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."

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.

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.)

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 andphysical. 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.

The following is an article attempting to describe Tool. It has lots of good solid facts and descriptions:

Tool

Contemporary Musicians, April 1998 (Volume 21) by Sonya Shelton

Occupation: Rock band

Personal Information Members include Danny Carey (born Daniel Edwin Carey in Paola, Kansas, May 10, 1961), drums; Justin Chancellor (replaced Paul D'Amour; born Justin Gunnar Walte Chancellor, November 19, 1972), bass; Paul DAmour (born Paul M. D'Amour in Spokane, Washington, June 8, 1968); Adam Jones (born Adam Thomas Jones in Libertyville, Illinois, January 15, 1965) guitar; Maynard James Keenan (born James H. Keenan in Ravenna, Ohio, April 17, 1964), vocals.

Career

Band formed in Los Angeles, California, and signed to Zoo Entertainment/BMG, 1991; released debut EP Opiate, 1992; released debut LP, Undertow, 1993; bassist Paul DAmour replaced by Justin Chancellor, 1995; released Aenima, 1996.

Addresses

Record company -- BMG Records, 6363 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028.

Created around the idea of lachrymology, or the "study of crying," Tool became both a symbol of success in the music world and a tribute to the concept of channeling negative energy toward positive means. With early hits such as "Sober" and "Prison Sex," the band propelled its mission to use the intellectual and musical influences of its members to inspire its own listeners. Ted Drozdowski wrote in a review of Tool in Rolling Stone: "Their songs about the living hell that humans create connect with the seething frustrations of an audience who have seen the cynicism of their parents' generation devour the fruits of opportunity."

Unlike the flood of bands who targeted the angry youth of the 1990s, Tool set out to stimulate thought, rather than simply complain about the state of the world. "Evolution didnt stop with us getting thumbs," singer Maynard James Keenan told Jon Wiederhorn in Rolling Stone. "There are a lot of metaphysical, spiritual, and emotional changes going on right now, and were just trying to reflect that."

From Tools inception, they drew inspiration from authors and philosophers, as well as their own personal experiences. The group referenced concepts and themes from writers such as Joseph Campbell, Aleister Crowley, William Gibson, Carl Jung, and Ronald P. Vincent. In fact, it was the latter who inspired the concept of the band from the beginning. Guitarist Adam Jones read Vincents book A Joyful Guide to Lachrymology after he moved from Illinois to Los Angeles. He had been working as a sculptor and special effects designer for film, working on movies like Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, and Predator 2. Vincents ideas about feeding off of pain and using its energy in a positive way sparked Jones desire to bring musicians together to direct their own frustrations into art. "The philosophy of that book is basically using your pain to a profit, rather than letting it drag you down," drummer Danny Carey told Scott Schalin in BAM. "A lot of people who cant master that art end up jumping off buildings."

In 1991 Jones met Carey through their mutual friend, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello. He also met bass player Paul DAmour through the movie industry. At the time, singer Maynard James Keenan lived upstairs from Carey. When they all got together, they took Jones idea and gave it a life in a group they called Toolshed, later simplified to Tool.

All four members of Tool moved to Los Angeles from different areas of the United States. Keenan was born near Akron, Ohio, an only child in a Baptist family. His mother died when he was just eleven years old. Before moving to L.A., he lived in Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, and Massachusetts, and had served three years in the Army.

Danny Carey was the only member of Tool to have played music full- time before the bands formation. He was the drummer for an L.A. band called Pigmy Love Circus in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and he played in a band called Green Jelly. Even after joining Tool, Carey played in another band on the side, called Zaum. When he joined Tool, they hadnt developed a success strategy, nor had they planned the rapid launch they received.

"It began as a self-satisfying thing for us," Carey told Schalin. "Our music was a release and a vehicle to get out whatever tensions we were feeling at that time." "When we started the band, we all had our own jobs," Jones said to Edward Fruchtman in Circus. "We did this as a side project. We never intended to get signed. It was all about the music -- music that inspires and music that creates thought."

