and
"Prison Sex", "Stinkfist", and "Ænema." "Hush" was directed by Ken
Andrews of Failure, the next two were Adam with Fred Stuhr, and the latter
two were directed by Adam. He built the guy in the "Sober" video, and
also the so-called "meat tunnel." The rest of the band did the video
editing and production.
The "Sober" video won these Billboard
Video Awards: "Best New Artist" and "Best Hard Rock / Metal Clip."
Other videos have also been nominated for several awards. The "Stinkfist" video
was renamed "Track #1" by MTV because the title was deemed to be offensive. Go
figure.
If you are interested in seeing films which
undoubtedly inspired Tool's videos, check out some work by the Brothers Quay.
* D3. I heard they were releasing a full-length video...
You heard right. In fact, the one you heard about should have been out in
1994; it even had itself a catalog number and everything. When asked
about it back then, the band had said that there wouldn't be a video
"anytime soon." Seems that the record company got all excited about the
idea of a video and got a bit ahead of themselves. But it may happen ...
someday.
A promo-only white-label video containing the
four latter videos in their radio-edit versions was released in New Zealand last year.
Though it was intended to be sold with "Ænima," some were put up for sale.
* D4. I own this Tool shirt, it's got the big eye/pyramid thing from one
dollar bills, and I don't understand what it says on it.
Tool seems big into the concept of "All Indians, No Chiefs", as it says on
the shirt: the idea that there are lots of sheep, lots of people who are
unable to speak for themselves. (Basically, those who follow blindly).
Seems a bit ironic that you bought the shirt, hm?
The other quote in question is the "Novus
Opiate Seclorum" on the back. Here's an insight by Mike `Shmoo' Smuland
(jsmuland@osf1.gmu.edu):
"Novus ordo seclorum" ("a new
order of the ages") is the motto on the great seal of the USA. Get it? But opiate is
not a generic term for drug:
Opiate: 1. a drug that contains opium and so
dulls pain or brings sleep. 2. anything that quiets: opiates to grief.
Throw the two together. A new opiate of the ages.
Take that in context of the answer to Question
E1, and you have your answer.
Dave Sticher (rstiche1@nycap.rr.com) points out
that "the eye in the pyramid on the dollar bill is frequently associated with the
Illuminati, the legendary group who supposedly rules the world through various nefarious
mean" -- this may be a Toolish connection as well.
D5. What does "Et In Arcadia Ego" mean?
Some Tool concert tickets from early 1997 were printed with this
quote. Jodi Clancy (jclancy@magna.com.au) offers us this insight:
There are two paintings from the Baroque period
(1630) by Poussin called "Et In Arcadia Ego;" translation, 'I too, in Arcadia'
or 'Even in Arcadia I (am present). The theme is "as three shepherds living in the
idyllic land of Arcadia spell out an enigmatic inscription upon a tomb, a stately female
figure quietly places her hand upon the shoulder of one of them. She may be the spirit of
death, reminding these mortals, as does the inscription, that death is found even in
Arcadia, where perfect happiness is supposed to reign.
* D6. What is this "No Quarter" song I keep hearing about?
Tool does do a cover of this Led Zeppelin song. The original appears
on the 1973 album "Houses of the Holy," and runs 7 minutes. Tool's
version, played live and recorded in-studio (but not released) runs
roughly 12 minutes. Apparently the label gave a go-ahead for its inclusion on
Howard Stern's Private Parts soundtrack, but the band wasn't up for it,
and said no. Bad blood galore. Hopefully it will come out someday; it is
really amazing.
D7. I heard something about remixes of Tool songs!?
At Lollapalooza 1997, lounge versions of "Hooker with a Penis" and "Third
Eye" were heard over the PA between sets. Also, a Skinny Puppy remix of
"Stinkfist" was apparently commissioned and made it out to an Arizona
radio station, although it was not supposed to ever be released. Copies
of it are likely floating around somewhere.
** D8. Did Tool and Rage Against the Machine do a song together?
They did collaborate on a 7-minute song that is available on various
websites. This unnamed song was apparently supposed to be on the
Judgment Night soundtrack, but never made it. It features both bands
playing minus Adam (and Justin, obviously).
** D9. Are there any other one-off Tool songs out there?
Tool has also covered some other songs this past year in concert. "Demon
Cleaner", by the now-defunct Kyuss; "Stranglehold" by Ted Nugent, and "You
Lied" by Justin's old band (Peach). In fact, Buzz from the Melvins and
Scott from Kyuss have shown up at times to accompany the band during these
songs. Justin even sang during performances of "You Lied."
+-------------+
| E. "Opiate" |
+-------------+
Released April 19, 1992; certified gold US (shipped 500,000).
E1. Snappy title. Where'd they get it?
The accepted notion follows: It relates to Marx's statement that
"religion is the opiate of the masses." People relied on the church for
direction in their lives, and carried on with their lives. Marx felt that
the church kept people from "waking up and smelling the coffee." This is
one of the themes of the CD: the band makes fun of the way people let
others think for them. That is, it's one thing to have religious beliefs,
but it's another thing to let someone else interpret those beliefs and
force them on you.
E2. Dammit, the first song doesn't start for ten seconds after I hit play!
Yeah, the band does this a whole lot, filling in the beginning
of a track with some form of ear candy.
E3. In "Hush", I don't understand this one line ...
"People tell me what to say / what to think and what to play."
This makes sense since the song and the video both seem to deal with
censorship of music.
* E4. Hey, what's that talking right before this song starts??
The voice before "Part of Me" can be clearly heard as Maynard saying
"Yeah. Ready. I was having fun sitting down having a cup of coffee but
now I have to sing."
If you're wondering about "Cold and
Ugly": the original theory was that during this live recording, some guy with
dreadlocks kept blowing an air horn, forcing the band to start over. A telephone hotline
takes credit for this; it may have been Maynard kidding around with the singer from Green
Jelly.
E5. I'm listening to "Opiate" (the song), and at like 4:51 I hear my
kitchen phone ringing. What's wrong with my CD?
Nothing; the band's just tooling around with you.
* E6. Whoa, there's an extra hidden track on this CD?
This is one of those untitled extra tracks bands throw onto albums. Well,
it's not untitled; they claim it's actually called "The Gaping Lotus
Experience." This "song" starts during Track 6, at 6 minutes and 6
seconds. Get it - 666? (If it starts a few seconds off on your CD
player, that's to be expected; all CD players track times a little
differently ... apparently some copies start at 6 minutes and 66 seconds).
Some pressings of this album are missing this
song; there's no good way to tell just by looking if a given copy is without, though it
seems that copies marked "(P) 1997" may be the offensive batch. This mess is
probably due to a machine screwing up somewhere. See Question E10.
