Hello out there!

I have a feeling there is a lot of Tool fans here on the Nexus....I am definitely one of them.
I believe Tool to be THE most sacred band.(besides Sublime) to exist since the days of The Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, The Doors. Jimi Hendrix,Led Zepplin, Bob Marley. I consider these types of musicians to be sort of the musical patriarchs and prophets of our time, of course that's just my opinion.

Funny story...In the early 90s I of disliked Tool because I thought they were evil or something based on a combination of my flash judgment on them along with a generally gross misunderstanding and misinterpretation of many of the lyrics.(this was before I knew to look up the lyrics online.).Of course I COULD understand the lyrics to "Prison Sex" and I just didn't get the analogy behind it at the time .....I thought they were just being shock rockers...I also thought they were just being sort of mean to Christ to gain popularity with songs like Opiate and Eulogy.....Again I just did not GET it at all........

Eventually some friends of mine literally forced me to listen to Tool while I was on a very high dosage MESC/LSD/Psilo-journey.....Of course I ended up being totally blown away by the sheer "Ultimate Godliness" of their music.....Also my friends corrected me about some of the meanings of the songs and then instantly I was hooked.

So anyways sorry for the ramble....Here is a great interview with Maynard discussing his views on religion, spirituality and other philosophical topics.

If this has already been posted somewhere My apologies...but I searched and did not find it so here it is...enjoy

Maynard talks about religion and philosophy.


Also I realize this interview is old as dirt so many of you probably already found it but I'ts new to me so I got all excited.. ..sorry if it's old news to some.

maynard is fucking awesome (also danny carey)
as is this link, thank you for posting

Agreed, great stuff, Tool (like Grateful Dead and Led Zeppelin) is one of those bands that I assumed I would never like (based on stereotypes derived from people who wore their t-shirts) until one day a friend played one of their songs, and it really clicked. I hear they may be putting out a new album this year, all their previous productions really resonate, especially some of the tracks on the Salival ep. There's a clear evolution from their earlier EP's and LP's to the present ("spiral out...". I wonder where it's heading...

I know you already said it, but that interview is really old.

mike patton is a real genius.

It makes me laugh. I generally hang out with a reggae/dub (NOT dubstep) crowd, and if I mention Tool they whine 'Waaaah, but they're so depressing.'

I don't think they have listened to them.

They are one of the most uplifting bands out there.

liked them back in the 90's, when they were at their peak.
after a while, like a lot of other bands on major labels/radio rotation, their stuff
began to sound stagnant. same with perfect circle...different name, same sound.

hmmm..I dunno they are played out. I mean I used to listen to tool freaking all day long..but I do find the music dark and kind of depressing now. I heard it all enough I guess. Not really a perfect circle fan.

Tool will always be remembered as one of the great bands of the 90's.

I think there is a lot of less mainstream trance that is at least equal in my books. Id rather go see a full shpongle set anyday.

Going with the title of this thread, I think this song by Maynard's other band Puscifer says a lot:

The Humbling River

Nature nurture heaven and home
Sum of all and by them driven
To conquer every mountain shown
But I've never crossed the river

Brave the forest, brave the stone
Brave the icy winds and fire
Braved and beat them on my own
Yet I'm helpless by the river

Angel, angel what have I done
I face the quakes, the wind, the fire
I've conquered country, crown, and throne
Why can't I cross this river?

Angel, angel what have I done
I face the quakes, the wind, the fire
I've conquered country,crown, and throne
Why can't I cross this river?

Pay no mind to the battles you've won
It'll take a lot more than rage and muscle
Open your heart and hands my son
Or you'll never make it over the river

It'll take a lot more than words and guns
A whole lot more than riches and muscle
The hands of many must join as one
And together we'll cross the river

It'll take a lot more than words and guns
A whole lot more than riches and muscle
The hands of many must join as one
And together we'll cross the river

Benzyme inscribed the following words upon the screen:



---Although I hold your opinion with the highest regard..I am forced to respectfully disagree with this statement. Let me ask you----
Have you even given 10,000 Days a listen whilst under the influence of psychedelic materials>>>?

