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JJJ Australian Radio 
Date: November 1996 
 

Richard Kingsmill (interviewer): Well, I mean, I think we 
should talk about the album as well because the 
pronounciation is something that obviously alot of people 
around the world are going to be scratching their head about, 
the new TOOL album. I've been saying Inima, am I 
halfway correct?

Adam: Yeah, I mean, I guess being Australian you can get 
away with that. *laughs*

Richard: Don't patronise me.

Adam: It's Onoma.  It's Onoma.

Richard: It's Arnama is it?

Adam: Onoma.

Richard: What's it mean?

Adam: It's um, a basic philosophy of, of maybe the end of 
the world, or the end of what's going on in our world, and 
evolving because of that.. stepping up. You know like, we're 
not evolving, I think alot of people have just slowed down, 
technology's gotten to the point of yeah, we're 
moving on, but we're moving on very slowly because people 
are becoming very comfortable, and the thing that I've found 
out, most people don't like to think and I'm one that, I like 
to be stimulated, and like to think 
and like to get my mind open and whatever can do that, I'll 
do. If it's music, if it's taking a walk, if it's doing drugs, if it's 
having sex, or
whatever, reading a book, whatever, as long as my mind is 
open and I'm
expanding my consciousness and I'm aware of my 
surroundings and I don't
take them for granted, I mean, that's what it's about, and I 
think most
people don't wanna think about that or don't think about 
that, and um, I
don't know, it just kinda makes me sick. They all want 
answers and they
all wanna get wrapped up in stuff, so it slows down our 
evolution.
Bill Hicks said you know, evolution didn't stop at our songs, 
we can keep
going, language is just, you know, like spoken language is 
just one way of
communicating, but there's so many other ways, you know 
that, you know
what I'm saying?

Richard: Yeah, sure, I mean um, I'm just trying to wonder if 
you're very
optimistic about the future and how then you can raise that 
consciousness
amongst a planet that's so heavily populated..

Adam: I can't do anything.  I can't do anything.  All I can do 
is just
try to open my own mind.  And that's what we're expressing 
through our
songs.  I mean, we're not a band like Rage, who I respect 
alot, but
they're very political, and you know, they're trying to make a 
change,
and they're trying to change people's thinking and all that 
kinda stuff,
and all we're doing is just going "hey, this is what we're about"

Richard: But at the same time you'd like to feel like you had 
the power
within the band that you were opening up a few minds out 
there as wel

Adam: Oh I think we do, I think we do and I think there are 
people who
want that you know, but I think most people don't, but I 
think um, the
success of our band is because of that.  Because, I mean, 
really, I mean,
this album is doing a lot better than anything we've ever 
done, but we
have done well for ourselves in the past (bowling alley people 
make
announcements over the P.A.) Argh!

Richard: *laughs* Well you are in a bowling alley..

Adam: yeah... But we have done well for ourselves because 
of our fan
base. It's been very underground, and the lack of advertising 
and
marketing with the band, it's been more of a thought 
process, it's
been more of you know, people getting in touch with the 
music and taking
it a lot further than just being the hot pick of the week, or 
taking it
further than just the catchy song lyric. You know, we don't 
print our
lyrics because we want people to really sit closer to the 
speaker and try
and hear what Maynard's saying versus what's going on in the 
music. Cos we treat everything with as much importance as 
the lyrics.

*cut to stinkfist*

Richard: It is a whole, I mean I find listening to TOOL's 
music at some
times I am stretching my ear to hear what Maynard is actually 
singing,
but to me, it's not all that important.

Adam: Yeah, I mean, exactly, you know what I mean, like 
I'm saying, most
people are going to listen to it and it's not going to be 
important to them.

Richard: No, but I'm saying it's the whole picture, I get this 
sense of
the communication of intensity, of passion, of feeling and I 
don't need
to sorta listen to find out exactly what the key is behind each 
of the
songs.  I don't find that that's a necessary part of me 
listening to your
music though.

Adam: Yeah, and it's also like a lot of people don't get it, 
and they'll 
say they get it and if it's positive, I go "okay, that's cool".  
You
don't go "oh no no man, you're not getting it" I mean, if 
someone's
negatively not getting it, I go "dude, that's *not* what it's 
about".
You know, like people come up to us, and we have a song 
called Opiate,
and it's about you know um, the corruption of Christian 
religion being
forced down our fucking throats.  Alot of people take that as 
like a pro
Christian song, and these Christians come up to us 
going "Dude, you know, 
that song saved my life, and thankyou Jesus" and I go "ok, 
cool".  See 
it's positive.  I'll give you another example. Sober.  It's about 
doing 
drugs, and why can't we do drugs if something positive 
happens?  And we 
get a lot of people who can't handle drugs that think it's 
about not 
doing drugs, and being sober and they come up going "man, 
I really relate 
to that song" and I go "great, if that's what you get out of it".
But I don't wanna go "oh, we're such an edgy band and 
everyone must get 
us" and all that kinda thing.  Like I said, it's just personal, 
and if 
you get it, cool, if you don't and you like it, cool. You know, 
as long 
as it's all positive.