E7. Wow, that collage inside just confuses me lots ...
Here's some starting points to picking it all apart. There are four
pictures in each corner; with the dogtag and $5 bill segment on the
bottom, they are:
_Maynard_|__Danny__
__Adam___|__Paul___
The corpse is definitely not real. It is likely a
photo of Adam's pal Kevin messing around in Stan Winston's studio. This
makes sense since they thank "friends at Stan Winston's studio" (Stan
Winston the special effects artist (Predator, T2, etc.)), since Adam
worked on effects for those movies, and since the letters "K E V" are
written on the edge of that photo.
Also, that dogtag belongs to Maynard. He was in the army for
three years after high school. See Question C10 for more info.
E8. I can't help but notice that "Opiate" has a different feel to it than
"Undertow".
Good call. Here's what Adam had to say (from the LA Times; 4/93): "When
we did our first [record], we picked our heaviest songs. People went, 'Oh,
you're a metal band,' and I thought that was kind of way: "On [Opiate] we
were more slam and bang. Now we're using more melody."
* E9. OK, OK, I'm sold! But why can't I find a copy anywhere!!?!?
Many CD stores don't carry "Opiate" in stock. Of course, you can always
just ask them to order it for you, as well you should. The catalog number
is Volcano 31027.
E10. I was looking at the back cover of "Opiate", and something looks
different...
Indeed -- recent pressings of the CD (since Zoo
Records became Volcano Entertainment) have featured the large red text on
the back in a different, more Gothic font. The band didn't know about it
until someone mentioned it to them, that's for sure.
+---------------+
| F. "Undertow" |
+---------------+
Released April 6, 1993; certified platinum US (1,000,000 copies); reached
#50 in the US; reached #1, Billboard's Heatseekers Chart
F1. Hmmm.. what's that on the cover?
Depends on where you bought your CD. If you bought it at Wal-Mart, it's a
giant barcode. The gods of censorship have spoken. (You used to be able
to get a real cover by writing in to an address printed in the liner
notes; this offer does not appear to be valid anymore). Otherwise, it is a
photo of a scuplture done by Adam, of a rib cage. And hey, did you know
that if you hold the cover up to the light the ribcage encircles the fat
lady on the inside?! (Little bonus trivia tidbit ... coincidence?)
F2. What's with the artwork inside?
Just a bunch of happy people! No, seriously, it has been suggested
that it represents various things, like being controlled by
someone/something. It has even been interpreted to be a visualization of
the "my fear is naked" from "Bottom" (though that's pushing it). The
spine of the CD has another picture of the woman: she is the little symbol
on the rightmost end of the spine. There are also pictures of a cow
licking itself, and an X-ray graphic resembling someone using a "rear-entry"
vibrator.
F3. What picture of a cow licking itself?
Go ahead, pop off the black tray that holds the CD. There ya go!
F4. Hey, my copy of Undertow isn't like that; is it a special version?
Welcome to further confusion. Recent pressings of Undertow have
varied slightly from the original version. These are some of the slight
modifications across different (both domestic and foreign) versions:
- A clear CD tray; the cow picture is visible
immediately.
- The cow picture in the booklet; no picture behind the CD.
- "Disgustipated" is track 10, 30 or 39, not 69.
- The cover has the words "Tool / Undertow" written across the top. (The
original has no words.)
- The CD was originally black with the fork + pig, some are grey with the same graphic.
- The CD simply has Tool: Undertow written in silver on black.
F5. So which one of those guys is who? Basically,
it goes:
__Paul__|__Maynard__
Danny | Adam
F6. Wait a sec, what's with these band positions in the liner notes?
Membranophones = Danny (drums, obviously)
Bottom Feeder = Paul (bass = low end)
Bastardometer = Adam ("bastard")
Mostresticator = Maynard ("most rest")
F7. Those words are lyrics, right?
Yep, they are pieces of songs on the CD.
F8. Well, I've figured out which songs all the words belong to, except for
"I'll make weapons out of my imperfections" ... help!
It is originally from Maynard's spoken word in "Bottom" ... when Henry
Rollins performed it, he edited out that part. (see question F20).
F9. What's that sound right before "Intolerance" ?
Various ideas abound: either it is a massive bong hit, or it is a
motorboat / outboard engine (the latter goes along better with the water
theme of the whole album). Aaron Solomon (peschek@mail.nwlink.com) offers
this explanation:
"I had the immediate and distinct impression
that is was the sound of a guy drowning, specifically someone hooked up to oxygen
equipment, such as a scuba diver, having their oxygen run out or cut off, and helplessly
suffocating. IMHO, this is closer than a motorboat or bong hit. In fact, in this context
is incredibly ominous, and makes the listener literally feel like he/she is suffocating. I
think it's one of the most disturbing parts of the album."
F10. What's "Prison Sex" about?
At least in its most up-front interpretation, child abuse. In early
interviews, Maynard apparently was quite vocal about his dislike for his
stepfather, and the video supports this theory quite well. However, the
autobiographical nature of this song is purely speculative. When
discussing the release of "Prison Sex" as a single, Danny had this to say:
"It will annoy a lot of people ... which is half the fun."
F11. That's a neat sound at the start of "Prison Sex." How can I do
that?
To get the sound like that for the intro to Prison Sex--if you have or
know anyone who has a guitar--the sound can almost be reproduced. First
off, you need to tune down the guitar to B, then hold down the tremolo bar
so that the string is loose. If you strike it, it should sound like its
just flopping there. The next thing you need to do is run your pick over
the string to get that scratching sound (you should still be holding the
tremolo down). Finally, hit the string one final time and slowly release
the tremolo bar (if you do it right, it should sound like it is speeding
up). A delay pedal may help as well.
-- thanks to len@utxsvs.cc.utexas.edu
F12. But when "Prison Sex" was on the radio, he said...
Yes, the edited version has him saying "blood on my hands", not
"shit, blood and cum on my hands."
F13. Hmm. I heard that there's a new verse being performed live?
To be sure, after playing a song a million times, you'd want to spruce it
up a little. Whether it will ever be released as a live track remains to
be seen. This is the new verse (inserted before the "temporary sanity"
line), first heard in late 1995 and still being performed:
"got me treading water" OR "show
me something" (4x)
thought i could make it end
thought i could wash the stains away
thought i could break the circle if i
slipped right into your skin
so sweet was your surrender
we have become one
i have become my terror
and you my precious lamb and martyr."
-- thanks to Justin McKinlay
F14. (blank)
F15. What's "Sober" about?
Adam has said "the song and video are based on a guy we know who is
at his a artistic best when he's loaded. A lot of people give him shit
for that .... You can do what you want, but you have to take
responsibility for what happens. If you become addicted and a junkie,
well, that's your fault. " (from Guitar World; 3/94).