Before the end of Tools first year together, they had signed a record contract with Zoo Entertainment, distributed by BMG Records. (The label later changed its name to Freeworld.) In 1992, Tool released an EP titled Opiate to introduce their loud, aggressive sound. "Everyone thought we were a hard metal band," Adam Jones recalled to Chuck Crisfulli in Guitar Player, "but our tastes run through Joni Mitchell, King Crimson, Depeche Mode, and country ?music?. Were not a metal band, rock band, or a country band. Were Tool."

By July of that same year, they had the opening slot on a tour with the Rollins Band. Then, the following year, they released their debut full-length disc, Undertow. The first single, "Sober," began getting exposure on several regional music video shows across the country. Adam Jones had designed the video using stop-motion camera techniques with claymation. Soon, the video became a hit on MTV.

In May of 1993, Tool began its U.S. tour, opening for bands such as Rage Against the Machine, Living Colour, and Fishbone. By the summer, they had landed a slot on the second stage of the Lollapalooza tour. Mid-way through the tour, they moved up to the opening band on the main stage.

Tool began receiving more and more exposure and critical acclaim. David Browne wrote in Entertainment Weekly, "What put this L.A. band a notch above the rest are better songs (with actual verses, choruses, and hooks -- check out the terrific 'Prison Sex) and the hints of vulnerability in Maynard James Keenans voice."

The next single and video, "Prison Sex," was also designed by Jones in the same claymation style. The notoriety they received on the Lollapalooza tour and the popularity of their music videos, launched Tools Undertow to platinum sales status before the end of 1994. The following year, the groups progress was slightly interrupted by the departure of bassist Paul DAmour. The foursome had already started recording their next record, when DAmour decided to move on to form his own band called Lusk.

However, Tool didnt waste much time. Bass player Justin Chancellor, whose previous band Peach had performed with Tool in Europe, soon filled the empty position. He jumped right into the studio, and Tools next LP, Aenima was released in 1996. It debuted at number two on Billboards album chart, and went platinum within the year. The album, which included the single "Stinkfist," was co- produced by Dave Bottril, who had previously worked with artists such as King Crimson and Peter Gabriel. Adam Jones continued to express his visual artistic talent on the 3-D "multi-image" packaging for the disc.

Some reviews commented that Aenima had an even harder edge than Tools previous releases. "Dense and looming, Aenima spirals through a bleak landscape of metallic rhythms and industrial textures, mutating at will like a sadistic demon from an H.R. Giger sketchbook," Jon Wiederhorn wrote in Rolling Stone. "One of the goals of the record, among a lot of things, was to make it obvious to all the materialistic idiots that energy is primary and the illusion of matter is secondary," Danny Carey told Carl Hammerschmidt in Hot Metal.

By the summer of 1996, Tool had returned to the Lollapalooza tour, this time as its co-headliner. They performed on the bill with Korn, Tricky, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Orbital, and James. Chancellor, their new bass player, fit in without missing a beat. His fresh approach to the ideas of Tool gave him a unique perspective of the group. He described his impressions to Edward Fruchtman in Circus. "Ive never come across or been a part of a collection of souls so diverse in character and belief that possess the ability to mutually accommodate those differences and evolve them into positive creativity."

Even through all of the recognition and success, Tool stayed true to their original mission inspired by Ronald P. Vincent. After the platinum records and headlining tours, they still included a reading list of their favorite recently read books in their fan club mailing list, and they have said that they want the band to serve as a "tool" to understanding the concepts and benefits of lachrymology.

Selected Discography

Opiate, Zoo Entertainment/BMG, 1992. Undertow, Freeworld/BMG, 1993. Aenima, Freeworld/BMG, 1996.

Sources:

Periodicals: Billboard, September 11, 1993; Circus, August 1997; Entertainment Weekly, May 28, 1993; October 4, 1996; Guitar Player, September 1993; Hot Metal, Summer 1997; Rolling Stone, April 7, 1994; November 28, 1996; December 26, 1996-January 9, 1997; August 7, 1997.

http://www.hypermall.com/willp/tool     

http://toolshed.down.net