AJ: All my friends think like I do, they all think positive, and 
if I hang
out with them more and then it can be like, just meeting 
them, or I can
be, you know, friends, or really good friends or be even 
intimate with
them.  If they don't think like I do, I don't want to hang out 
with them.
Coz all they're going to do is drag me down.  You know, and 
I think a lot
of people are unhappy, and they don't want to evolve, and 
they don't want
to.. like, you know, I'm not saying that I'm evolving.  Like, 
you know,
"Look at me, if you want to see what the future is". No. But 
I'm trying. 
I'm trying to look at things in a new way, I'm trying to 
expand my
consciousness, and I'm not trying to take life for granted at 
all. Because
I believe that this is it.  You know, you live, you die.. that's it. 
Whatever else is out there, is beyond our comprehension and 
it probably
will be for a long time, you know, I don't think the world 
needs answers,
you know.. there's going to be questions that can't be 
answered and don't
have to have.. it's ok not to know the answers.. 

[cut to Sober.. ]

END OF PART I

PART II:

AJ: Justin has, well.. it's mean to say, I mean, I love Paul 
and all that,
and I wish him well, but, I'm so happy that happened. 
[laughs]  Justin
Chancellor is the most amazing person I've ever met.  He.. 
his favourite
band was Tool, he was my best friend in England, he writes 
like Tool, he
thinks like Tool, he likes all the same kind of music I do, you 
know,
he just fit the glove, perfect.  And, you know, most of the new 
songs
that you've heard, or.. are riffs that he wrote.

K: Are they really?

AJ: Yeah.  At least half of them.

K: Wow, that's pretty interesting.  Because, I mean the song 
credits on
the album is just simply Tool, so I was kind of wondering 
where the
initial spark came from.

AJ: Well, we don't look at like this.  Like I said, you know, we 
treat
everything with equal importance, and what happens is.. 
noone comes and
goes "Here's the song that I wrote".  Justin will come in with a 
riff.
Then I'll come in with a riff, and then, Justin will come in with 
two
riffs, and we'll kind of start playing with them and expanding 
them, and
making choruses for the riffs, or taking riffs here or there.. or 
Maynard
will come in with at riff.  All the lyrics are written last.

K: It sounds very complex too, you listen to Tool's music and 
you
kind of wonder sometimes how long it took to create 
something like that.

AJ: Well, sometimes it takes 2 days, sometimes it takes, you 
know, 3
months.  So, it's just.. but it's all fun.  I mean, we'd rather 
just do
things our way, do it slow and not worry about how long the 
song is, not
worry about, you know, if it's going to have mass appeal, you 
know.  We're
making ourselves happy. The biggest message I can give to 
anyone is, if
you truly want to be happy, do what you do, that makes you 
happy.  Don't
do something that makes you money, to bring you 
happiness.  Because
that's.. I don't know about Australia, but in America, that's 
what they
really try and push.. that.. you have to go to college, and 
have to get a
degree, and have to get a good job, and you'll be happy.  
You know, and
it's like, no.  You have to be happy, and that will bring you 
success. 
And that's what we do.  And that's why I'm saying, this is so 
much fun,
that you wouldn't believe it, and it's never felt like a job.  As 
soon as
it does, you know, I'm going to quit. And go do something 
else. 

[cut to Prison Sex]

AJ: The best part about it is, no one knows what I look like.  
I can
go out right now, we're playing a show, like, 5000 people, 
and no one will
recognise me, I can watch the two opening bands, and then 
go onstage.
It's wonderful.  And it completely keeps your mind open for 
everything
that we're doing, and everything that we want to do, and all 
of the goals
that we have.  I mean, we're not rock stars.  We're geeks.

K: Seriously?  You're geeks?

AJ: Yeah.. we're geeks.  You know, like, Danny and I watch 
Star Trek,
Maynard, you know, he loves watching cartoons and doing 
stupid stuff,
and watching the same movie over.. like we love 
Caddyshack, and I mean,
we're just, we're a bunch of friends, who're all geeks.  That's 
why, it's
not about what we look like, and how we "rock out" or 
whatever the fuck,
you know.  A guy, in an interview the other day that was 
complaing what
a shoe gazer I was, you know, onstage, and it was like, they 
miss the
point.  Because you can barely see me onstage to begin 
with.  We have
all these projections, we have lights, they have really 
atmospheric
emotional, trippy kind of, dreamy presentation with our music 
which
completely stimulates each other, and they totally missed out 
on it.
Because I wasn't rocking out, swishing my hair.

K: You weren't living up to the rock and roll stereotype.

AJ: I guess so.  And I guess I never will.  And if you don't 
like that,
then don't come see us.

K: Which one are you on that.. I've actually just changed the 
slicks of
the cd and put in the one where the guy's doing that.. 
interesting yoga 
position.  Are you actually..

AJ: Actually, it's a woman.

K: It's a woman, is it?

AJ: Yeah, Rolling Stone wrote that it was a guy blowing 
himself, and no,
it's actually a woman who's a contortionist.  It's like an art 
she does.
And.. I'm the one with the suit on.

K: Ahh.. the black suit?  

AJ: Yeah..

K: OK, cool.  Well, it's still pretty hard to see what you look 
like
there.

AJ: Exactly.

[both laugh]

[cut to Aenima]

THE END.


Posted to t.d.n: 03/17/02 17:43:11