F16. Hey, about four minutes into "Sober", there's this muffled
screaming in the background, isn't there?
Yes, there is. While it was thought to be a production error for
some time, it turns out that it's Maynard saying "Turn that shit down."
If you had it up loud enough, you know, you might think it was a parent or
the neighbors.
It occurs midway through the song: "...trust
me, trust me; why can't (*) we not (*) be sober..." , where the *'s are.
F17. But when "Sober" was on the radio, he said...
Yet again, an edited version. It has him saying something that is
NOT "Jesus ... fucking whistle" ; it's "Jesus won't you try and whistle".
F18. Yeah, what the HELL is he saying about Jesus in "Sober" ?
Ahhh... the former six million dollar question. The official lyric sheet
says: "Jesus won't you fucking whistle / something but the past and done."
As in, "christ almighty, can't we talk about something NEW?"
A popular alternative:
"Cheeses: don't chew. Duck: no gristle /
Some tea: pour, and pass the scone."
(thanks Arsenio!)
F19. I'm not quite sure I understand the
"Sober" video, anyway.
In a 1994 interview in BAM magazine, Maynard had
this to say. It sums the whole thing up pretty well:
BAM: What's wrong with that little man? MJK:
What's wrong with him? BAM: Yeah. What's he looking for? MJK: That...place, I guess. BAM:
Will he ever find that place? [Silence] BAM: Maybe yes? Maybe no? Crapshoot? MJK:
Crapshoot.
F20. Am I wrong, or is that Henry Rollins
speaking in "Bottom" ?
Yep, that's Hank himself, doing a guest
appearance. He's doing a spoken word bit that Maynard wrote and performs live, with some
slight changes that he made. Rollins offered Tool an opening spot way back, so that's
where the association comes from.
F21. Changes? How did the original spoken word in
"Bottom" go?
This is the Rollins version, featured on
"Undertow":
If I let you, you would make me destroy myself.
In order to survive you, I must first survive myself. I can sink no further, and I cannot
forgive you. There's no choice but to confront you, to engage you, to erase you. I've gone
to great lengths to expand my threshold of pain. I will use my mistakes against you. There
is no other choice. Shameless now. Nameless now. Nothing now. No one now. But my soul must
be iron, 'cause my fear is naked. I'm naked and fearless, and my fear is naked.
And, for the curious, this is the MJK-version; he
still sings this:
You've left me no choice but to go inside and
rebuild what's broken. Too much, too far, too late to lie down now. I must arm myself to
fight you by making weapons out of my imperfections. It's all I have left. There's no
other choice. I'm shameless, nameless, nothing, and no one now. But my soul must be iron
for my fear is naked. I'm naked and fearless. But I'm dead inside. You see... shit adds
up, now I'm dead inside. Hatred, weakness, and guilt keep me alive at the bottom.
F22. So what's that sound right before
"Crawl Away" ?
Well, while it has been described as traditional
Andean mountain music, someone has identified it as (possibly) a song called "Oruro
Tierra De Ensuenos".
F23. Um, what about that middle part of
"Crawl Away" ?
Though it's missing from the official sheet,
here's what he's saying:
"got you in a stranglehold, baby. get up, get up, get up now."
And yes, that is the chorus from a Ted Nugent song: "Stranglehold". Call it an
influence, I guess.
F24. I heard a version of "Swamp Song"
that was a little different...
There is at least one out there which is
different, on the Sober '93 bootleg; the lyrical change does change / add to the feel of
the song somewhat. Steve Reed (steve@failure.org) had this to say about it...
"Instead of saying 'No one told you to
come,' he says, 'Spread your wings and fly away.' It fits like this:
No one told you to come.
Spread your wings and fly away.
F25. "Undertow" is a great song, but
what's it supposed to mean?
While this answer by Steve Reed
(steve@failure.org) is purely speculative, it is a very good one.
"Undertow is a song about repeated drug use.
The voice that he hears is some sort of craving for this drug (or something), it suggests
nice things to him, and beckons him. When it surrounds and drowns and wipes him away, he
is obviously succumbing to this drug. Then, he regains his senses and asks 'How could I
let this bring me back to my knees?' realizing that this thing isn't good for him ... The
undertow represents the state of being under the influence, euphoria has it's obvious
meaning."
F26, 27. (blank)
F28. 4 Degrees... why four? Fahrenheit? Celsius?
Is it an angle?
The theories abound like rabbits multiplying;
someone asked Maynard about it and got this reply:
"Apparently the anal cavity has 8 more
working muscles and is 4 degrees warmer than the vagina. This, however, is NOT a song
about violation. It is a song about opening up, completely, without reservation."
F29. What is Maynard moaning in the beginning of
"Flood" ?
Listen carefully; he's saying "here comes
the water..."
F30. So it's about more than a flood, right?
Most likely =) . Here's an interpretation by
shade@paradoxnw.com:
"'Ground breaks down right under me, cleanse
and purge me in the water' sort of implies that although the world is breaking apart
around him, there is some sort of purification happening to him also, as if he were better
off now then he was with his false beliefs ('all i knew, all i believed, crumbling images,
no longer comfort me')."
F31. Hey! "Disgustipated" isn't really
track 10. Do I have a limited edition pressing?
No. It is track 69 on most domestic pressings. It
may be track 10, 30 or 39, though. (See Question F4). And yes, there is a little story
told after roughly 7 minutes of crickets chirping.
F32. Where'd that little story at the end of
"Disgustipated" come from?
Notice how it sounds like someone leaving a
message on an answering machine? Seems Maynard's landlord called and left that message.
Hence the liner notes' credit: "phone message: bill the landlord."
F33. What does the band have to say about
"Disgustipated"?
Here's a clip from M.E.A.T Magazine (5/94):
"Paul explains it as 'getting together three pianos and shotguns smashed with
sledgehammers and recorded to a six beat.' Funny how an ode to carrots could become so
damn disturbing and guilt-laden." Entertainingly, Chris Haskett of Rollins Band gets
a "sledge hammer" credit in the liner notes.
In BAM Magazine (11/94), the creation of the song
is explained: "In May 1993, Tool performed at Scientology's Celebrity's Centre,
apparently not knowing that this was the home of the cult. Once they found out, they were
not taking it nicely. Between songs, Keenan, staring first at the lush grounds paid for by
devoted L. Ron followers and then into the eyes of his own audience, bayed into the mic
like a sheep looking for his shepherd's gate. 'Baaaaa! Baaaaa!' the singer bleated."
