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The Tool Page: An Article

Publication: Q

Date: August, 2001

Transcribed by
Matteo Raguzzi (maraguzz@tin.it)


  page: 28
 title: Their time is now! Here comes the metal Radiohead
author: Steve Lowe

Their Time Is Now! 


Tool


Here comes the metal Radiohead


Located six miles outside of Edinburgh, Rosslyn Chapel has been a centre of intrigue for centuries, largely due 
to supposed connections with persecuted medieval sect and conspiracy theory nabobs the Knights Templar. Its 
central pillar is believed to conceal dangerously heretical scrolls, detailing the descendants of Jesus Christ and, 
perhaps, the location of the Holy Grail. Which is why increasingly acclaimed angs-metaller Tool - singer Maynard 
James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones, drummer Danny Carey and British bassist Justin Chancellor - requested 
the mysterious sepulchre as a location for their Q photo shoot.
"There's some secrets buried under there somewhere", muses Keenan. "Whether it's the truth about The Arch 
Of The Covenant, Mary Magdalene, the Grail…who knows?"
Gloomy and mythic, Rosslyn Chapel is very Tool, perfecly apt for an act who disappeared for five years inside a 
black hole of label litigation and creative stasis, only to re-emerge last year as nu-metal's creative figureheads. 
Bulding on their previous work's weirder strains, Tool's third full-length album, Lateralus, entered the US charts 
at Number 1 in June, even though REM, Depeche Mode and Missy Elliott were among the other new entries that 
week. As a result, even the LA quartet's post-gig path from venue to bus has become unexpectedly hazardous.

"In Milan, this huge crowd surrounded us and hugged us," says guitarist Jones. " We couldn't move. It was 
something I've never felt before. It was nice, but for a brief moment also really intimidating and 
claustrophobic".
Intimidating and claustrophobic should, though, be familiar sensations to anyone remotedly acquainted with 
Tool. Lateralus is 80 minutes of pared-down, pummelling, Eastern-flavoured riffing and Keenan's muscular, 
frequently screeching dissertations on mortality and metaphysics. Knuckleheads they're most certainly not.
"We shouldn't be on the same chart," claims Keenan of his group alleged disciples. " Bands like Limp Bizkit 
should be on a marketing chart. Like, look what McDonald's did with McNuggets this week".
Preferred peers, instead include PJ Harvey, Tricky and Radiohead. Indeed, the Radiohead parallels run further 
than simply taking themselves titanically seriously. After releasing an incalculably influential album, 1996's 
multi-million-selling Aenima, Tool spent the late 90's listening to Aphex Twin and narrowly avoiding splitting up. 
"It was one of those horrible Behind The Music scenes where, with money and success, everybody thinks they're 
right," says Keenan, who formed hugely successful side-project A Perfect Circle as a diversion. "It's just a matter 
of working through that as brothers".
And, as with Kid A, Lateralus was the subject of pre-release speculation so fervent that the band inclined to relay 
hoax track titles, such as Poopy The Clown, over the internet.
"When we put out the rarities box set Salival last year someone started selling T-shirts via salival.com right 
away," explains Keenan. "So we put out titles like Poopy The Clown just to see. Sure enough, all those names 
went out straight away."
So Tool definitely don't have any songs called Poopy The Clown?
"No," Keenan confirms. "Although it's not out of the question. As Spinal Tap said, we do tread that fine line 
between clever and stupid."






Posted to t.d.n: 08/30/01 16:49:39