It may not be as on key as Lateralus but it definitely hold some mind blowing tunes...I mean Jambi, Right In Two, Rosetta Stoned, 10,000 days part2 are all monumental tracks and absolutely breathtaking to listen to while tripping. I like watching the "Planet Earth" Documentaries with the volume on the TV turned off and Tool Playing.

Vicarious is not really my most favorite Tool song but it still just absolutely crushes just about anything else they play on modern rock radio stations...

And I'm not sure how you could even compare Perfect circle to tool...other than Maynards voice...there is not that much in common between the two...With a few exceptions...I actually don't care to listen to Perfect Circle if I am tripping although Tool I can listen to. Tool is a lot more spiritually focused than Perfect Circle in my opinion.

I don't even understand how other "newer metal" bands can sleep at night making the kind of crap rock that they do when Tool is out there just putting them all to shame...

---

As far as Electronic Music goes I heard some that I really liked while I was on MDMA about ten years ago.....so I went back and tried to listen to similar stuff while on regular psychedelics and I just could not get into it at all..It just sounded so..Fake.
I sort of came to the conclusion then that Electronic Music seems to really only entertain me if I am on MDMA for some reason...and when I started taking Aya I decided to never take MDMA or MDA again.

I have never heard of shpongle but I will look into it. Also I don't see how tool is "Dark" I don't get a dark feeling from even their heaviest.. most abrasive tracks. The Darkest things they have is that "von satan" track with the Guy giving a Cake recipe in German...
I'ts a little DIM maybe but dark? Dark is more like that one band Cradle of Puke or whatever they are called...

---

As for Puscifer....I also can't get into that
The lyrics and singing are good at times but overall it is too much like nine inch nails for me ...I also find the obsession with Vagina to be somewhat Trivial and mundane...I also feel like it is way too repetitive and hearing Maynard sing about the "po-po" just kind of kills a part of me inside.
...I have the deepest respect for Maynard but I can't shake the feeling that the motive behind Puscifer, like the wine thing... is just to rake in the dough.

-I mean maybe he also just wanted to learn how to make his own Ergot wine... the huge piles of money were just a +.

Mer de Noms is the only thing he's ever put out I really like a lot.

Lyserge:

what you said about the t-shirts made me bust up laughing.

It's so true......now I think if I ever have a successful band....I might not make shirts because I don't know what kind of moron is going around advertising my band with a shirt....
they might even cut the sleeves off..and that just looks bad....

Some shirt stereotypes are right on however...like "Insane Clown Posse" for instance....I hate to be so harsh but I am pretty sure that I am right about my T-shirt based judgement on them....(I live in a place where there are tons of these "juggaloes" or ICP fans roaming around all over the place...Lord Help Me.)

Some Puscifer songs are layered just like MK said about Tool's songs in this interview. Sure it's good dough, but i think Maynard's first and foremost goal is to reach people. And i think the band Puscifer is just trying to reach other personalities than for example A Perfect circle. Maybe they don't have as many layers to them as do some Tool songs but it's pretty hard to match that anyway. Jesus christ, pretty much all of Tool's songs are a lot like onions. And when you you've eaten through all the layers and find the core is empty, then some day you listen to that song and find out that there's another one of those onions written in another dimension.

Tool i've listened to whilist tripping and it utterly blew my mind. I've spend most of that starry night underneath a tree with my ipod. I thought that god was picking out songs for me whenever i play songs on random. After god picked out Tool it picked out Pink floyd for me and i just watched the lights in the sky do some crazy maneouvers. Also noticed a triad of unidentified flying objects coming at me in tune with saucerful of secrets. Good day, too bad i stepped into dogshit right in front of some very cool looking pimp which i perceived as either god or the reïncarnation of Syd Barret. U can imagine my shame

Anyway, I'd definitely order a Tool shirt if it wasn't for the fact that i can be such a braindead douche sometimes and i'd be ashamed to wear it. Probably bad advertising for Tool as well. Altho, i just might let someone mutilate my skin with ink and brand a tattoo of Maynard somewhere on my upper body. I woulden't feel ashamed for that at all, i'd be very proud to have it.