+------------+
| G. "Ænima" |
+------------+
Released October 1, 1996 (vinyl on September 17);
debuted #2 USA, #9 Australia, #1 New Zealand; certified platinum US, Canada (100,000),
Australia (# ?); certified gold New Zealand (5,000). Nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award for
Best Recording Package.
G1. "Ænima?" What's that all about?
The Tool tradition of mystery continues with the
title for their latest album. The title is reported to be a mix of the words
"Anima" (a Jungian term) and "Enema" (you know). It also perhaps pays
homage to a book recommended on the band's snail-mail-list called "Ægypt."
G2. How do you pronounce "Ænima?"
As they do with good music, DJs across the
country are butchering the pronunciation of this not-quite-a-word. Some of the band have
been heard saying "enema"; though I'm told it is pronounced "ON-ima",
giving a nod to the two words which comprise this title. This despite the fact that most
words beginning "Æn--" should be pronounced "Een--", but they made up
the word, so they can have their cake and eat it too, I suppose.
G3. Suppose I want to type that A-E thingy?
To represent that dipthong in HTML, you need to
type an "&" sign, followed by "AElig;". So, to type the album
title, enter:
& AElig;nima ...without that space after the
&.
Mac users, type option-', or option-shift-'.
PC users, type ALT-1-4-5 or ALT-1-4-6, or ALT-0-1-9-8.
G4. What the hell is that on the cover?
Depends. The LP and cassette cover are just that
white-splashy-square image, properly known as the "Smokebox." That image did
appear on video screens during the 1996-7 tour, in its animated form. The CD has a
lenticular case, so the images appear animated. (Haha, ænimated). The CD cover has the
Smokebox amidst a moving field of green eyes. That image was created by Adam and Cam de
Leon.
Outside the US, the animated CD came in limited
quantities. The new cover is the static Smokebox image with the words Tool and Ænima; the
inside is a list of "Other Albums by Tool", complete with 16 bogus covers for
these albums. These albums are, for the curious:
Gay Rodeo Bethlehem Abortion Clinic
Bad Breath The Other White Meat
Two Weiners For Daddy Three Fat Brown Fingers
Mungey the Clown I Smell Urine
The Christmas Album Iced Pee
Spring Boner Tetanus for Breakfast
Crapsteaks Smothered in Dictators
Nurse Ketimella's Kit'chen
Just Up That Dirt Road: Tool Live! at the Acropolis
Brown Magic and Big Appetites: Music from
the Movie Soundtrack Jelly Donut
Here's some trivia about the back cover image.
Mike (lindylou@teleport.com) shares this info on the green eye:
"The eye is very unhealthy acording to the
study of iridology. The lighter area around the pupil is a sign of dropped transverse
colon. The darker green areas in the iris are a sign of drug use or chemicals in the body.
The dark green circles are tiny deposits of the substance. The texture of the iris, the
harsh waves in the background of the iris, are a sign a body of low resistance and poor
inherent ability to overcome difficulties. The starting of the second iris is screwed up
too, but I don't think that iridology has anything to do with that."
* G5. Wait, there's different artwork in the
different formats?
Yep. Here's a list of the artwork in Ænima:
Vinyl Cassette CD
White square x x
White square * x
Calif. falling into ocean * x
Naked band pic * x
Naked contortionist x x
Bill Hicks painting x x
Double-green-eye x x
Double-green-eye * x
Double-green-eye x
(4 frames of *)
Blue man w/scalpel x x
1 angel w/green monster x x
2 angels w/green monster x
4 angels w/green monster x
"Contact Sheet" band pix x
* = the animated / lenticular version.
The cassette also has two other paintings by
Ramiro Rodriguez, described here by Eddie Bitetti (edbite@buttercup.cybernex.net):
"A painting of a man waist deep in water.
You can't make out his face because it is very dark, but his stomach muscles are very
defined. His head is back with his face up towards the sky with his arms back half covered
by the water. It looks like if you were standing up and trying to get some sun, or like if
you took a deep breath and throw your head and arms back. You can see his reflection in
the water and there is a bluish-black colored backround. Overlapping the whole picture is
sort of a spiral spiro-graph-ish drawing. [The drawing is known as the Flower of Life ...
do a web search for more info. The painting can actually be viewed to be upside down or
right side up, depending on how you look at things.] The other one has what looks like the
bottom half of a woman's body. In front of her is a man in the fetal position. They are
both nude. He seems to be floating there right in front of her, and she has her left hand
on his back and her right hand goes down behind him and out of view. This also has that
spiral thing overlapping it. This backround is black. I can't tell if this is the same man
as the top picture, but you can see the side profile of his face and see that he has black
hair." They are named "Pneuma I" and "Almus" respectively. Try
http://w3.one.net/~icarus/ram for more of Ramiro Rodriguez's work.
G6. Why the different artwork in the different
formats?
Well, the animated images wouldn't have worked in
the vinyl, that's for sure. A concrete answer not yet available.
G7. What are those arcane symbols in the vinyl
artwork?
In the second to last row on the 'contact sheet',
in the second frame, is a tapestry with some arcane symbols; there are also such symbols
on the center labels of each record. Someone asked around, and found this out:
The seven pointed star is the symbol for the
goddess Babalon, an Egyptian goddess similar to Aphrodite. She symbolizes love and
sexuality (that's one of the meanings, anyway), and the symbol is familiar to
practicioners of ritual magik. The pentagram in the middle, where ritual magik is
concerned, represents air, water, fire, body, and spirit. Each point of the star
symbolizes one of these.
Whether this (in conjunction with the essay on
Ritual Magik in the liner notes) represents something meaningful to the band, or just
another well-fabricated fib, nobody can say.
G8. I don't even know where to begin with that
the nude/sofa/animated picture...
Understandable. On the sofa, first of all, left
to right, are Danny, Justin, Adam, Maynard. As to the contortionist's gender, well, Alana
Cain is credited for this in the liner notes, so there you go. And in case you were
wondering about the item on the floor; it seems that Maynard stands up to offer "the
entertainer" a flower; notice that as he stands up, he throws it to the ground. Whew.
G9. What's up with the anesthetia discussion in
the liner notes?
Matt Trainor (mtrainor@juno.com) did some
homework and found this: "It is definitely referring to Ketamine (Vitamin K), a
veterinary anesthetic noted by psychonauts and trippers as being HIGHLY dissociative
(removal of self from body). It's used on cats and to restrain apes and monkies, just like
the notes say. Apparently it also can cause something remarkably like the
"near-death" experience experienced by those have been, well, near death. The
out of body trip is supposed to be one of the most helpful/effective for self-development
due to the completely objective view one gets of himself. This of course is highly
relevent to the whole theme of the album in general."
It has turned out to be a direct quote from
literature accompanying the drug.
G10. Who was Bill Hicks?
