Publication: Weekender (Australian newspaper liftout mag)
Date: June, 2001
Transcribed by
Byron Struck a.k.a Libido Joe. (crystus@another.com)
Byron Struck a.k.a Libido Joe. (crystus@another.com)
page: 25 title: Tool Time again author: "Danny Keenan" (most likely a false name!) It has been four long years between the release of their ground- breaking album AENIMA and the four members of LA rock outfit Tool are having mixed emotions. They are ecstatic about having finished their third full-length album LATERALUS and are itching for it to get into the marketplace and the sweaty hands of Tool fanatics world-wide. Yet that platform will only be reached with the realisation that some interviews and media commitments are to be fulfilled. Tool hate doing interviews. Probably nearly as much as people dread interviewing them. It's not that they hate the media, it's just that Tool are a needle in a haystack. Despite being interviewed, they remain a predominantly closed shop. It's like pulling teeth. They stand by the belief that it is ALL about music. They scorn photos, magazine covers, television appearences and all the hype surrounding rock stars. They profess that a little mystery can go a long way and with the amount of mystery that this quartet generates there is no end in sight. Four years is generally a long time between drinks for any band, but Tool have been doing anything but resting on their laurels. Following the release of AENIMA in 1996, the band set off for two years of relentless touring that saw them vist Australia in summer 1999, (where they acclimatised by watching the Bombers play AFL and eating meat pies). With tracks like Stinkfist and 46&2, plus their disturbing, captivating and groundbreaking video clips, they kept on the road playing to a widespread legion of fans. On return, they entered into a volatile battle with their record label. That took quite some time and saw the band swap major distributors as they started work on their next album. In the process they parted ways with their longtime manager, Australian Ted Gardner, and singer Maynard James Keenan temporarily hit the road with his other band A Perfect Circle. Among all the turmoil, purging and interruption, Tool bonded together even tighter and concentrated on what matters-the songs. While working on their new album, they also issued a rarities box set called SALIVAL to keep the swarm of Tool fans placated while LATERALUS evolved. On this scorching Los Angeles day, we are crammed in the back of a Tool family member's BMW at a rehearsal studio car park, listening to the tracks off LATERALUS. Such is the paranoia and security surrounding these songs and everything within the Tool camp. It's all more part of the mystery. "There is just no more mystery in music anymore," says guitarist Adam Jones in regards to the state of music portrayed via today's media and the Internet. "You want to have an impact and you want to have control," continues drummer Danny Carey. "These days, everybody wants to know how the movie ends before they see it or they want to hear the punch line before they hear the joke, because they don't want to be in that vulnerable state. But it's OK to be surprised, or to be shocked or whatever. Just wait, the reward is much better and you learn something about yourself that way." On LATERALUS, Tool have adopted the theory that if it is'nt broken, don't try and fix it. They stay true to the sounds that have made them one of the biggest, progressive and respected rock bands on the planet, yet they continue to push the envelope to refrain from laziness and mediocrity. However, Carey explains that there are a couple of departures and a few risks. (LATERALUS debuted at No.1 on the Australian charts and is released on Tool Dissectional/Volcano, through Zomba Records in Australia.)
Posted to t.d.n: 06/01/01 19:36:52