Jamie wrote:



That depends who you ask. Lateralus was released in 2001, and many consider that their masterpiece.

I know what you mean though, I can't listen to them all the time either. Used to listen to just them and Mars Volta for a couple of years when i was 18/19. Then I discovered a whole world of other music haha.

Now listen to different genres/things every day...

When listened to once in a while though, Tool continue to stun me with their musical dexterity. I think I will always come back to them, upon occasion.

Just got to be in the right mood, and up to withstanding the darkness. Still love them though! (just no longer obssess about them)

Word! I think i feel the same way about Tool as you do. Still love em, but just no longet obsessive about them.

Glad you have escaped having your face/heart/stomach eaten fresh. Maybe you have an opinion of how the 10,000 Days album fits in their whole progression? The "Opiate" EP and Undertow both seemed to offer harsh critiques of organized religions and abusive institutions ("the cries of the carrots"; both albums dealt with very negative topics but had a positive undertone, that the intent or purpose was to head towards liberation from these trappings.

Ænima was just what it said it was, a healing process cleaning out the s%%t, from Prison Sex (abuse by broken authority figures) to Forty Six and Two (change is coming through the shadow), which lead (through that gorgeous hint Salival) to the break-out spiral-out Lateralus ("let the waters kiss and transmutate these leaden grudges into gold". Maybe 10,000 Days is about the pain that persists even after this liberatory process is undertaken? Like the saying, "the logs and the pail of water are just as heavy and difficult to carry for Buddha", the pain is still there. Does this make sense? Any additions?

Also for electronic music and regular psychedelics (or just good old-fashioned oxygen and photons) have you checked out Shpongle or Simon Posford's other projects, Gataka, Perplex, Sesto Sento. There's a huge world of fantastic electronic music that will sooth your soul and blow your mind.

Lyserge said...



- I 100% concur!
You pretty much have me all cued up to explain 10,000 days. I remember around the time this album came out Tool had all the Major radio stations make an announcement that Tool's front man Maynard had found Jesus and may be leaving Tool...I believe thy had something on their webpage about it on april 1st the year that album came out..

This rather ingenious "publicity stunt" was on the heels of Brian Head from Korn quitting the band because he said he "found Jesus". So it turned out to be an April fools joke making fun of Brian Head...

But then the album 10,000 days did end up having religious implications...to some people this seemed like a contradiction to the message of Opiate.

From looking at some of the comments from people on the understanding song lyric type websites
it seemed that some Tool fans were confused and put off by 10,000 days..
The album does rather blatantly mentions Maynard's mother going to heaven, A Benevolent Son, Angels, The Trinity, Extra terrestrial DMT contact and how Legion should "Stay out of Their way!".

To me this was a Godsend...to have a Band like tool confirm everything that I believe about DMT and spirituality is truly an inspiring thing especially because I myself am an aspiring musician. I mean I already knew they were into things that fascinate me to no end such as Kaballah, Enochian Magic and DMT...but to hear them just come out and sing about angels and the messiah was like a dream come true for me.

Jambi meant a lot to me as well...because I do indeed perceive an entity that bears a strong resmblense to "Jambi" from pee wees playhouse whenever I trip(Metatron)..
....and then when they mentioned the Benevolent Son in Jambi it was like a clear reference to the Messiah

...I felt like they were trying to help confused people understand that Tool is not "Anti-Christ", Tool is anti organized religion and organized religion IS anti-Christ.

Like the E.T says to Maynard in Rosetta Stoned......
"We Choose You.... to deliver a message...A message of HOPE for those that choose to hear it and a WARNING for those who do not."

-So perhaps Everyone "HAD BETTER LISTEN"....as it suggests in the song...

I noticed lots of people think he is just joking on Rosetta Stoned.
saying a bunch of crazy stuff..
I think not-