A comedian, well-liked by the band. He passed
away a few years ago. Notice he is listed in the liner notes for "Undertow" as
well. And no, he didn't paint that painting, it was done by Kevin Willis (see Question
E7). He has four CDs released on Rykodisc last spring; one of them is entitled
"Arizona Bay."
Hicks had a strong influence on the band's work,
which becomes clear after giving his CDs a listen. On a related note, Jordan Geiger
(wngeiger@vax1.rainis.net) suggests another place you might want to check for insights
into "Ænima" (such as LA falling, "Third Eye", "Forty-Six &
2", the artwork): "Nothing In This Book Is True But It Is Exactly How It
Happened" by Bob Frisell (one of the many books on Tool's suggested reading list).
More on Hicks as we go on...
G11. Who's that blue man?
Formerly called the "purple man" by
this FAQ, it's a sculpture by Adam; the man has used that scalpel to open his "third
eye" ("bright, blue, shimmering"). The face is based on a mold of Adam's
face.
G12. I don't understand where at the end of the
liner notes, it says "see you auntie" ...?!
Say it one syllable at a time. Slowly. Over and
over. To somebody else. If you really aren't up to the mental challenge, try this: "C
...".
G13. Wait, Paul's not listed in the liner notes!
True. Surprising, considering he was with them
when they wrote "Pushit," "Stinkfist," "Eulogy," and
"Ænema." (Paul's omission makes me feel better that I wasn't listed either...
hehe.)
G14. In the liner notes, after the bit about
anesthesia, it says no Ritual Magician has ever sacrificed kids, etc. Where'd that come
from?
Part of that is info about this particular cult.
Additionally, you may recall that this summer, an article was circulated claiming that the
band did in fact sacrifice teenagers and drink their blood. Suffice it to say that the
article was a perfect example of Tool's message that you can't always believe what you
read, no matter who says it. (Unless it's in this FAQ, of course).
G15. What happened to Sylvia Massy? Why David
Bottrill this time?
They likely just wanted a change.
G16. I have a question about the lyrics to this
album...
Good ol' Maynard sent the lyrics in to
http://toolshed.down.net, so they are all there, and for the most part, they are not
discussed here.
G17. Hang on, why did he send the lyrics to the
WWW page, but not include them in the liner notes?
The best answer anyone has come up with is that
"lyrics will be available one way or another online; better that people read / quote
/ interpret the real thing than just guesses."
G18. I heard that there's something wrong with
their US map?
Sure is. Entertainingly, seems that for the
entire first month that Ænima was out, only one person (Two2067@aol.com) noticed that the
Texas-Oklahoma border is WRONG, and had this to say:
"Is Tool making some other statement; i.e.
'Oklahoma doesn't deserve such a long panhandle' or 'there should be two sets of 'four
corners' in the US. ' =) "
No word on how this happened.
G19. The credits list someone as a
"flocker". What's that?
Flock has been described as "a fuzzy type of
material, reminiscent of the furry stuff on tennis balls. It's just little fuzz that you
can magnetically attatch to anything really." The Undertow ribs are flocked red, for
example.
** G20. On tour, Danny had this big gong set up
behind him ...?
Not a piece of percussion, this Enochian magic
board was marked with various arcane symbols. Danny has said it helps him focus energy
while playing (see Modern Drummer, February 1997).
G21. "Stinkfist" is great, but I don't
see quite what it's about.
On the one hand, it could be taken literally, to
be about fisting (hence all the penetration). It could also be taken more as a song about
penetrating on another level, about one letting another in.
Jody Westmoreland (Jode8u@aol.com) offered his
take on the song: "It is using a fist up the ass metaphor for the desensitizing of
the public. Saying that when (in the 50's for example) there was nothing shocking, in
order for the public to be shocked / stimulated, they had to see something new. It was
uncomfortable at first but soon we grew used to it. The process continues so that now it
takes the whole damn arm for us to feel / be stimulated by something. The speaker would
have it 'no other way' ...stressing that we must be stimulated...never allowing the mind
to rest."
G22. What's the title supposed to mean, anyway?
"Stinkfist"??
It likely ties in to the "knuckle / finger /
elbow / shoulder getting deeper within the borderline" theme. Interesting side note:
there is a 1986 Clint Ruin (Jim Thirlwell) / Lydia Lunch song by the same name.
G23. But on the radio, I didn't hear those
words...?
Someone who is not Tool censored out the words
"knuckle, finger, elbow" from the MTV and (presumably) radio edits. Why? Because
the powers that be think it's more offensive than the rest of the stuff you hear on the
radio about sex, drugs, and violence.
G24. (reserved for future use)
* G25. "Stinkfist" was the first single
off this album, but what came next?
Promo singles for "H." were issued; if
that constitutes a single, then we have an answer. No "H." video is planned,
though. An "Ænema" promo single came out, as did a video. A "Forty-Six
& 2" promo single was also issued, followed by a "Eulogy" single, but
no new videos.
G26. What is Maynard whispering at about 2:45 in
"Stinkfist"?!
A number of people have submitted this as their
answer: "Chupa minha pica pichu ; Chupa minha pica pinto." In the interest of
not giving away too much too soon, the research is left to you.
G27. The big question: Who is "Eulogy"
about?
As with most Tool songs, the song is vague enough
that can be interpreted to be anyone / anything. The song is primarily about the death of
something which most probably turned out to be a fake. Regarding the rumor that the band
is no longer on good terms with Henry Rollins; he has recently been heard talking
positively about Tool, saying he was unaware of any bad blood. One way or another, though,
the song has a message that can stand apart from any specific target; the interpretation
is left to you, and the specifics aren't too important.
G28. In the middle of "Eulogy", he's
mumbling again...
Try "You - could be - the one - who saves -
me from - my own - existence."
-- thanks to Dave Conklin
(conklin@bobafet.nrl.navy.mil)
What he's saying later on, we don't know yet.
G29. (reserved for future use).
G30. OK, they have a song called "H."
What's it stand for?
The working / early title for this song was
"Half Empty." The H likely stands for that (or "Half Full"). It may
represent the old "half-empty is interchangeable with half-full" notion. Of
course, it could also stand for anything else. It's a safe bet that it does not stand for
Heroin.
G31. "H." is great, but what's it
about?
When introducing this song live in 1996, Maynard
touched on the idea of having an angel sitting on one shoulder and a devil sitting on the
other. In at least one interpretation, the song is about being very close to someone who
is tearing you apart, someone you can't bring yourself to leave, but someone who will
destroy you because you can't leave them. It is the price you pay for being close to them;
they aren't doing it on purpose: "considerately."
G32, 33. (reserved for future use).
* G34. What's "Useful Idiot" supposed
to mean?
This "segue" is simply the sound of a
record reaching the end of a side. On vinyl versions of this album, this track appears
right at the end of the first side. If you didn't know any better, you might think that
"H." had ended, and that this song was missing.
Qryche3@aol.com dug this info up: "The term,
originated by the high ranking Soviets, referred to the Soviet citizens whose loyalty to
the party was unwavering. While the top party officials were living the good life, the
average "Useful Idiot" was standing in line hoping that the bread wouldn't run
out. But the "Useful Idiots" never questioned their masters' actions or
authority - they were perfect citizens."
G35. What is he whispering right at the start of
"Forty-Six & 2"?
While there is still no definitive word on this,
Sam Rowe (riddley@geocities.com) has proposed this as a possible answer:
"Join in my / Join in my child (and)
Listen ... / Digging through / My old numb shadow"
G36. What does it all mean, 46, 2, shadows?
You could write a whole FAQ for this one question
alone; the major underlying principles relate to chromosomes and Jungian theory. Some of
the ideas behind this song are based on the teachings of Drunvalo Melchizadek. Here's a
snip of an interview with him (Leading Edge, 12/95):
"There are three totally different kinds of
humans on the Earth, meaning that they perceive the One reality in three different ways,
interpreted differently. The first kind of human has a chromosome composition of 42+2.
They comprise a unity consciousness that does not see anything outside themselves as being
separate from themselves. To them, there is only one energy - one life, one beingness that
moves everywhere. Anything happening anywhere is within them, as well. They are like cells
in the body. They are all connected to a single consciousness that moves through all of
them. These are the aboriginals in Australia. There might be a few African tribes left
like this. Then, there is our level, comprising 44+2 chromosomes. We are a disharmonic
level of consciousness that is used as a steppingstone from the 42+2 level to the next
level, 46+2...These two additional chromosomes change everything."
Rachel Wells (eileen@loop.com) has written this
moderately long, excellent summary of all the relevant Jungian concepts:
"Anima / Animus (pronounced On-ee-mah): In
Jungian psychology, the anima refers to personality traits regarded as feminine that are
often repressed into the unconscious of males while the animus refers to traits regarded
as masculine that are often repressed into the unconsciousness of females. Although
suppressed from conscious awareness, the anima/animus influences our behavior in powerful
ways. In most individuals,it is projected onto people of the opposite sex and accounts for
the experience of falling in love with someone we hardly know. As the unconscious pole of
the self, the counter-ego represented by the anima/animus can also be a guide to one's own
unconscious realm. It is often experienced as the guiding female (if you're male) or male
(if you're female) presence in dreams.
The Shadow: In Carl Jung's personality theory,
the ego represents the individual's sense of personal self. The sense of personal identity
is purchased, however, at the expense of certain tendencies that are rejected as
'not-self'. According to Jung, these rejected traits come together as a kind of
unconscious 'counter-ego' which he termed the shadow. We may become unduly anxious or
irritated when in an environment or around a person that in some way reminds us of
repressed aspects of our self. If a person has rejected his or her own sex drive, for
example, that person may feel irrational fear or anger around an overtly sexual
individual. The shadow may appear as a person in one's dreams, usually as an individual of
the same sex. Of all the archetypes, the shadow is the most powerful and potentially the
most dangerous. It represents everything about ourselves that we fear and despise.
The meaning of 46 + 2: According to Melchezedek,
our planet is covered with geometrically constructed 'morpho genetic grids'. These grids
extend from about 60 feet under the Earth's surface to about 60 miles above the Earth,
arranged in geometric patterns (see 'Sacred Geometry'). Each species has its own grid,
which supports life, and connects the consciousness of its particular species. Before any
species can come into existance or make an evolutionary step, a new grid must be
completed. When a species becomes extinct, that particular species' grid dissoves. A new
grid was completed in 1989 - the 'christ-consciousness' grid. This grid will allow humans
to evolve into our next version. We'll develop two additional chromosomes (which are
really 'geometrical images' designed to resonate with our specific grid) for a total or 46
+ 2. The main change will be a shift to the "unity consciousness". Every cell in
your body has its own consciousness and memory. You, the higher being that occupies your
body, make the millions of different consciousnesses in your body work together as one
being. How does this relate to this grid? Think of yourself as a cell and the grid as the
higher being. We will still have individual consciousness, but will be united in the form
of a higher being in order to work as one entity."
Scientifically speaking, humans don't appear to
be evolving new chromosomes (or much of anything else; thanks to technology). If you want
to learn more, search the web or take a class!
G37, 38. (reserved for future use).
G39. Is "Message to Harry Manback" an
actual phone message?
Yep, someone left someone a threat. Yes, they
actually meant it as a threat. So no, it wasn't concocted by the band. (Though the piano
part was obviously added in to make it sound more like a love poem).
G40. OK, so who was that message for? Who is
Harry Manback?
Danny had this to say about it in some interview:
"Message to Harry Manback is a recording of
the words of an uninvited Italian guest who came to Maynard's house one day. A so-called
friend of a friend of a friend of Harry's .... Before we finally managed to figure out
that nobody really knew him, he had already emptied the fridge and run up a huge phone
bill. He got kicked out of the house."
Harry Manback is a pseudonym for the real
recipient of the message, presumably a past roommate of Maynard's: Hotsy Menshot of Green
Jello.
G41. (reserved for future use).
G42. Is "Hooker with a Penis" directed
at anyone in particular?
It seems to be aimed at folks who abuse / don't
understand the concept of "selling out."
G43. Early in "Hooker with a Penis", he
says something about "OGT" -- what's that?
Some folks are aware that OG commonly means
"original gangster". In the context of this song, OGT may well mean
"Original gangster Tool"; that is, "Original Tool Fan" since '92 --
the first EP.
G44. What's that whispering in "Hooker with
a Penis"?
As usual, Maynard is just whispering away. Most
notably, at 1:40 into the song, he says something which has so far only been deciphered as
"consume (or consumer), be fruitful, and multiply." The term is actually a Bill
Hicks quote. Other whispering, it has been suggested, is him reading a list of
merchandise, though we don't know that for sure.
G45. (reserved for future use).
G46. "Intermission" sounds awfully
familiar, doesn't it?
Yep, it's just a keyboard version of the main
riff to "jimmy."
G47. Who is this "Eleven" guy he keeps
talking about in "jimmy"?
The singer is referring to himself at age eleven.
Go listen to the song again, it will make a motherload more sense now.
G48. OK, but who the heck is "jimmy"
anyhow?!
All you get is a hint: he's listed in the liner
notes. Read 'em slowly. Don't give up.
G49. So "jimmy" is from Ohio, then?
Yup, he spent some amount of his childhood there.
At shows in Ohio, he mentioned a small town called Ravenna. Happy hunting.
G50. Why is "jimmy" written in
lowercase?
(It really is, look closely). Because he's just a
kid.
G51. I heard somewhere that "jimmy" was
about how Maynard's mother died when he was 11.
This "fact", reported in Rolling Stone
magazine, was actually just a (big) mistake on their part; Maynard's mother is still
alive.
G52. "Die Eier Von Satan" ... man, I
don't speak German!
The title means "The Eggs of Satan" (or
"The Balls of Satan" = "Satan's Balls").
G53. Great, but what does the rest of "Die
Eier Von Satan" mean?
The secret is out now that everyone has
translated it: it's a recipe for ... a certain kind of cookie. With no eggs. Complete
lyrics are posted to http://toolshed.down.net's lyrics section.
G54. Whew, so Tool doesn't support Nazis /
Hitler?
"German" does not equal
"Nazi."
G55. "Pushit" is a pretty good song.
What's with the title, though?
It's yet another not-quite-a-word on this album.
As Dr Teeth (Glyde@scc.net) suggested, long before we knew it was a one word title, the
indeterminate "Push It on me" vs. "Shit on me" is resolved into
"Pushit."
G56. (reserved for future use).
G57. I just don't understand "Cesaro
Summability."
It seems that the baby crying is NOT Maynard's
son Devo; it has been suggested that it is just a sample from Fried Green Tomatoes, or the
show Absolutely Fabulous. The title is the name of a mathematical theorem describing a
method of adding certain infinite series. As for what the segue means or why it's here, we
may never find out.
G58. "Ænema" is about LA being flushed
away, right?
In a nutshell, yep, it's about Los Angeles,
California falling into the Pacific Ocean as a result of a big big big earthquake. If you
take Maynard's advice and "don't just call him pessimist / try to read between the
lines", you could probably take it to be about just generally cleansing and purging
(hmm, that's the last line in "Flood.")
G59. What is a "smiley gladhand"
supposed to be?
Gotta be one of those 'hand shaking smiley-faced'
types. You know. Politicians.
G60. Why is the song spelled differently than the
album title?
Clearly, since "Ænema" the song title
must have a different meaning than "Ænima" the album title; that whatever
"Ænema" represents must not be representative of the whole album.
G61. Hold the phone; my vinyl copy of the album
lists the song as
"Æ - n - i - m - a", not "Æ - n - e - m - a"!!
Right you are; that would be a typo. Want proof?
Look VERY CLOSELY at the label on Side 3 of the vinyl, and you'll see the correct
spelling.
G62. "(-) ions." What's this one about?
Scott Cronshaw has this to say about the title:
"They are supposed to be 'good' ions. They are found in high doses near waterfalls,
streams, forests, etc. Negative ions have (reportedly) beneficial effects on humans ...
increased metabolism, higher resistance to ailments and a generally more happy attitude.
Positive ions, on the other hand, are 'bad' ... they can be found in mass quantities in
cities, airports, garbage dumps, etc. Also, computer monitors output a large amount of
positive ions. And, of course, positive ions are supposed to have the opposite effects on
humans: depression, weight gain, sickness, etc."
-- thanks to scronsha@nh.ultranet.com
G63. Who's that talking at the start of
"Third Eye"?
That would be the aforementioned Bill Hicks;
those are snips of comedy routines of his, from "The War On Drugs" (off his CD
"Dangerous") and "Drugs Have Done Good Things" (off
"Relentless").
In fact, on his CD "Rant in E Minor,"
he refers to the power that heavy doses of hallucinogens have to "squeegee his third
eye."
G64. Towards the middle of "Third Eye",
after the "dogma" line, what's he saying?
"Opened my eye (3x)
And there we were" -- repeat once. Simple.
G65. Do we really have a third eye?
Actually, there is a part of our brain called the
pineal body (a tiny gland in the brain stem) which is nicknamed our "Third Eye",
which is theorized to be extremely sensitive to light, and may be linked to Seasonal
Affective Disorder. Neat.
+------------------------+
| X. Tool Side Projects. |
+------------------------+
* X1. Has Maynard done anything recently besides
Tool?
Yup. Maynard sings a song called "Calling
Dr. Love" on the Kiss tribute album "Kiss My Ass", along with bassist Billy
Gould (Faith No More), guitarist Tom Morello, and drummer Brad Wilk (both of Rage Against
The Machine). They are collectively known as Shandi's Addiction. He sings the "I've
got no patience now / so sick of complacence now... " part in Rage Against the
Machine's "Know Your Enemy." He also sings the "not by the hair on my
chinny-chin-chin" part on Green Jelly's "3 Little Pigs." (Yes, Green Jelly
as in originally Green Jello as in Jello Loft where the live tracks from
"Opiate" were recorded). He appears on the first Love Jones album, "Here's
to the Losers", as well. He comes in during track 4 and sings for about 45 seconds.
On January 23, 1997, Maynard appeared onstage with Tori Amos, as she played a benefit show
for her charity organization, RAINN. Together, they performed her song "Muhammad My
Friend", and it was quite a duet. It is available on her home video "Tori Amos
Live in New York." He has been popping up doing cameo vocals at other recent live
performances, including a Rage Against the Machine show. He also sings a little on a song
by Tim "Herb" Alexander/Mike Bordin on the album "Flyin' Traps," which
features drummers. He's listed under a pseudonym of Gaylord C. He has also appeared on a
public access show called "Colin's Sleazy Friends." A long long time ago, he was
in a band called C.A.D. No recordings of this band are available; demos of this group were
almost offered for sale against the group's wishes. See Question X5 for more details on
side-project called "The Replicants."
* X2. Has Danny done anything recently besides
Tool?
Sure; he played drums on the western leg of the
fall 1994 Pigface tour. He also used to play drums for Pygmy Love Circus, and has done
percussion for Lusk, Green Jelly and even for Carole King! He also plays drums for the
band Zaum. He also plays drum clinics occasionally, and was at the Modern Drummer festival
last summer.
* X3. How about Adam?
We know he worked on art / special effects for
such movies as Jurassic Park and Terminator 2. He also played bass in a band in high
school with Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine (the band name: Electric Sheep). In
summer of 1998, he and Buzz from the Melvins played a few gigs as Noiseland Arcade (yes,
named after the Simpsons), an experimental noise band. And don't forget, he is largely
responsible for their videos.
X4. What about Paul?
After leaving Tool, Paul practiced with Failure
(a band who have opened for Tool) a few times, but did not join that band. He was working
on his own project called Lusk, with Cris Pitman (from the Replicants and Zaum), and has
an album out as of mid-April 1997. Lusk has reportedly broken up. See Question X5 for more
details on "The Replicants."
X5. What's "The Replicants"??
On November 21, 1995, an album came out on Zoo
Records (Tool's label) under the name "The Replicants." The album is a
collection of eleven covers of old songs by Paul McCartney, Syd Barrett, David Bowie, Pink
Floyd, the Cars, etc. The Replicants themselves are Paul, Ken Andrews and Greg Edwards of
Failure, and Cris Pitman of Zaum (a Danny side project). Maynard makes a guest appearance,
singing McCartney's "Silly Love Songs". More information is available via the
discography (at the location listed in A3).
X6. So, after Justin left them, what happened to
his old band: Peach?
They had actually broken up shortly before Justin
joined Tool. Note: this is not the same Peach with a few albums out on Caroline Records.
+---------------+
| Y. The Future |
+---------------+
* Y1. When will Tool play ____(city)____?
They toured heavily after "Ænima" came
out, including a Lollapalooza 97 and an Ozzfest 98. They probably won't play out much
until the release of the next album draws closer. Check http://toolshed.down.net for
further details.
* Y2. So what's next?
We still haven't gotten their cover of Led
Zeppelin's "No Quarter" on CD, or any new live recordings, but those projects
will likely be sidelined in favor of the impending fourth album, due hopefully by the end
of 1999.
+-----------------------------+
| Z. Info about this Document |
+-----------------------------+
* Z1. Who wrote this FAQ and why?
It was written by a Communications major at the
University of Pennsylvania / Master's film student at the University of Miami, who is now
trying to be a filmmaker in LA. Why write it? Until 1994, there was no Tool FAQ. And the
one question everyone wanted answered was "What's the line in the chorus of
Sober?" And lots of people got sick of answering. But nobody could say "read the
FAQ" since there wasn't one. And the rest is history. Thanks for reading it, by the
way. Hope you learned something.
Z2. Who made that big ASCII thingy at the top?
It was dreamt up and submitted by Justin McKinlay
(s338171@student.uq.edu.au).
* Z3. Who has helped out?
This FAQ would never have become what it is today
without the help of LOTS of people; some of whom have pointed out typographical errors,
some who have submitted answers. Here is a not-nearly-complete list of a whole slew of
people who have helped out since the FAQ's inception in 1994:
gregt@fairlane.visix.com,
azrael@grex.cyberspace.org, crowell@theochem.uwaterloo.ca, pier1@rpi.edu,
ba560@freenet.carleton.ca, shane@globalx.net, deathro@PrimeNet.com, arsenio@wco.com,
KDWST11@vms.cis.pitt.edu, Aspainhow@aol.com, vidariv@loke.hiof.no,
75377.22@compuserve.com, charris@i-max.co.nz, shade@paradoxnw.com, SDX@aol.com,
opiate@megaweb.com, jolsen@mizar.usc.edu, mch20285@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu,
fr4ulan@hugin.stud.hks.se, FearOfVir2@aol.com, boink@speednet.com.au,
peschek@mail.nwlink.com, quinlans@forbairt.ie, freek@mindspring.com, eric@satanic.org,
jvm113@psu.edu, jdwright@pomona.edu, beejay@hecubus.engr.sgi.com, elw01@gnofn.org,
mtrainor@juno.com, kspaink@xs4all.nl, eeyore@getnet.com, flood777@juno.com,
forrest@manawatu.gen.nz, aklink@engin.umich.edu, jkenny@MAILBOX.SLAC.Stanford.EDU,
WigginsTT99.CS31.USAFA@usafa.af.mil, cactoid@kwest.com.au, mpage@nis.net,
s328150@student.uq.edu.au, conklin@bobafet.nrl.navy.mil, pete_meincke@net.com,
vaillancl@lces.scbe.on.ca, dbw3e@virginia.edu, brian@technonet.com, nshinbin@interlog.com,
jcats@telis.org, dboyle@liquidaccess.net, thebadger@earthlink.net, swamp666@cris.com,
Brian_Mafi@smtpgate.Mitchell.Com, moloch@benthos.cox.miami.edu, Shift619@aol.com,
aksesper@iinet.net.au, barton-fink@juno.com, Manning.Cameron.CJ@bhp.com.au,
ironic_chick@angry.org, pajamapeople@worldnet.att.net, brian@technonet.com,
lgordon@vianet.net.au, GENOCIDEXX@aol.com, undertow01@geocities.com, brian@technonet.com,
j.patton@bohm.anu.edu.au, mrperry@alpha.delta.edu, third-eye@juno.com,
lee5@rohan.sdsu.edu, wgh@umich.edu, spielers@earthlink.net, SCHROEDC@aol.com,
creign@hotmail.com, JMTaco@aol.com, rantzjj@jmu.edu, and all the folks mentioned
throughout the FAQ.
Thank you all, you've helped make this FAQ the
best it can be. And of course, to Maynard for straightening out some of our unanswered
questions.
* Z4. Where can I get the most current version of
the FAQ? Is this it?
Isn't this the same as Question A1?
Z5. Can I copy bits of the FAQ? Can I put it on
my home page? Can I send it to a friend of mine? Can I print it out? Can I quote it in a
publication?
This document exists to answer people's
questions; it wouldn't be very helpful if nobody could get to it. All I ask is that if you
do copy any part of it, that you let me know. Private use (like printing it out / sharing
it with someone) is of course, condoned. If you're going to quote it somewhere, again,
just let me know, so I know. See also the next question.
Z6. Copyright and Distribution Information:
The Tool FAQ (list of Frequently Asked Questions)
is (c) 1994 - 1999 Kabir Akhtar. This FAQ may not be reproduced in any form (in whole or
in part) without permission. International copyright laws require that you obtain an
author's permission to use any copywritten material.
Permission... if you want permission, all you
have to do is ask. Unless you are planning on making millions without including me, I'll
say "go for it." I'd just like to know to where the FAQ may find its way. Thanks
in advance for taking the few seconds it takes to contact me.
* Z7. Has this FAQ made it out into the real
world at all?
Various reporters for magazines have relied on it
for interviews, as have radio DJs worldwide; check the note at the end of Question B.
Others have even based parts of their FAQs on this one (dig Sunny Day Real Estate and
Grinspoon)! If you do use this FAQ as a reference for some form of published material
(online or print), please at least mention it, my name, or "toolshed.down.net."
(Either way, it's only three words). While all the information here is free, it has taken
a lot of work to publish it all here. You'd be amazed how many people have lifted
paragraphs from here. Thanks!
Z8. How do you pronounce that damn K-name anyhow?
It's Kabir. Phonetically, it's
"k'BEER." More info on Kabir is available at http://www.down.net. See you at a
show.
Comments welcome to kabir@down.net
End of FAQ.
MAIN
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